80% of Housing Schemes Now Embrace MMC as Timber Frame Reaches Record 66% Share
Latest Government data shows Modern Methods of Construction moving into the mainstream, with four in five housing schemes and more than one-third of apartment developments intending to use MMC.
17 July 2026 | editor@breakingground.news
Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) continue to gain ground across Ireland’s residential sector, with new Government data showing that 80% of housing schemes commenced during the first half of 2026 intend to use MMC, while more than one in three apartment developments are also adopting modern construction systems.
The figures, published alongside the latest housing commencement statistics by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, point to a significant shift in construction methods as the industry seeks to increase productivity, improve build quality and accelerate housing delivery.
The data shows that 15,946 homes were commenced nationally during the first six months of 2026, up 149% on the same period last year. Alongside this growth in activity, developers are increasingly selecting offsite and advanced construction systems as part of project delivery.
Housing schemes remain the strongest adopters of MMC. Of all scheme dwellings commenced during the first half of the year, four in five notified an intention to use modern construction methods. Within those schemes, timber frame has emerged as the dominant technology, accounting for 66% of intended construction methods. Masonry block represented 19%, insulated concrete formwork (ICF) accounted for 9%, while other MMC systems comprised the remaining 6%.
Apartment construction presents a more diversified picture.
The Department’s figures show that 37% of apartment developments intend to use MMC. Reinforced concrete remains the largest construction system at 35%, followed by precast concrete at 25% and masonry block at 24%. Other MMC systems include insulated concrete formwork (4%), timber frame (3%) and light gauge steel (2%), with a further 7% categorised as other construction methods.
Perhaps the most striking trend is the continued expansion of timber frame construction.
According to the Department’s accompanying analysis, timber frame accounted for approximately 20% of Ireland’s low-rise housing market in 2008. Industry estimates subsequently placed its market share at approximately 37%, before Irish Timber Frame Manufacturers Association surveys indicated that timber frame represented 48% of houses constructed in low-rise housing schemes. When the Department began recording intended MMC use through commencement notices during the second half of 2025, 61% of scheme housing intended to use timber frame. That figure has now increased to 66% in the first half of 2026.
The figures reinforce the growing role of factory-based manufacturing in Ireland’s residential delivery model, particularly as Government seeks to increase annual housing output while addressing labour shortages, improving productivity and reducing programme risk.
The Department has placed MMC at the centre of its Delivering Homes, Building Communities 2025–2030 strategy, with increased adoption expected to support faster construction programmes, greater quality assurance and improved environmental performance.
For manufacturers, suppliers and investors, the latest figures provide one of the clearest indicators yet that MMC is transitioning from an emerging technology to mainstream delivery across Ireland’s housing sector.
While timber frame remains the clear market leader in low-rise residential construction, the apartment sector demonstrates that MMC encompasses a much broader range of structural systems. Increased use of precast concrete, insulated concrete formwork and light gauge steel suggests that developers are selecting technologies based on building typology, height, density and programme requirements rather than adopting a single construction solution.
As housing commencements continue to rise, the latest data indicates that MMC is becoming an increasingly important component of Ireland’s strategy to expand housing supply, with adoption rates now reaching levels that would have been considered niche little more than a decade ago.
