Crossing the chasm in construction: aligning solutions with markets
- Optimize by Design
- Sep 5
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 2
In the history of innovation, the difference between success and failure rarely comes down to technology alone. More often, it depends on whether a solution aligns with the needs, behaviours, and readiness of its intended market.
In construction, this is where many promising ideas falter. Factories are built before pipelines are secured. Technologies are developed before clients are prepared to buy them. Products are pushed into a market that isn’t yet ready to pull them in.
To build better outcomes, we need to understand the chasm between early adopters and mainstream acceptance and how carefully tailored solutions can bridge it.
The adoption challenge
In construction, new methods and systems often emerge with high expectations. Offsite and MMC (Modern Methods of Construction) have been heralded as the future for years. Yet adoption has been uneven: strong in certain niches, weak or absent in others.
The reasons are not always technical. Many failures stem from a misalignment between the solution and the market: some systems depended on on pipelines of thousands of units per year to remain viable, but their markets were fragmented and inconsistent. Others offered technical innovation but did not fit the procurement models or operational realities of their clients.
This is the heart of the adoption problem: a mismatch between supply and demand readiness.
Examples of success
When solutions align tightly with market needs, adoption accelerates.
The MOD (Ministry of Defence) has embraced rapidly deployable, panelised, and modular solutions because their needs are urgent, repetitive, and pipeline-driven. They require speed and scalability, and MMC fits naturally.
CitizenM Hotels have achieved global recognition with modular room pods. Their product is standardised, their brand consistent, and their pipeline international – a perfect fit for volumetric construction.
Timber frame housing has proven successful in the UK market, particularly in Scotland, where a consistent pipeline of housing demand aligns with the system’s strengths. Its speed of construction, predictable performance, and ability to slot into established supply chains have made it a mainstream choice for residential development.
These examples highlight the golden rule: when the system matches the segment, adoption flourishes.
Examples of misalignment
While many examples could be named, it’s more instructive to note the patterns:
Factories built before demand – creating capacity that sits idle.
Over-standardised products in fragmented markets, assuming one solution fits all when, in reality, local conditions vary widely.
Innovation without integration – technical breakthroughs that don’t fit procurement frameworks, warranty schemes, or financing models.
No specific companies are named here, but in each case the solution was technically viable yet strategically misaligned.
The path forward
To bridge the chasm, construction innovators need to:
Focus on the right market segment: focus where the market has a real pull, not just where you hope demand will emerge.
Align the solution to the pipeline: ensure the system aligns with project scale, funding, and delivery cycles.
Connect and strengthen existing supply chains: innovation doesn’t always mean inventing new capacity; sometimes it means connecting existing players in smarter ways.
Embed trust and flexibility: systems must integrate with established processes (procurement, finance, assurance) rather than ignore them.
When these steps are followed, the chasm narrows, and new approaches can scale sustainably.
Building better isn't about inventing new solutions for the sake of it. It’s about intentional, market-matched design.
Listen closely to the market you are aiming to enter/expand into, adapt solutions to specific needs, and avoid the trap of building capacity for demand that doesn’t exist.
The lesson is simple: the right solution, for the right segment, at the right time. That is how innovation crosses the chasm.
