Modern Methods of Construction

For decades we have refused to accept the limits of traditional construction methods. We have rewritten the rules and re-set the agenda by investing in a pioneering offsite production approach, known as our DfMA 70:60:30, and bringing the benefits of manufactured components to bear on our projects around the world.

Today, this approach is enabling us to construct faster, more safely and more efficiently. It is improving product quality, reducing waste and supporting the creation of a more diverse and digitally-skilled workforce.

In the UK our DfMA 70:60:30 operating model is based on an unrivalled in-house capability in modern methods of construction (MMC). The jewel in our crown is the £200M Laing O’Rourke Centre of Excellence for Modern Construction (CEMC) in Nottinghamshire. It is Europe’s most advanced concrete products manufacturing facility and employs 400 people, who work closely with our digital engineers and project teams to design and precision manufacture a range of components for use in major building and infrastructure projects. These include twin walls, floor slabs, pillars, high quality facades and our new digital modular bridges to span roads and railways.

We invested in the CEMC in 2010, and have continued to pioneer modern methods of construction around the globe. The DfMA 70:60:30 model used in our European projects, allows us to take 70 per cent of the construction offsite into a controlled environment, delivering a 60 per cent improvement in efficiency, and a 30 per cent improvement in project schedule.

As governments seek to turbo charge economic recovery from the pandemic, they rightly see construction as a sector with a vital role to play. To maximise the contribution construction can make, we believe governments and forward-thinking private sector clients must demand the wider use of DfMA and off site manufacturing.

It is encouraging that both public and private sector clients increasingly recognise the transformational potential of these modern methods of construction and how, as they did for the aviation and automotive industries, they can increase productivity.

Now is the time to fully unlock their potential, and by doing so step change sector productivity, address construction’s skills shortage, to turn tradespeople on building sites into technicians in diverse and inclusive factory-based roles, and to improve quality and build greener.

With our deep knowledge of offsite manufacturing in all sectors, we are determined to be a catalyst for the transformation of our industry. We will harness the power of our experience to bring a greater range of MMC solutions to our projects worldwide.