The demands on our built environment are rapidly increasing, with housing, healthcare, education and commercial industries all require more capacity than traditional construction can deliver. Yet the sector continues to face shortages in people, skills and reliable materials.
Industrialized Construction (IC) offers a new path forward. It brings together client demand, Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DfMA), and Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) into a single holistic approach. But because IC spans so many concepts, terminology can be inconsistent and difficult to communicate, slowing adoption across the sector.
The Communication Challenge Holding Back Innovation
Terms like “panelized” are widely used, but often inaccurately. Today, the word might refer to:
- Loadbearing elements (e.g., external walls).
- Non loadbearing elements (e.g., partition walls).
- Assemblies (e.g., facades).
Currently these elements are grouped together. However, they serve very different purposes and require different characteristics, behaviours and testing. This oversimplification:
- Creates confusion in design and specification.
- Inaccurately groups low risk technologies with high risk ones.
- Increases perceived risk among insurers, regulators, and clients.
- Slows down the adoption of proven MMC solutions.
- Stops the sector being able to assess or compare the performance of different MMC solutions.
To unlock the promise of Industrialized Construction, the sector needs a more accurate, characteristic based way to talk about what we build.
New taxonomy for modern construction
To solve this communication gap, the BSI Standards Committee CB/301 (Modern Methods of Construction) is developing a robust classification system grounded in the MMC Definition Framework and international classification principles described within BS ISO 22274.
This proposed taxonomy categorizes construction methodologies using core characteristics, including:
01 – Primary Structure
Elements acting as part of the load bearing structure
Examples: Volumetric, panelized, printed, traditional components
02 – Functional Areas
Elements that create defined, enclosed spaces
Examples: Pods, nodes
02 – Infills & Subassemblies
Elements that are neither load bearing nor space defining
Examples: Facades, internal walls, site based improvements
Within each level, solutions are also grouped by complexity (system vs. component) and further refined by unique characteristics.
For example, the catch all term “panelized” is replaced with more precise categories such as:
- Point loaded panelized.
- UDL panelized.
- Steel frame.
This creates a shared language that supports clarity, precision, safety, and to further increase the level of precision by overlaying ‘materiality’ as a category.
Designed to be intuitive and practical
The taxonomy guides users through structured questions like:
- Is it a construction methodology?
- Does it form part of the primary structure?
This makes classification more accessible across the sector, from designers and regulators to insurers and manufacturers.
Download our free Modern Methods of Construction infographic here for a visual of this taxonomy.
Unlocking safer, clearer, more efficient development
Once implemented, this new taxonomy aims to:
- Integrate traditional and offsite methods into one consistent framework.
- Improve communication across the supply chain.
- Enable more accurate assessment of safety, quality, and performance.
- Reduce unnecessary barriers to adoption.
- Support infrastructure as well as building applications.
CB/301 also intends to use industry feedback to shape a future ISO standard, making global alignment possible.
Share your feedback and help shape the future of the standard
If well received, CB/301 hope to use this work to inform a future ISO standards and create new British Standards. As such, CB/301 would welcome your views on this taxonomy and how it can be improved. If you have suggestions, insights, thoughts, or comments, please reach out to sophie.sherwood@bsigroup.com.
Modern Methods of Construction Infographic
