FUSION: Next Generation Packaged Electric Water Heating From Adveco

The next generation FUSION range from hot water specialists Adveco is a complete range of packaged electric and packaged renewable electric water heaters for commercial projects. FUSION is a modern, future-proof system that embraces electric water heating and the option to incorporate air source heat pumps (ASHP) to lower carbon emissions in line with government calls for net zero.

As an all-electric system, it uses familiar technology that is relatively simple and quick to install, cost-effective and reduces carbon emissions. With an increased heating capacity over first generation Adveco FUSION systems of up to 34 kW, the next generation of FUSION systems offers greater versatility for meeting domestic hot water (DHW) demands across a range of commercial properties. Projects with small to medium basin and sink-led hot water demands – such as cafes, restaurants offices or gyms – taller buildings with basement plant rooms and organisations that depend on 24/7 hot water provision for continuity of service all gain advantages from using FUSION.

The packaged format enables flexibility to specify from a range of cylinders, primary electrical heating, air source heat pumps for pre-heat, and immersions for back-up all supported by Adveco’s bespoke controls to ensure optimal, efficient operation.

FUSION cylinders (ATSI & ATST) come with dedicated mounting points for the ARDENT electric boiler, simplifying and reducing the chance of installation errors. By mounting the electric boiler directly to the cylinder FUSION is a more compact, space-saving option when specifying or having to refurbish an existing plant room. The cylinder connections and clean-out plate are all arranged on the front of the tank for easy access when connecting pre-built pipework with a choice of left- or right-hand side connection, and for regular maintenance. This arrangement also enables FUSION to be situated tightly into a corner, again maximising available space.

The use of the 9, 12 or 24 kW ARDENT electric boiler replaces the use of a single immersion for primary heating. ARDENT, with multiple immersions inside its sealed storage tank provides automatically balanced usage to prolong system life. The typical cause of immersion failure is the creation of limescale in hard water areas, production of which is accelerated by the higher heat intensity of electrical water heating. This is avoided in FUSION, as the ARDENT is used in a sealed ‘primary’ loop to an indirect coil in the system’s cylinder. The ARDENT electric boiler heats the same water continuously so there is only a small, finite amount of scale in the system which will not damage the elements, effectively eliminating damage to the immersions by limescale.
FUSION cylinders offer single (ATSI) and twin-coil (ATST) variants with capacities ranging from 200 to 500 litres.

Single coil cylinders (ASTI) are used for standard electric indirect water heating with an ARDENT electric boiler (FUSION-E), and the option of an immersion for resistive heating ‘directly’ to water in the cylinder (FUSION-Eplus). Dual-coil cylinders (ATST) enable the addition of a 6 or 10 kW FPi32 monobloc air to water heat pump. The ASHP is connected to the lower coil and supplies indirect pre-heat to the vessel, while ARDENT is connected to the upper coil to provide primary indirect heating (FUSION-T & FUSION-Tplus).

FUSION E systems come with a thermostat and overheat thermostat as standard, but for renewable variants featuring dual-coil ATST cylinders and ASHP, optimisation within the FUSION system comes from Adveco’s purpose-built FUSION Control Box. This smartly balances the two heat sources enabling the water in the cylinder to be heated in the most efficient way. The heat pump’s contribution is maximised, achieving a working pre-heat flow temperature of 50°C under UK weather conditions, even if the ambient air temperature drops as low as -25°C.
With the cylinder water pre-heated by the ASHP, the ARDENT boiler is not required to work as hard to raise flow temperatures to the 65°C demanded by commercial applications. Electrical demand on the boiler is reduced by as much as 30%, delivering operational savings and reducing carbon emissions by up to 71%. This variant is perfect for organisations seeking to invest in a water heating application as part of a decarbonisation strategy without losing sight of higher operational costs associated with all-electric systems compared to equivalent gas-fired water heating.

Where hot water demands become a business-critical service, such as in restaurants or GP’s surgeries, FUSION will also support the addition of an Adveco backup immersion providing additional resilience ensuring there is no single point of failure for assured service provision. When only used as an emergency heating source, or during periods of unplanned excess demand, the inclusion of an electric immersion can be extremely advantageous. For FUSION systems incorporating the additional backup immersion (FUSION-Eplus & FUSION-Tplus) controls are further extended to incorporate SMS output to advise building managers of a fault scenario and automated engagement of the immersion back-up to guarantee business-critical hot water supply.

For commercial organisations specifying a hot water system for new buildings faced with regulatory changes on new gas connections, or planning to move from existing gas-fired systems to electrical alternatives FUSION provides an impressive range of choice whether cost, sustainability or business security are the driving factors for specification.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION

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CANADA: Modular Construction for Rocky Mountain Hotel

The demand for affordable accommodations in Jasper National Park, located on the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains, is sky-high, so to speak.

A little over two million visitors come to Jasper every year in both summer and winter.

When Hostelling International (HI) Canada decided to increase the size of its Jasper hostel it opted to go modular.

To do so, it hired NRB Modular Solutions Inc., which built and installed 66 modules in a three-storey lodge 25,000-square-feet in area.

The modular rooms have several different configurations: 25 four-bed shared rooms, 17 private rooms and five family rooms.

Amenities include guest laundry, an onsite café, kitchen, patio with barbecue and a fire pit.

In addition, NRB built two staff accommodation buildings and a maintenance facility.

Shelbey Sy, director of marketing for HI Canada, says the organization chose modular over traditional construction for two reasons.

“Two key factors led to our decision to opt for modules over conventional construction,” says Sy. “Due to Jasper’s short construction season, it was much more practical to have the bulk of the building construction take place off-site (at NRB’s Kelowna, B.C. facility).

“By building in a climate-controlled interior environment, we were able to construct the hostel in a shorter period of time and under a more predictable cost and building timeline. This allowed us to plan the project and the date of its opening with greater confidence.”

Sy says HI Canada supports sustainability in its operations.

“The lower environmental impact of modular construction – because it requires fewer deliveries into the park, produces less waste and takes less time to construct – was also a key factor in our decision,” she says. “When combined with the uncertainties around Jasper’s weather conditions, modules over traditional construction was a clear choice for us.”

Sy says the new HI Jasper hostel “could not be more different” from the older facility.

“The former hostel was originally built as a day lodge for the Whistler Ski area before HI Canada transformed it to a hostel in 1979,” Sy says. “Reflecting the times, it was a wood-framed chalet, with large rooms and limited washroom facilities.

“The new hostel has nearly doubled our previous capacity and dramatically improves the hostel experience with space for 157 guests a night in private rooms and four-person shared rooms. It also has an onsite café as well as spacious and modern common areas.”

Sy says HI Jasper is the organization’s first experience with modular construction.

In addition to the Jasper hostel, NRB has built “a few” modular hotels, including a Hyatt Place in Prince George, says Craig Mitchell, a modular and off-site construction consultant with Blackbox Offsite Solutions in Vancouver.

“Before COVID, Marriott, Hilton and IHG (IHG Hotels and Resorts, which owns Holiday Inn) all had modular programs in the works,” says Mitchell.

“COVID caused the hospitality industry some pain and they are just restarting their build programs again and dusting off their modular prototypes.

citizenM (boutique hotels) is using steel modules from Europe and China.”

Mitchell says there are many examples of modular construction in the U.S. hospital industry.

“There are fewer in Canada, however, because the market here is smaller and less mature,” he says. “There are definitely good opportunities for the Canadian hospitality industry, because the uniformity in design works well with certain brands of hotels.”

Mitchell says two benefits of modular construction to the hospitality industry are low cost and speed of construction and installation.

“In addition, modular means quality and consistency across all brands, no matter where the hotel is located,” he says. “For major brands this is important, because many hospitality guests want to know what to expect when they visit. For example, a Fairfield Inn (franchised economy to mid-scale hotel brand of Marriott International) in Kamloops or Winnipeg or somewhere else. It’s the Starbucks or McDonald’s approach.”

Mitchell says modular hospitality industry properties are typically built with a podium or slab as the first floor, because of the requirement for high ceilings, with modular rooms installed above the podium.

“When done well, modular rooms are quiet, because of the built-up assemblies of the structure,” he says.

Mitchell says modular construction has a rosy future in the Canadian hospitality industry.

“But first we need more factories building better examples of modular hotel and hostel rooms and showing success,” he says. “There haven’t been enough success stories yet.”

Source: Daily Commercial News

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Homeowners and construction industry ‘need to be brave’

Green Home Festival says homeowners and construction industry ‘need to be brave’ and embrace new ideas like microwave heating to help build a sustainable future

 

The organisers of this year’s Green Home Festival are urging homeowners and the construction industry to “be brave” and embrace innovations like microwave heating to help build a more sustainable future and meet net zero targets.

Scotland’s second renewables jamboree will kick off in less than two weeks, delivering 11 free shows on low-carbon living as part of the official Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

And organisers the Construction Industry Collective Voice (CICV) say its event on the potential of microwave heating is an example of a technology that could offer a real alternative to traditional fossil fuels – but only if we’re brave enough to embrace it.

 

Co-organiser Gordon Nelson, Scotland Director of the Federation of Master Builders, said:

“Our upcoming show on microwave heating is the perfect demonstration of the bravery and innovative thinking that is needed by both the construction industry and homeowners if we are to build a sustainable future for Scotland.

“We know that we’ll need a combination of methods to meet both the retrofit challenge and the new-build heat standard and this new technology is one of the solutions that we should be having the courage to explore now.”

 

The microwave heating show will be delivered on the first day of the festival by Professor Sean Smith, Director of The Centre for Future Infrastructure and Professor of Future Construction within the School of Engineering and at the University of Edinburgh.

Starting at 2pm on Monday 14 August, the event will focus on the origin of the new technology, how it works and how it could offer an alternative to traditional heating methods in our homes.

“It’s great for us to have this innovative solution explained this year as part of the Green Home Festival, and this technology could provide the rapid acceleration of low carbon heating for Scotland’s 1.2 million flats, given the short installation time and the fact that it links to existing radiators.

“We just need to be brave, adjust our mindsets and think outside the box when it comes to potential greener solutions like this.”

He went on: “As well as microwaves, the Green Home Festival will also look at other innovations in home heating, such as hybrid systems, which combine new technology with traditional methods to reduce both costs and carbon footprint for the homeowner.

“And on a larger scale, we’ll be looking at the benefits of community heating networks and exploring how distributing heat to multiple buildings from a central source could do away with the need for individual boilers or electric heaters in every building.

“All this activity is designed to start a conversation about renewable living and to encourage homeowners to start thinking differently about how they will power, heat and run their homes in the years to come.

“It will also help demonstrate how the CICV has its finger on the pulse of future solutions to meet the climate challenge and is determined to help steer the wider construction industry down a more sustainable path.”

 

Live Green Home Festival sessions will once again take place at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) at 10 Charlotte Square in central Edinburgh, with contributions from the likes of Home Energy Scotland, Scottish Water, SNIPEF and SELECT.

 

Other topics covered at the Green Home Festival will include creating sustainable kitchens, green garden rooms and offices, making retrofit projects eco-friendly, converting churches and how the home of the future will be powered.

Built Environment – Smarter Transformation will also host a webinar that will advise what consumers can do to reduce both their energy consumption and energy bills.

The festival is the latest in a string of practical and constructive initiatives launched by the CICV since its creation at the start of the pandemic in March 2020.

Made up of 28 trade associations, professional services bodies and companies, it has maintained a steady supply of information and practical advice to the sector as well as carrying out surveys, producing animations and posters, hosting webinars and maintaining close dialogue with Scottish Government ministers.

 

  • Full details, including how to book tickets for each event, are available on the Festival’s website at greenhomefestival.co.uk.

 

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Transforming Underfloor Heating Cable Installation

ThermoSphere has launched an innovative electric underfloor heating cable that looks set to transform underfloor heating installation.

The ThermoSphere Membrane Heating Cable is the first, and only, underfloor heating cable to use TwistedTwin construction, and in-line hot-to-cold joint technology.

This is great news for installers as The unique construction removes the need to cut the membrane, insulation and flooring to install, dramatically simplifying the installation process. What’s more, the likelihood of cable failure due to mistakes at the joint is virtually eliminated. So, there’s far less risk of spoiling a tiled floor to fix a damaged cable.

ThermoSphere is a leading British-based electric heating manufacturer that has been using its technical expertise to drive innovation in electric heating for over 25 years. In its Membrane Heating Cable ThermoSphere has created a product that incorporates hot-to-cold joint connections in the primary manufacturing process. The result is invisible joints and a cable that is uniform in thickness from end-to-end. This removes the installer’s headache of making cavities to accommodate cold tail joints that are three times larger than in-line joints and can be a common point of failure.

For kitchen and bathroom installers working with tile and stone flooring, benefits include:

  • A simpler, one-step cable installation process to save time and effort.
  • No tools are required, installers only need to thumb-press the cable into place.
  • Eliminates the risk of damaging cables during installation as the unique cable construction removes the need to cut the membrane, insulation and flooring.
  • No leaks or costly repairs as the waterproofing layer of the decoupling membrane remains intact.
  • Faster delivery of quality workmanship through the automatically flush finish ready for tiling.
  • Compatibility with all membranes on the market, so installers can rely on the membrane that they are familiar with.

 

For more information on cable specifications, pricing and to order

   ThermoSphere’s new Membrane Heating Cable

CLICK HERE

 

 

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Superior SIP kit manufacturer specifies SterlingOSB Zero for super accuracy

A leading UK supplier of timber frame and SIP building kits for providers of top end lodge manufacturers and garden room installers is employing SterlingOSB Zero, from the West Fraser range, due to the panel product’s outstanding accuracy, performance benefits and all-round sustainability credentials.

Established in 2018, Outerspace Group moved into a new purpose-built facility in 2022, facilitating an initial 10-fold increase in capacity and is now taking its rapid panel and kit supply service offering to new levels of efficiency and sophistication.

At the core of the flexible, flat-pack kits is the use of West Fraser’s 11mm thick SterlingOSB Zero to produce Structurally Insulated Panels, or SIPs, able to meet the full spectrum of build standards for lodges, pods, home offices and house extensions complying with the latest Part L of the Building Regulations.

The founder and CEO of Outerspace Group, Phil Jackson, commented,

 

“We have in the past trialled most brands of OSB on the market and West Fraser’s SterlingOSB Zero is the only one we have used to date which is a consistent size in terms of length, width, thickness  and also of a high enough quality to meet the tolerances of our manufacturing process.”

“The moulds in which the SIPs are created by injecting polyurethane foam require very high tolerances of 1.0 mm or less while we apply significant pressure on the SIP stack. If the boards are not perfectly aligned, when you join the SIPs at the end of the process, you will see a very visible gap on one side, where we are looking for pristine appearance and excellent acoustics as well as airtightness.”

 

The 11mm SterlingOSB Zero is used to make different thicknesses of SIPs rising from 72 to 97, 122, 147, 172and 197mm; which are utilised in delivering Outerspace’s vast range of building kits.

Phil Jackson concluded:

 

“We praise SterlingOSB Zero for its 100% accuracy; companies in the leisure industry are increasingly recognising that SIPs offer a far faster and technically superior method of construction where they see less remedial work being needed after delivery due to movement.  Also, our company is all about sustainability so West Fraser’s offer of a formaldehyde free, FSC product which comes from responsibly managed forests is very definitely appealing.

“We are looking to launch a training academy where client installation teams will come and learn about assembling SIPs.”

 

SterlingOSB Zero is available in a range of sizes and thicknesses up to 22mm as well as a T&G version ideal for flooring and decking applications.  The high performance, panel product has also earned BBA approval and meets the requirements of NHBC Technical.

As is always the case, West Fraser’s experienced technical team is available to provide assistance with product specification

To access downloadable data sheets  CLICK HERE

For further information, call 01786 812 921

or CLICK HERE to visit the website

 

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KESTON LAUNCHES THE NEXT GENERATION OF TWIN FLUE BOILERS

Keston is pleased to announce the upgrade of its new Combi and System twin flue boiler range which features a sleek and compact design for simple installation, with enhanced user-friendly controls that deliver on optimal efficiency for buildings.

 

Lightweight and easy to install, the new and improved Combi 2 and System 2 models offer a versatile solution for new and replacement heating systems. Offering greater flexibility through the Keston twin flue system, boilers can be sited up to 27m from the flue outlet. This is an important consideration for long or difficult flue runs, particularly in terms of adhering to regulatory requirements, such as where boiler flue position regulations specify flues must be positioned a certain distance away from windows and doors.

Featuring a compact and aesthetically pleasing design, the latest range features a new larger and higher resolution colour screen and improved user interface including plain English full-text descriptions. Replacing the previous two-button feature, the latest range now includes four buttons for comprehensive menu navigation and the added ability to scroll back through the menu for time saving installation and servicing.

The new upgrade to the range also incorporates a selection of built-in features to increase energy efficiency. Featuring an intelligent pre-heat function that learns usage patterns based on 24-hour trends, building occupants can benefit from faster hot water whilst using less gas compared to a standard pre-heat function. Furthermore, for simple and easy heating and hot water management, the upgraded Combi 2 and System 2 boiler ranges are also compatible with Halo wireless thermostats for intelligent and smart control.

As with all models in the Keston boiler range, the latest additions can run on both natural gas or a 20% hydrogen blend, cost effective, reliable and ready for the future. to provide a cost-effective and reliable solution that is ready for the future.

With over ten years of British manufacturing excellence, Keston is an established player within the heating industry. Manufactured to the highest standard to deliver a reliable and high-performance heating solution to the domestic residential market, the latest range of Combi and System Twin Flue boilers are available with a market-leading warranty of up to seven years.

Keston by Ideal Heating is a Groupe Atlantic company

 

CLICK HERE for more information on the latest Combi 2 and System 2 boiler range

  

or call a member of the Keston team on 01482 244 3005

 

 

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Think Dune eVo, say Aruba

Zentia celebrates in style as popular Dune eVo family is renamed Aruba.

 

Leading UK ceilings manufacturer Zentia has refreshed one of its most popular ranges of ceiling tiles with a new name, including a new high humidity variant.

As part of the company’s transition from Armstrong to Zentia, Dune eVo will now be known as Aruba, a name inspired by the white sandy beaches of the Caribbean and the finely sanded finish of the tile’s surface.

The new high humidity variation is being introduced to support the product family’s flexibility. Aruba hH offers stability at humidity levels of up to 99% RH, making it particularly ideal for high humidity areas such as changing rooms. It also offers Class C sound absorption and good sound attenuation for excellent acoustic performance.

This new addition sits alongside Aruba, Aruba Max and Aruba dB, each bringing their own performance capabilities. Together, they deliver a complete acoustic ceiling solution with the benefits of a continuous face pattern across entire projects.

As a product family, Aruba offers a tile for any environment including education and healthcare through to commercial, leisure, retail, and transportation – for either new-build or refurbishment.

Graham Taylor, Sales and Marketing Director at Zentia, has witnessed the evolution of the original Dune product family as well as the journey from Armstrong to Zentia.

 

He comments: “The Dune range has been a stalwart of the ceiling tile industry for even longer than I have been around. With its fresh bright surface finish it was a game changer when first launched to market in the early 1980s. Now, we are ready to unveil the first Zentia version, taking the opportunity to reflect our transition from A to Z by renaming Dune to Aruba. Think Dune eVo, say Aruba.

‘It’s a product that has been trusted by generations of architects and installers alike and today, it’s still the reliable and versatile product it’s always been, but with a new name and some exciting family additions, many of which will be released over the coming months.”

 

This product range is a favourite with specifiers due to its optimum mix of acoustic and aesthetic performance, sustainability credentials and cost-effectiveness. The range gives architects three levels of acoustic performance, high levels of recycled content and 100% recyclability.

To celebrate the launch of the Aruba range, Zentia is running a competition to

win £5,000 worth of holiday vouchers

Please CLICK HERE to see the Zentia website for full T&Cs and details on how to enter

 

 

 

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Meeting the challenge of water scarcity

If our water usage patterns don’t change, the UK will have an ongoing water deficit of 4,000 Megalitres per day by 2050.  Reductions in leakage and domestic consumption are the two primary strands of water conservation targeted by Defra and the water companies.

Some areas of England are already restricting future development unless ‘water neutrality’ can be demonstrated. This requires both existing and new properties to reduce per capita consumption (PCC) to the extent that overall water usage levels do not increase.   Reduce leaks, design out joints on pipes and prepare for smarter meters  Recent research by Thames Water showed that 8% of households show continuous flow on a smart meter, indicating an undetected leak.  This means that up to 25% of water supplied to domestic properties is wasted through leakage.  This leakage can be due to old and corroded lead supply pipes, but the majority of leaks originate from joints in the supply pipe.  The House Building Federation (HBF) and Water UK have since 2014 issued best practice guidelines.  Of the 5 prinicples, 4 relate to minimising use and leakage.
Meter Location Best Practice Guidelines[1]

1. Preferably water companies should use the Water UK/HBF Amended Contaminated Land Assessment Guidance Document for new sites and connections. 
2. The use of a continuous and uninterrupted length of service pipe from the water main to the dwelling. The service pipe should be designed and constructed in such a way as to minimize the risk of leakage.
3. The Stop tap should be located above ground. 
4. Water meters should be located above ground. 
5. Water Companies should consider the use of technology such as ‘smart’ metering to enhance the accessibility of water consumption data for both homeowners and themselves.   Surface mounted meter housings are a perfect solution for modern methods of construction.  Meeting all the HBFs Best Practice Guidelines, the meter housing can be pre-installed along with all the internal plumbing systems, and then connected to the mains supply via and continuous, uninterrupted length of pipe.   

An early adopter of the surface mounted meter housing is Portsmouth Water.  Bob Taylor, CEO Portsmouth Water explained their philosophy,

‘Portsmouth Water’s policy of having a single joint free service pipe from mains connection right the way through to the wall mounted boundary box has certainly improved confidence around the longer-term quality of these new assets from a leakage perspective.  This policy is also helpful in the context of reducing customer side leakage and emerging knowledge in this area is showing that this is a bigger challenge than our previous understanding indicated.’

Steve Leigh, Managing Director Groundbreaker, and developer of the wall mounted boundary box has over 40 years’ experience in the Water Industry.

‘We’ve been putting pipes in holes in the ground to protect them from frost for decades’, he explained.  ‘Although it works, today’s new materials allow for a much better solution.  Keeping pipes on the surface reduces the risk of leaks developing and allows for easy repair and maintenance.  It’s just a much better method of working.’   Steve continued, ‘The advent of new smart metering options has also highlighted the problems of burying meters in a hole in the ground.  Groundbreaker allows for a stronger communications signal strength relative to underground meter installation.  Such systems have been proven to be able to be read from over 2 miles away from a single pick-up point and worldwide if linked to the internet.’

 

Reduce usage, a fit and forget solution  ‘Over supply’ of water, i.e. water flow rates that are higher than required to provide an adequate supply, results in waste of water.  Running taps when brushing teeth, showering, or rinsing cups uses more water than necessary.   Approximately 40% of domestic water usage is from bathroom and kitchen taps and showers. ‘Eco’ or water saving shower heads are designed to restrict the water flow to a single outlet are highly effective but fitting these come at a price, especially larger properties with multiple bathrooms.

The alternative is whole site flow reduction.  Fitting a device such as Groundbreaker’s NRv2 LoFlo®, at the meter regulates the level of flow entering customer premises – regardless of network pressure.  As the flow of water into the premises is limited, then the amount used in ‘time controlled’ activities is also limited – but without providing a degradation of service.  More importantly not requiring any intervention or behavioural change on the part of the customer, so leading to ‘natural’ reduction in consumption.

 

1. www.water.org.uk/guidance/meter-location-best-practice-guidelines

 

For further information on the full range of Groundbreaker products

 

CLICK HERE to visit the website

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How LHC’s latest framework facilitates MMC

Housing is likely to be a key policy battleground for the next general election. The original 300,000 new homes target has never been hit and has been missed by at least a third year-on-year.

Some of the consistent solutions given to the UK’s housing crisis feature a combination of refurbishment and retrofit of existing homes, and new properties built using modern methods of construction (MMC).  However, big names in MMC have recently dropped away from the market, such as Legal & General, following a decision to close its modular housing factory, as well as Caledonian Modular and Urban Splash House.  Has this confidence in the ability of MMC to deliver considerable social and affordable housing been shaken?

There are positive stories to tell. These include the £70m investment raised by leading modular housebuilder TopHat to construct a new UK factory, and British Offsite’s move to a new £45m factory. Both companies plan to manufacture up to 4,000 new homes a year.

A dedicated framework solution
Underlining this confidence in the marketplace is LHC Procurement Group’s (LHC) recently announced £1.2bn Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) of New Homes (NH3) Framework. This construction framework for local authorities, social housing providers and other public bodies indicates a considerable level of confidence in MMC.

As the only framework provider with a dedicated MMC framework, LHC wants to help social housing providers in every part of the UK to deliver more homes much faster and with a lower environmental impact. Together with its MB2 framework, the NH3 framework covers the full range MMC categories.

Addressing a UK-wide need
Though the scale and speed in the increase of homes delivered by MMC are under question, when done well it has the power to reduce construction time by up to 50% – and the need for affordable and social housing shows no signs of slowing.  In England, statistics show there were 59,356 affordable homes delivered in 2021-22, compared to 7,644 for social rent. This is against a predicted need of 1.6 million households for social rented housing, according to National Housing Federation (NHF) statistics.  At the time of writing, the social housing stock in Wales stands at 237,395, and the latest statistics from Shelter Cymru show there are 67,000 households on housing waiting lists in the country.  Meanwhile, the Affordable Housing Supply Programme (AHSP) in Scotland commits to delivering 110,000 affordable homes by 2032 to help meet the need.

How NH3 facilitates MMC
NH3 is a vital addition to support more programmes to build low-carbon, modern homes from housing associations and local authorities across the country. It will adopt MMC and offsite techniques to produce energy efficient homes for the communities they serve.

It replaces the previous NH2 framework, which has so far enabled £93.5m-worth of offsite homes projects with a total forecast value of £277m.
Shaped by extensive engagement with housing contractors and manufacturers, NH3 has been developed to be a market-leading framework providing a wide range of systems and project delivery models to give public sector organisations the flexibility to deliver MMC projects the way they want.

Through NH3, LHC is looking to support the public sector to increase the use of modern methods of construction and deliver low and net zero-carbon homes with high levels of pre-manufactured value (PMV).

CLICK HERE FOR THE LHC WEBSITE

 

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L&G MODULAR TROUBLES CONTINUE

Legal & General has been forced to dismantle modular homes on a site in Bristol after it found issues relating to the foundations.

The award-winning Bonnington Walk scheme comprised 185 homes built on land owned by Bristol City Council in Lockleazen and received a Masterplanning Award for Projects at Housing Design Awards 2021.

Those who had bought houses on the site are facing a lengthy delay of up to a year before moving in, and are now being offered compensation or can choose to cancel their purchase completely.

It was reported earlier this year that L&G would wind down the modular arm of its company after several years of consecutive losses. L&G Modular opened in 206 but a lack of demand led to the company reportedly accumulating losses of around £170million by 2021. The closure of the manufacturing site in Selby, Yorkshire was believed to put around 450 jobs at risk, with chief executive of L&G Modular, Rosie Toogood, also leaving the business.

A spokesperson for L&G said:

“Through our quality-assurance checks, we identified problems with the foundations of the site at Bristol that need to be rectified. We are working closely with our consultants and the warranty provider, National House Building Council (NHBC), to rectify these issues as quickly as possible.”

“In order to do this, we are removing existing modules, with new homes to be replaced on-site after the foundations have been rectified. No homes will be handed over to customers which do not meet the NHBC’s quality checks.”

“We have informed customers that it could take six to 12 months to resolve these issues and are committed to treating our customers fairly. Where there have been delays, we have offered them compensation, as well as the option of cancellation.”

Source: ShowHouse

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