Industrialized housing construction—The UK experience

Abstract

This chapter outlines the historical development of industrialized housing in the United Kingdom and identifies the key developments. Periods of high activity have been brought about by two World Wars, which reduced available manpower, created considerable damage to the housing stock through bombing, and diverted attention away from essential maintenance and repair. The most significant period of industrialized housing occurred in the 1960's, which was brought about by increased prosperity, and the need to improve living standards. Political, economic, and social pressure together with the misconception that living standards could be improved by untried and inadequately tested technology, directly contributed towards the major failure of concrete panel system tower blocks, and urban housing estates. Important research and development sponsored by forward thinking clients such as McDonalds, British Airports Authority, Travel Lodge, and supermarket chains have proved that factory based construction technology can produce superior buildings for the same, and in some cases less cost, with the much faster construction times. The demonstration and prototype-industrialized housing projects have affectively proved that the new system based technology can be transferred to housing. The UK Construction Industry now has reached the stage in which new system housing has the potential to satisfy the huge demand for home ownership at an affordable price.