Housing Construction framework: Modern Methods of Construction – Category 1

Yes, our framework specifically supports affordable housing delivery meeting Homes England requirements including minimum PMV exceeding 55% demonstrating MMC innovation, operational net zero carbon supporting environmental priorities, quality standards ensuring long-term value, and competitive pricing supporting grant funding viability. The framework aligns with Government’s £11.5bn affordable homes programme requiring 25% manufactured through modern methods, and the £10m MMC Taskforce supporting offsite housing acceleration. Our manufacturers have experience delivering grant-funded affordable housing, understand Homes England processes and reporting requirements, and provide cost certainty supporting funding applications. Framework members benefit from Building Better’s collective expertise navigating grant funding, shared learning on successful applications, and demonstration projects proving MMC viability for affordable housing programmes.

All homes delivered through our framework exceed current fire safety requirements with superior future-proof measures addressing post-Grenfell regulations. Homes achieve BOPAS or NHBC Accepts accreditation demonstrating independent assessment of structural integrity and safety, minimum EPC rating B with 81 SAP points, compliance with Nationally Described Space Standards ensuring adequate space, M4(2) accessible and adaptable dwelling standards as minimum with M4(3) wheelchair user dwelling options, and elimination of gas reducing fire and carbon monoxide risks. Factory manufacturing enables precise installation of fire barriers, cavity barriers, and compartmentation exceeding on-site capabilities. All materials undergo fire testing, structural calculations confirm compliance, and manufacturers maintain detailed technical specifications supporting Building Control approval and certification.

Housing associations access our framework by becoming Building Better members, identifying sites suitable for volumetric systems, and contacting us to discuss requirements. We provide indicative costs based on property archetypes, introduce members to appropriate manufacturers from TopHat, Ilke Homes, or Impact Modular, and support early engagement conversations. Contracts are awarded through direct award without mini-competitions, saving thousands in procurement costs and months in timescales. Our team provides ongoing support throughout the process from site identification through design, manufacturing, installation, and handover. The framework covers England and Wales. For Scotland coverage please visit PfH Scotland. Direct award enables swift decision-making, early contractor involvement, and collaborative relationships with manufacturers supporting successful project delivery.

Our framework delivers comprehensive housing types through three lots: Lot 1 provides housing and apartments up to 18 metres, Lot 2 provides housing only, and Lot 3 provides apartments up to 18 metres only. Home types include 2-bedroom 4-person houses, 3-bedroom 5-person houses, larger family homes, one and two-bedroom apartments, and bespoke designs meeting specific requirements. All homes achieve Nationally Described Space Standards compliance, M4(3) wheelchair accessible options, customizable finishes meeting planning requirements and tenant preferences, and various architectural styles. Manufacturers provide standard archetypes enabling rapid deployment and bespoke solutions accommodating specific site requirements. This flexibility ensures housing associations can deliver appropriate housing meeting local housing need whilst maximising factory manufacturing benefits.

Our framework provides transparent pricing through fixed core structure costs for standard modules, fixed delivery and installation costs providing programme certainty, fixed net zero carbon uplift costs for enhanced specifications, schedule of rates for above-ground works and site-specific requirements, and fixed overhead and profit percentages for unknown costs. This commercial model enables early financial feasibility assessment, supports Homes England grant applications requiring cost certainty, eliminates procurement costs through direct award without mini-competitions, and provides value for money through competitive framework appointment. Framework evaluation assessed 70% quality and 30% price ensuring high-quality manufacturers with competitive pricing. Housing associations receive indicative costs during early engagement enabling informed site selection and development decisions.

Pre-Manufactured Value (PMV) measures the proportion of construction completed offsite in factory conditions, expressed as a percentage of total build cost. Our framework requires minimum PMV exceeding 55%, meaning over half the construction value occurs in controlled factory environments rather than on-site. High PMV matters for Homes England grant funding which prioritizes MMC developments, demonstrates innovation supporting funding applications, provides cost certainty through factory pricing, reduces on-site labour requirements addressing skills shortages, and ensures quality through factory quality assurance. Housing associations pursuing Homes England’s affordable homes programme benefit from our framework’s guaranteed high PMV, supporting grant applications whilst delivering superior homes through factory manufacturing.

Modular homes can be installed remarkably quickly with framework manufacturers achieving up to three homes per day once modules arrive on-site. The process begins with site preparation including foundations and service connections, then factory-manufactured modules are transported on specialist lorries and lifted into position using cranes. Multiple modules are connected together creating weathertight structures typically within 2-5 days depending on project size. Following module installation, contractors complete external works, landscaping, and final connections. Total construction time from factory commencement to completion typically ranges from 12-16 weeks compared to 6-12 months for traditional construction. This speed enables housing associations to deliver homes rapidly, reduce site disruption, minimise exposure to market fluctuations, and address housing need urgently.

Building Better is an alliance of housing associations and local authorities backed by the National Housing Federation, aggregating demand to procure high-quality sustainable homes through modern methods of construction. The partnership launched in 2018 as part of the Greenhouse innovation programme, enabling collaborative procurement, shared learning, and continuous improvement. Framework benefits include collective purchasing power achieving competitive pricing, technical expertise supporting site identification and feasibility, standardization enabling manufacturing efficiency whilst retaining customization, visible pipeline providing manufacturers with confidence for investment, and sector knowledge addressing skills shortages. Building Better membership provides access to our MMC framework, peer networking, case studies, and specialist support navigating volumetric construction adoption.

Use our specialist MMC Category 1 framework when committed to volumetric modular construction seeking maximum factory completion, requiring operational net zero carbon as standard, prioritizing speed of delivery with rapid site installation, needing predictable costs and programmes through manufacturing certainty, or pursuing Homes England grant funding requiring pre-manufactured value exceeding 55%. Use our Integrated Traditional and MMC Framework when flexibility between construction methods is needed, sites present access challenges for module delivery, traditional aesthetics are planning requirements, or projects combine traditional and modern construction. Our MMC framework provides specialist volumetric expertise, direct manufacturer relationships, and Building Better partnership benefits for housing associations committed to offsite construction innovation.

Our framework delivers operational net zero carbon homes through fabric-first design achieving superior thermal performance, elimination of gas heating using heat pumps and renewable technologies, minimum EPC rating B ensuring low energy consumption, airtightness standards exceeding Building Regulations, and high-performance insulation reducing heat loss. Framework manufacturers offer fixed net zero carbon uplift costs providing cost certainty for enhanced specifications. TopHat delivers homes with 1/27th the embodied carbon of traditional houses whilst operational costs remain under 90p daily. Factory manufacturing reduces waste, enables material optimization, and facilitates circular economy approaches. All homes achieve Future Homes Standard readiness supporting housing associations’ environmental commitments and regulatory compliance.

Volumetric construction (MMC Category 1) involves manufacturing complete 3D room modules in factories including walls, floors, ceilings, fitted kitchens, bathrooms, mechanical and electrical systems, and internal finishes. Modules arrive on-site substantially complete requiring only connection between units and external works. This differs from panelised construction (MMC Category 2) using flat wall panels assembled on-site requiring more on-site construction, and hybrid systems combining various prefabrication methods. Volumetric construction offers highest pre-manufactured value exceeding 55%, fastest installation with homes weathertight within days, greatest quality control through factory completion, and predictable outcomes. Our framework focuses exclusively on volumetric construction providing housing associations with the most advanced offsite manufacturing approach.

Modular home building companies on our framework ensure quality through BOPAS or NHBC Accepts accreditation providing independent assessment of structural durability and 100-year design life. Factory manufacturing enables precision engineering with tolerances exceeding on-site construction, quality inspection at every production stage, controlled environments eliminating weather-related defects, and comprehensive testing before site delivery. All manufacturers demonstrated financial stability ensuring long-term warranty support, employ qualified engineers and technicians, maintain ISO certifications, and provide building warranties ensuring mortgageability. Quality assurance includes structural calculations by chartered engineers, fire safety testing exceeding current regulations, thermal performance testing confirming design specifications, and rigorous sign-off procedures before dispatch.

Modern prefab homes are highly suitable for social housing, offering housing associations superior quality, sustainability, and value compared to traditional construction. Our framework specifically serves social housing providers, with all appointed manufacturers understanding social housing requirements including social value delivery, community engagement, and resident satisfaction priorities. Prefab homes achieve minimum EPC rating B reducing tenant fuel poverty, operational net zero carbon supporting environmental commitments, rapid delivery addressing housing shortages, predictable costs supporting financial planning, and superior build quality reducing maintenance costs. Government’s £11.5bn affordable homes programme requires 25% manufactured through modern methods, demonstrating policy support for prefab social housing.

Factory-built homes are residential properties manufactured in controlled factory environments then transported to site for installation, offering significant benefits over traditional construction. Factory conditions enable precision manufacturing ensuring consistent quality, superior thermal performance through controlled installation of insulation and airtightness measures, reduced defects through quality assurance processes, faster delivery with multiple homes manufactured simultaneously, elimination of weather delays, reduced site disruption and logistics, lower embodied carbon through efficient material usage, and enhanced health and safety for workers. Our framework manufacturers operate advanced factories achieving operational net zero carbon homes, BOPAS accreditation ensuring 100-year durability, and installation speeds of up to three homes daily.

Modular building companies manufacture homes in factory conditions using advanced production techniques, precision engineering, and quality-controlled processes, fundamentally differing from traditional builders who construct homes entirely on-site. Modular companies operate sophisticated factories with production lines, jigs, and automated systems ensuring consistency and quality. They employ manufacturing expertise from automotive and aerospace sectors, maintain controlled environments eliminating weather delays, achieve superior airtightness and thermal performance, reduce construction waste through precise material usage, and deliver predictable programmes with fixed costs. Our framework provides access to modular specialists rather than traditional builders, offering housing associations innovation, quality assurance, and net zero carbon homes unachievable through conventional construction.

Our framework has appointed three specialist modular home builders: TopHat, the UK’s first zero embodied carbon home builder operating from Derbyshire with capacity exceeding 4,000 homes annually; Ilke Homes, a British manufacturer based in Yorkshire combining automotive and aerospace manufacturing practices with capacity for 2,000 homes annually; and Impact Modular, operating from a 180,000 sq ft Peterborough facility producing over 650 homes yearly. All three manufacturers achieved BOPAS or NHBC Accepts accreditation, demonstrate financial stability, and provide full turnkey or supply and installation options. These builders deliver homes achieving minimum EPC rating B, operational net zero carbon, and superior fire safety measures.

Prefab houses in our framework are constructed using volumetric modular methods with structural timber frames, steel frames, or hybrid systems forming the main structure. Modules include insulated wall panels achieving superior thermal performance, structural floors and ceilings, factory-installed windows and doors, complete mechanical and electrical systems, fitted kitchens and bathrooms, internal finishes including decoration, and external cladding systems. Manufacturing occurs in controlled factory environments ensuring precision, quality assurance, and consistent standards. Completed modules are transported to site on specialist lorries, lifted into position using cranes, and connected together creating weathertight structures within days. This factory-first approach ensures superior build quality compared to traditional on-site construction.

In UK context, manufactured homes and prefab homes generally refer to the same concept of factory-built housing constructed offsite then transported for installation. The term “manufactured home” often emphasizes the factory production process and quality control benefits, whilst “prefab” (prefabricated) highlights the offsite construction approach. Both terms encompass various construction methods including volumetric modular where complete 3D modules are factory-built, panelised systems using wall panels assembled on-site, and hybrid approaches. Our framework specifically provides volumetric modular homes manufactured by specialist offsite construction companies achieving minimum EPC rating B, operational net zero carbon capability, and pre-manufactured value exceeding 55%.

Prefab homes (prefabricated homes) are houses manufactured offsite in factories then transported to site for assembly, encompassing various construction methods including modular, panelised, and hybrid systems. Modular homes are a specific type of prefab home using volumetric construction where complete 3D room modules are factory-built including all fixtures, fittings, and finishes, then stacked and connected on-site. Our MMC Category 1 framework focuses specifically on volumetric modular construction, providing housing associations with access to manufacturers producing complete factory-finished modules achieving superior quality, thermal performance, and rapid installation compared to traditional construction methods.