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FIA Monthly: Prefabrication and Modular Construction, Extension Book, New Details
Can Prefabrication Fix the Housing Crisis?Britain needs to build 300,000 homes a year. Construction costs keep climbing. Skilled tradespeople are harder to find than ever. Something has to give. Prefabrication keeps getting touted as the solution—factories churning out precision-built modules and panels that slot together on site like architectural Lego. It's faster, supposedly more sustainable, and could bypass the skills crunch that's throttling traditional construction. Yet despite decades of promise, prefab still accounts for a tiny fraction of what gets built. Walk through any new housing estate and you'll see the same brick-and-block methods that have dominated British construction for generations. What's the disconnect? Why hasn't an industry crying out for innovation embraced what appears to be an obvious fix? We've dug into the real obstacles facing prefabrication—from planning hurdles to cultural resistance—alongside the genuine opportunities.
That wraps up our news for May. The launch of the new extension book has been a long time coming and we really hope that you find it useful. If you have any questions about the book please just drop us a message. Thank you for being here, for reading our emails and for spending some time on our websites. Your support, comments and feedback mean a lot 🙂 All our best, Emma and the First In Architecture Team |
First In Architecture
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Welcome to our June edition of 5 Useful Things. In these mid monthly emails we share with you 5 useful things we have come across during our work and personal time that we hope you will enjoy. This month we have a variety of discoveries that we hope you will get some value from. If you have stumbled across something that you think our readers would find useful, please let us know! 1. Something Useful House Extension Details - An Architectural Guide Just in case you missed the announcements…...
Welcome to our May edition of 5 Useful Things. In these mid monthly emails we share with you 5 useful things we have come across during our work and personal time that we hope you will enjoy. This month we have a variety of discoveries that we hope you will get some value from. If you have stumbled across something that you think our readers would find useful, please let us know! 1. Something to Listen To The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos While not architecture-specific, this podcast...
Cork as a Building Material: Why it's Gaining Ground Cork has long been known for sealing wine bottles, but its use in construction is gaining momentum—and for good reason. As a natural, renewable resource with excellent thermal and acoustic properties, cork is proving to be a valuable material in sustainable construction. In our latest article, we explore how cork is processed, the range of products available, and what makes it a strong contender for low-impact building projects. We also...