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Research

Discover more about research and development projects in the world of Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) led by Irish higher education institutions and other research-performing organisations. This is alongside a showcase of research activity across the country, highlighting what is being done to drive new innovation and workforce development in Irish construction.

  • Translating R&D on Innovative Building Materials from the Lab to Real Application in Construction

    Concrete production is one of the more carbon-intensive construction activities. But researchers from Trinity College Dublin are working to showcase that a lower-carbon concrete, produced with biomass ash, offers building companies a commercially viable and equally appliable alternative. How can research and development lead theory to practice and contribute to a more sustainable construction sector?
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    Group of construction workers in hi-vis vests and hard hats inspecting an outdoor facility.

  • How Can Standardising MMC Product Designs Drive New Efficiencies in Construction Developments?

    Despite the expanded use of offsite construction, Ireland still lacks publicly available, non-proprietary detail libraries for manufacturers, designers, certifiers, and regulators. The STANDARDIZE project in University College Dublin is addressing this, aiming to standardise MMC technologies for greater sector efficiency and mobility.
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    Five people seated in a semicircle having a panel discussion in an elegant, warmly lit room.
Researching and Developing the Right Concrete Products and Application Systems for 3D Construction Printing

3D construction printing is still in its earliest phase in Irish building, but research into the best-practice materials and applications of this type of Modern Method of Construction (MMC) can help increase the rate of uptake. Two researchers from the Construct Innovate unit of the University of Galway are making this happen. 

Industrial blue mechanical clamp or gripper tool shown in multiple close-up views on a workbench.
Platform4MMC: Supporting Decision-Making to Drive the Adoption of Modern Methods of Construction in Ireland

Ireland’s housing targets need to be met rapidly while achieving high sustainability standards. Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) offer the opportunity to digitise the construction sector, improving project delivery speed, efficiency, and quality. 

Logo for Platform MMC featuring stacked layers graphic in gray and dark tones.
Taking MMC Research to the Construction Site and Beyond

The MMC Research Group at University College Dublin (UCD), spearheaded by Dr Daniel McCrum, is leading the innovations behind Modern Methods of Construction (MMC).  

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Research showcase

  • Cover titled 'Viable Homes – Practical guidance for planners and developers on carbon optimisation of housing developments'
    Feb 2024

    Viable Homes: Practical guidance for planners and developers on carbon optimisation of housing developments

    Oliver Kinnane (UCD) and Pat Barry (Irish Green Building Council)
    This report intends to highlight to planners and other key stakeholders of the built environment the whole life carbon impacts of the continued construction of new low-rise, low-density dwellings on greenfield sites and to provide recommendations to mitigate these impacts by promoting a switch to a low-rise, medium density model.
    View Report on constructinnovate.ie
  • Cover with the title “Modern Methods of Construction: barriers and benefits for Irish housing”
    Feb 2024

    Modern Methods of Construction: Barriers and Benefits for Irish Housing (CIOB Report)

    CIOB, TASC
    Greater use of MMC offers many potential benefits to those working within the sector and to society at large. It provides opportunities for a more sustainable built environment, better working conditions, and a more productive construction sector that can deliver high-quality homes more quickly than conventional, onsite construction.
    View Report on ciob.org
  • Cover page of the AHARDD Programme Final Report titled 'Sustainable living houses and apartments performance data"
    Feb 2024

    Accelerated Housing Applied Research, Dissemination and Demonstration Final Report

    Prof Jamie Goggins and Dr Paul Moran (University of Galway)
    This project builds on the work of HEAT-CHECK, a project funded by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, which is examining the energy demand and indoor environmental quality levels of 100 new and retrofit homes with the overall objective of improving the DEAP energy compliance procedure.
    View Report on constructinnovate.ie
  • Illustration with the text “Building a Zero Carbon Ireland” and the Irish Green Building Council (IGBC) logo, showing colourful buildings, wind turbines, trams, and a person cycling, symbolising sustainable urban development and decarbonisation.
    Oct 2022

    Building a Zero Carbon Ireland

    Irish Green Building Council
    The ‘Building a Zero Carbon Ireland: A Roadmap to decarbonise Ireland’s Built Environment across its Whole Life Cycle’ report presents a set of recommendations to halve our sector emissions by 2030, and to decarbonise Ireland’s built environment by 2050.
    View Report on igbc.ie
  • EY report cover titled “A Detailed Description of Needs for the Irish Construction/Built Environment Sector” with two people using digital devices at a desk.
    Nov 2021

    Needs for the Irish Construction/Built Environment Sector

    Ernst & Young, Enterprise Ireland
    A detailed report on the needs for the Irish construction/built environment sector covering technology and innovation, digital adoption and Modern Methods of Construction in the context of productivity improvement and sustainability.
    View Report on ey.com
  • Birr Community School: A case study in retrofitting and conserving modern architecture
    Jun 2021

    Birr Community School – a case study in retrofitting and conserving modern architecture

    John McLaughlin (UCC)
    This paper will present a case study in the architectural conservation of a nineteen seventies school building in Ireland that received funding under the Getty Foundation’s Keeping it Modern programme in 2018. The research into the architectural conservation and renovation was developed in a subsequent project involving academics from UCC, UCD and QUB. This research formed the basis of a conservation management plan that identified the social significance of the school and used social ethnographic methods to document this through drawings, photography, film, and interviews.
    View Report on cora.ucc.ie