Building high-quality homes at scale has never been more important—or more challenging. John Smith, Technical Director at Donaldson Timber Systems (DTS) explains how manufacturing offsite can help to take the pressure off housebuilders.

With rising expectations around sustainability, tighter build timelines, and an industry-wide labour shortage, the traditional way of building homes simply can’t keep up.

Over recent years, it has become widely recognised that one of the best ways to address these challenges – while also helping to meet net zero carbon targets – is by using Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) technologies.

Homes England’s Affordable Homes Programme, which launched in 2021, requires all projects it funds to have at least 25% of the units delivered through MMC. Central to this is Pre-Manufactured Value (PMV), which has been introduced as a key metric to measure how much of a building is manufactured offsite using any of the seven categories of MMC.

The 55% PMV threshold

Under the Affordable Homes Programme, the preferred method to demonstrate MMC is to use a build system that achieves a PMV of 55% or more for new homes. To put this in context, a ‘traditional’ masonry home comes in at just under 40%, while adding basic MMC elements like open panel timber frame (MMC Category 2a), only nudges you up to around 44.7%.

Encouraging a target of 55% is pushing the industry to innovate and to drive more offsite construction.

We’re proud to say that the verified PMV for our closed panel Sigma® II Build System consistently delivers PMV scores between 55.7% and 58.4%, depending on the house type. By using this system, builders are already meeting—and exceeding—that 55% target, regardless of the foundation type, cladding or roofing materials used.

Offsite Construction: less time, less risk, better margins

The big advantage of PMV is that it shifts much of the construction process offsite, which helps reduce pressure on-site. This means shorter build times, less exposure to bad weather, improved site safety, and a dramatic cut in on-site waste. These all translate into better project margins—and makes life easier for housebuilders.

Offsite construction also alleviates the pressure of the skills shortage in the industry. With offsite manufacturing, you’re taking much of the complex work into the factory, where it’s faster, more reliable, and less reliant on hard-to-find trades.

Quality you can count on

Sigma® II doesn’t just meet expectations—it consistently exceeds them. With third-party certifications including BOPAS, BBA, NHBC Accepts, BM Trada Q-Mark, EPD and STA Gold Assure, housebuilders can be confident that it performs at the highest level in terms of quality and sustainability. It’s designed, manufactured and installed to last for at least 60 years.

It also delivers near-Passivhaus levels of performance, which means it’s not just good for the bottom line—it’s great for homeowners too, translating to lower energy bills, reduced carbon impact and increased comfort.

Building better, building smarter

As well as achieving PMV requirements, MMC using timber frame results in homes that look good and perform well – making sustainable communities that people want to live and stay in; and building houses that will allow people to do this.

With high-PMV systems like Sigma® II, we’re providing a real solution—one that makes building faster, more efficient, and more sustainable, while delivering high quality, modern housing.

It’s not just about meeting targets. It’s about building homes people actually want to live in—at scale, and at speed.