MMC uptake continues steady rise with timber frame dominant in January commencements
2,046 homes started in January as rolling 12 month total reaches 17,275 and offsite methods gain ground
19 February 2026 | editor@breakingground.news
Modern Methods of Construction continued to record steady uptake in January, as 2,046 new homes were commenced nationally, up 73% on the 1,183 units started in January 2025 January Commencements 2026.
On a rolling 12-month basis, 17,275 commencement notices were lodged between February 2025 and January 2026 January Commencements 2026, with the Department’s published data indicating sustained use of offsite and pre-manufactured systems, particularly timber frame construction.
The January dataset includes reporting on the main method of construction and primary construction material, enabling identification of schemes intending to use MMC January Commencements 2026. The accompanying departmental chart tracking the percentage of MMC by dwelling type from August 2025 to January 2026 shows timber-based systems maintaining a strong presence across scheme housing and apartments.
Under the recognised seven-category MMC framework, the dominant activity in the Irish market continues to sit within Category 2 – Pre-Manufacturing 2D Primary Structural Systems. This includes factory-produced timber and light gauge steel frame panels assembled on site to form the building’s structural system. Timber frame remains the most widely adopted offsite approach in residential construction.
Category 1 systems, involving 3D volumetric units such as modular homes and bathroom pods, remain present but at lower scale. These systems involve factory-completed units transported and craned into position on site.
Category 3, covering non-systemised structural components such as prefabricated steel or concrete beams and columns, also forms part of standard practice, although it is less visible in commencement data where primary structural method is the reporting focus.
Emerging approaches such as Category 4 additive manufacturing, including 3D concrete printing, remain limited in domestic residential commencements.
Categories 5 to 7, which include pre-manufactured non-structural assemblies, product-led site labour reduction and process-led productivity improvements such as Insulated Concrete Formwork, are increasingly embedded across projects but are not always separately identified within headline commencement statistics.
Of the 2,046 units commenced in January, 1,311 were scheme dwellings, 519 were apartments and 216 were one-off houses January Commencements 2026. Dublin accounted for 302 units, or 15% of the national total, while Waterford City and County recorded the highest level of activity at 409 units, followed by Meath with 307 and Cork County with 159 January Commencements 2026.
The continued reporting of MMC data at commencement stage provides an early indicator of the structural systems pipeline, with timber frame and panelised systems remaining central to Ireland’s offsite housing delivery model.
