Across two days, participants will explore the systemic barriers affecting housing delivery, the potential contribution of industrialised construction, and lessons from housing-delivery models in the UK and internationally.

The symposium is designed to move beyond discussion. It will connect evidence, comparative experience and practical action, creating opportunities for new research collaborations and an agreed programme of activity for CIB UK & Northern Europe.

Why attend?

The symposium will provide an opportunity to:

• examine housing delivery as an interconnected system rather than a series of isolated projects;
• explore the conditions required for industrialised housing and MMC to succeed;
• learn from international cases and different delivery models;
• discuss implications for clients, industry, government and research;
• meet housing, construction and built-environment specialists from the UK and overseas;
• develop ideas for collaborative research and knowledge-exchange activities; and
• help shape future CIB UK & Northern Europe priorities.

Who is the event for?

The symposium will be relevant to:

• academics and research organisations;
• housing associations and other housing providers;
• local authorities, combined authorities and development agencies;
• developers, contractors and infrastructure organisations;
• MMC manufacturers and construction supply-chain businesses;
• architects, designers and construction consultants; and
• organisations interested in affordable housing, industrialisation and collaborative innovation.

Programme

Day 1: Evidence, delivery systems and international learning

The first day will establish and challenge the evidence about housing delivery.

The morning programme will consider housing as a complex delivery system. It will include emerging evidence from the https://thamesfreeport.com research, stakeholder responses and contributions addressing client leadership, scalable delivery systems and infrastructure integration.

The afternoon will examine international experience of industrialised and affordable housing delivery. Contributions will consider European innovation, client leadership, production planning, supply-chain management, digital information and lessons from Finland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Canada and other international contexts.

The day will conclude with a comparative panel discussion identifying priorities for clients, industry, policymakers, researchers and CIB.

Day 2: CIB UK & Northern Europe Strategy and Action Workshop

Short interdisciplinary presentations will introduce perspectives on housing outcomes, performance, industrialisation, digital infrastructure and delivery-system change. Participants will then work through structured research and strategy sessions to identify areas where CIB can make a distinctive contribution.

The afternoon will focus on developing collaborative research concepts and associated CIB activities. Participants will agree potential leads, partners, initial outputs and practical next steps.

The intended outputs include:

• priority areas for collaborative research;
• new connections between CIB members, industry and policy partners;
• proposals for research projects, webinars and industry-academic roundtables;
• opportunities for early-career researcher and student engagement;
• named leads and delivery teams for selected activities; and
• an action plan for the agreed CIB programme.

The symposium forms part of a wider Nottingham Trent University research project examining housing delivery and the potential role of Modern Methods of Construction within Thames Freeport.

The event will provide an opportunity to test and strengthen the research through expert challenge and international comparison. Lessons from the symposium will help inform the project’s analysis of delivery barriers, MMC viability, supply-chain conditions and potential strategic interventions.

Read more about the Thames Freeport housing research project.

Download PDF of the programme.