MULTIPLIER - Modular Urban Lumber housing Transport by Inland waterways Planning including Last mile Infrastructure
The Netherlands is facing a major housing challenge. In order to build quickly and affordably, there is a growing need for prefab constructed homes: houses that are largely manufactured in a factory and then transported to the construction site. The aim is to scale this number up to 50,000 homes per year. Currently, most of this transport is done by road, which leads to extra emissions, congestion in cities, and limited space around construction sites. At the same time, transport by water offers a clean and scalable alternative. The challenge is that production, transport, and urban planning are still insufficiently coordinated. As a result, the potential of water transport remains largely untapped. The three-year MULTIPLIER research project aims to change this.
The MULTIPLIER project is developing a single, coherent planning method in which all steps in the process are linked. From the moment a home is manufactured in the factory to its delivery at the construction site in the city. The research project focuses on the smart combination of production planning, water transport, transshipment locations, and clean post-transport in urban areas. By looking at these components in conjunction, better choices can be made: when something is produced, how it is transported, and where it is transshipped. This method will be developed and tested in practice step by step over a period of three years, at both a large and a smaller prefab housing factory. This will result in solutions that can be applied more broadly.
The project aims to demonstrate that the transport of prefabricated homes can be much cleaner and more efficient. Practical trials show that CO₂, nitrogen, and particulate matter emissions can be significantly reduced. In addition, the project will contribute to cost savings through better planning and fewer last-minute adjustments. It also generates valuable knowledge about how water transport can be used in a structural manner for housing construction. This contributes to cleaner cities, less traffic congestion, and the achievement of national and European climate targets. The results make it possible to apply this approach on a larger scale after the project has ended.
The partners involved complement each other well. Prefab housing factories provide practical experience and test locations. Inland shipping companies and logistics service providers contribute knowledge about transport and transshipment. Governments and urban partners ensure alignment with urban plans, quays, and clean transport zones. Together, they ensure that solutions are not only smart, but also feasible and scalable.
