ods of construction ( Hashemi 2015 ). This is a great opportunity for MMC to be successfully applied in Iran . It should be noted that after about a century of experiencing prefabricated methods of construction , the UK is still suffering from several social , environmental , and economic problems some of which have been the outcomes of mistakes made during the past century ( Hashemi 2013 ). Variety in products , flexibility in application and continuous development can help to avoid repeating the UK ’ s mistakes . New approaches , such as mass customisation , could be an appropriate strategy which should be considered by the Iranian construction industry to address flexibility issues . Japanese experience in mass customised housing ( Hashemi and Hadjri 2013 ) is a great example which could be followed by both the Iranian and UK construction industries .
Moreover , continuous demand is the key factor for successful application of MMC . Foreign systems were not sufficiently adopted by the UK construction industry until late 1950s when housing programmes grew considerably and investors became confident about local authorities and the government ’ s commitment to “ system building ”. This was when foreign and UK building systems flooded into the housing market ( Finnimore 1989 ). The Iranian government has announced some plans to support investors in MMC ; however , these plans are neither sufficient nor effective in practice . Meanwhile , not only are high tariffs for imported materials normal but their rate is volatile , giving importers little certainty about the costs . Recent sanctions / embargoes and uncertainties about the currency exchange rates also contribute to the above worries . In this respect , the government should provide special facilities for innovative methods of construction to make them more feasible in Iran . Currently , considering the abovementioned risks , it seems more rational to adapt transferred MMC by minimising the use of imported materials , with a corresponding decrease in the finished prices .
Furthermore , the UK government is encouraging and promoting MMC through different activities such as research grants , best practice strategies , and national and international exhibitions and competitions . The government is also applying MMC in social housing and other governmental projects . The Iranian government can also promote MMC by considering similar policies and strategies . The number of relevant seminars held in the UK is far greater than in Iran . There are also several professional organisations such as Building Research Establishment ( BRE ) and Buildoffsite that are constantly working on various construction technologies and MMC , whereas in Iran , there are no professional organisations to consider MMC in detail . It is the government ’ s responsibility to establish professional organisations to carry out more research , seminars and courses on relevant subjects . National exhibitions and competition would also help to promote MMC in Iran .
Moreover , fundamental changes in the role of designers and manufacturers are essential in order to have a successful application of MMC ( Pasquire and Connoly 2003 ). The main question is as to how ready designers , builders , and manufacturers are to change their traditional roles and attitudes toward new methods of construction . Considering MMC is a relatively new subject in Iran , more effort may be required to change the traditional role and behaviour of the clients , designers , engineers , manufacturers , and developers in the construction industry . Moreover , these members of the construction industry have very limited knowledge about MMC ( Hashemi 2015 ) which may increase the associated risks of MMC .
Identifying early adopters is also a key factor in successful application of an innovation . Early adopters are the most influential group in any system since potential adopters look to them for advice and information ( Rogers 1995 ). Likely , early adopters and stakeholders of MMC are not readily apparent in Iran . There are two key questions which should be answered :
• Who are the potential investors in MMC ?
Feasibility of Application of Modern Methods of Construction in Iran 27