University launches dedicated research department to drive innovation and efficiency in housebuilding

University of Salford Business School has launched a new research cluster for Housebuilding Innovations in Volume, Environment and Efficiency (HIVEE), aimed at supporting the UK housebuilding sector by aligning research and enterprise activity with industry requirements.

According to Think Tank, Centre for Cities, compared to the average European country, Britain today has a backlog of 4.3 million homes that are missing from the national housing market as they were never built. This housing deficit would take at least half a century to fill even if the Government’s current target to build 300,000 homes a year is reached[i].

HIVEE’s core objectives are to support SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) and housebuilders to increase build volume, support capacity management within the supply chain and enhance strategy, improve risk management and continuity planning, support sustainability, circular procurement and ESG governance, improve ability to adopt innovative technologies, such as AI (artificial intelligence) and machine learning, plus drive efficiency through research.

Aaron Robertson, Lecturer in Supply Chain, Logistics and Project management, plus Research Lead for HIVEE, at Salford Business School, comments: “The UK housebuilding sector has some incredibly ambitious targets over the next few years to help tackle Britain’s housing crisis. There’s currently a real disconnect between supply and demand, but we believe we have a strong solution to help the sector get to where it needs to be.”

Earlier this year, the Home Builders Federation National New Homes Customer Satisfaction Survey revealed 95% of new build buyers reported problems such as snags and defects to their builder since moving in, while a third (33%) reported more than 15 snags[ii].

The cluster’s core services, to help find solutions to these issues, are to support the housebuilding industry with research project bidding, including UKRI (UK Research and Innovation) and KTPs (knowledge transfer partnerships), joint academic and industry-based research, advising on best practice process and operational development, procurement and access to the latest technologies, networking with housebuilders and suppliers, and distribution of housebuilding successes.

Dr Yiannis Polychronakis, Head of Supply Chains, Procurement and Project Management at Salford Business School, added: “Mass market in the housebuilding sector is not a new concept, but scale and requirement is higher than ever, and those in the industry are struggling to maintain quality and efficiency, solidified in the fact almost all customers are currently reporting quality issues.

“There has been some work to develop modern housing strategies, but all have subsequently fallen through. We believe there are some gaps in knowledge and collaborative engagement, which we can help bridge with insight on innovative supply chain processes within housebuilding and accurate interpretation of the relative advantages of new opportunities in the sector, compared to traditional construction methods. This will ultimately alleviate pressure on the sector and help influence future decision-making.”

HIVEE is the first of its kind, with the research cluster filling a burgeoning gap to propel the housebuilding sector and help meet targets.

In addition to procurement, supply chain and operations experts from Salford Business School, HIVEE members also include colleagues from University of Salford’s School of Science, Engineering and Environment, including the team behind Energy House, colleagues from the Centre for Sustainable Innovation, as well as Barratt Homes via Cube Thinking.

For more updates from the University of Salford, visit: https://www.salford.ac.uk/news.