• Corpus ID: 9823992

Lessons from Japan: A comparative study of the market drivers for prefabrication in Japanese and UK private housing development

@inproceedings{Johnson2007LessonsFJ,
  title={Lessons from Japan: A comparative study of the market drivers for prefabrication in Japanese and UK private housing development},
  author={William Johnson},
  year={2007}
}

• W. Johnson
• Published 2007
• Business

UK Government and construction industry advisors are becoming ever more interested in
increasing the use of offsite modern methods of construction (MMC) within the private
housing sector as a solution to current quality and efficiency problems. However, industry
uptake remains below that of many countries with comparable economies, with UK
housebuilders seemingly reluctant to invest in innovative building technologies. The
Japanese private housing sector, on the other hand, paints a very different story, with
prefabricated housing manufacturers dominating a significant proportion of the housing
market.
After an introduction to the key themes, this report will explore the drivers for offsite
fabrication in the Japanese housing market, paying particular attention to building cycles
and prevailing development systems, the cultural preference for new-build houses,
attitudes towards land ownership and the demand for customised dwellings. Next, the
report will investigate the major drivers for innovation in the UK housebuilding industry,
focusing on Government reports and initiatives that promote offsite MMC, perceived
advantages and barriers for greater uptake within the construction industry, and strategies
used by the housebuilding industry to minimise market and site-specific risk in the
emerging market environment. The final chapter will discuss the applicability of the
Japanese model of prefabricated housing manufacture in the UK context, highlighting
some possible crossover benefits and making some suggestions as to how these can be
realised.