Offsite construction
New and smarter construction techniques are needed if we are to build a more profitable and sustainable industry that can deliver the significant reductions in costs, project times and CO2 emissions that are called for by the Construction Playbook.
Learn about offsiteThe term Offsite Construction encompasses a wide spectrum of innovations, not just volumetric modular units.
The construction industry needs to grasp the concept of construction industrialisation, and learn new competencies, as illustrated on the graphic below.
An industrialised approach requires five key competencies;
- design for manufacture & assembly (DfMA),
- offsite manufacture,
- logistics and onsite assembly,
- best-in-class maintenance.
These competencies are underpinned by eight management skills. You can find out more about these in the management topic.

The School provides hundreds of best-in-class learning resources that help to build an understanding of offsite:
- Sub-topics – the five elements of industrialisation: DfMA, offsite manufacturing, logistics, onsite assembly and best-in-class maintenance
- Format – do you prefer video, e-learning, workshops, webinars or web documents?
- Competency level – beginner, intermediate or advanced.
To find resources that suit you, view Topics or select Learn from the main menu. Whilst all our resources are free, we do ask that you register with the School to access them.
Check out our newest resources, helping us to make Offsite for Everyone.
In this short video, industry leaders explain how offsite and MMC technologies can help address carbon, skills and productivity issues facing construction.
Start your learning journey
Our offsite training needs assessment helps you better understand your skills, and provides a tailored learning plan to help you improve.

DfMA is about embedding efficiency throughout a product’s life-cycle, including…

Bringing factory thinking to the construction process, to industrialise the…

Moving to an offsite approach has significant impacts on offsite…

The onsite assembly process is the management and culmination of…

Implementation of decisions taken at the design stage through the…
Design for Manufacture and Assembly
The MMC Categories
Video
Management Capabilities
DfMA Overlay To The RIBA Plan Of Work: 2nd Edition
Document / Presentation
Materials
Offsite Fundamentals – Systems
E-learning Module
Management Capabilities
Offsite Fundamentals – Sectors
E-learning Module
The School is pleased to be part of the Smart Construction Network.
This is a collaboration of organisations who are leading the way in supporting innovative construction firms taking their crucial first steps towards adopting smarter, more modern methods of construction. Since its launch, the Network has grown to include organisations with world-leading expertise in the fields of offsite manufacturing, BIM & digital construction, and high-performance buildings.
The Supply Chain Sustainability School teamed up with Kier to create the Modern Methods of Construction database.
It’s really important for clients and professional designers to understand the capabilities of the offsite construction supply chain. This interactive map allows offsite manufacturers to have visibility of who does what in the supply chain and to start the process of building those really important collaborations.


“The Offsite School is an excellent source of knowledge on DfMA and offsite construction. Its combination of online resources and face to face training delivery means that you can choose the style of learning that best suits your organisation.”Nigel Ostime, Project Delivery Director, Hawkins Brown Architects




Offsite Leadership Group Meeting Notes
Catch up on what’s been discussed in the Offsite Leadership Group meetings.
1st December 2021
8th September 2021
26 May 2021
24 February 2021
2 December 2020
8 September 2020
4 June 2020
2 April 2020
15 January 2020
2 October 2019
3 July 2019
3 April 2019
16 January 2019
20 November 2018
19 September 2018
12 June 2018
15 March 2018
27 November 2017
18 September 2017
13 July 2017
17 May 2017
14 March 2017
10 January 2017
25 October 2016
23 August 2016
22 June 2016
21 April 2016
29 February 2016