A new generation of talent could be encouraged to take up construction if offsite technology is pursued, according to a leading academic.
Daniel McCrum, assistant professor at the School of Civil Engineering at University College Dublin, says the construction sector has ‘overlooked’ the opportunity presented by offsite technology in engaging young people and women especially.
Speaking at MMC Ireland Conference earlier this year, Daniel said: “I think sometimes we overlook the potential that MMC presents. It’s a huge opportunity to make the construction sector an attractive career prospect.
“It certainly opens far more opportunities for young people, especially female participation in the sector. Those who are probably the most dedicated of our population to tackling climate change see MMC as a potential solution.
The public perception of offsite technology
His comments come in the wake of a recent study conducted by the School of Civil Engineering’s Modern Methods of Construction Research Group, which examined the general public’s and construction sector’s attitudes and perceptions of offsite technology.
Daniel, who heads up the research group, explained the findings.
“We asked the general public, have you heard of traditional construction, and nearly everybody had,” he said. “But just over half had heard of MMC.
“For those who had heard of modern methods of construction we then asked them if they would be willing to buy a residential property built using MMC? Of those who answered, 42 per cent said yes, 42 per cent said they don’t know and 16 per cent said they wouldn’t.
“I think these findings are interesting, because the people we asked might actually live in a house built using an offsite approach but lack awareness of advanced construction methods.”
Daniel continued: “We then asked the cohort who were aware of MMC, how do you think it compares to traditional construction in terms of quality, energy performance and sustainability?
“54 per cent said it performs better, so the general public are very much aware that MMC has high sustainability credentials.”
Daniel’s team also asked members of the construction industry questions relevant to their sector, including how much expertise or experience they had with MMC. The findings suggested that many did not have experience, although Daniel believes that a lack of awareness of what constitutes offsite technology might have skewed the results.
“A third of them said they have no experience of working in modern methods of construction” said Daniel. “I’m not sure that’s true because if you think about how many of them work with technology like timber trusses or precast concrete floors, there’s maybe a lack of understanding of the scope of offsite technology.”
How to improve the perception
The research group also asked the construction industry respondents how they thought they could improve the general public’s understanding of MMC.
“Topping the list, greater sharing of MMC practises,” added Daniel. “But what also came out was helping the sector to understand the current developments.
“Ensuring a consistently high-quality product was the second most common, and this creates the point that the construction sector is very much aware that if the MMC sector gets tarnished with bad quality, it can cause huge problems with the public’s perception of the technology.”
MMC Ireland will be present at Offsite Expo on September 17-18. For more information and to register for your FREE tickets, please visit offsite-expo.co.uk
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