EDITOR’S CHOICE
Why off-site manufacturing is gaining ground in Irish construction
By Eugene Sheehy, Associate, Will Rudd Ireland T
he conversation around modern methods of construction (MMC) in Ireland is often framed around the need
to build faster. The programme is undoubtedly important,
particularly in housing, but our experience across residential and infrastructure projects suggests the more interesting question is where off-site manufacturing can genuinely improve the way a project is designed and delivered. Ireland has a well-established tradition of
masonry construction, supported by a mature supply chain and experienced workforce. Timber frame, precast concrete and other prefabricated systems offer different advantages, with their value shaped by the building type, scale and conditions in which a project is being delivered. Will Rudd is working with Waterford City and County Council on a 38-unit housing development in Dungarvan, where we developed the civil and structural design and tender documentation for Design & Build procurement. The development combines several
construction methods. Timber frame is being used for 22 terraced houses, while 16 apartments use loadbearing masonry walls with precast concrete first-floor slabs and stairs. Prefabricated timber roof trusses feature across all units. This hybrid approach allows the structural solution to respond to each building type. Timber-frame panels can be manufactured while foundations and other site works progress,
allowing activities to overlap before the superstructure is erected. Factory manufacture provides a controlled
environment for production and quality assurance, with potential benefits for waste, labour, logistics and safety.
It also places greater emphasis on early coordination. More of the architectural, structural and services design must be resolved before manufacture, allowing potential issues to be addressed before components reach site. Will Rudd is also advising on an 80-unit residential development in Kilkenny, comprising terraced houses, duplexes and apartments. Procured through Design & Build, the scheme allows contractors to put forward compliant structural systems rather than prescribing one construction method. At this scale, repetition across building types creates greater scope for off-site manufacturing. Standardised components can be produced in a controlled factory environment while work continues on site, offering potential gains in programme certainty, quality control, efficiency and waste reduction. Any proposed system still has to perform against cost, durability, fire and energy performance, embodied carbon and supply-chain capacity. The construction method also has to make sense for the development as a whole.
www.willrudd.com
14 September/October 2026 Irish Manufacturing
www.irish-manufacturing.com
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