£300m MODULAR COUNCIL HOUSE PROGRAMME

London’s Royal Borough of Greenwich has chosen developer-contractor A&E Elkins to build 750 affordable rent council homes.

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The £300m contract is believed to be the biggest awarded for new-build council homes using modular construction to date. The form of contract is the ACA TAC-1 Term Alliance contract. A&E Elkins has formed an alliance with manufacturer Ideal Modular Homes and architect shedkm to deliver the homes across 60 sites over five years, with the possible extension of a further five years.

All the homes delivered through the Alliance will be carbon positive, meaning the operational energy of the homes will be not only better for the environment but also more affordable for the tenants helping to address the fuel poverty gap.

The modular homes can be manufactured in four days and installed on site in eight hours, minimising disruption to the surrounding residents and cutting the delivery programme time by up to 50%.

Luke Barnes, founder of Ideal Modular Homes, said: “Councils are under constant pressure to deliver affordable housing at a reduced cost, while still delivering on quality. This joint venture will see that beautifully designed high-quality homes can be  delivered in half the time that traditional methods would.”

Designing the homes for the project, shedkm, is a collective of pragmatic architects who believe in a responsibility to deliver value to their clients through design with integrity. Alex Flint, director of shedkm, said: “Working closely with our partners, we aspire to bring the highest quality of homes to the borough. Designed to exemplar standards with sustainability at their heart, the homes will feature exceptional space standards, large expanses of glazing and robust facing materials.”

Cllr Anthony Okereke, Royal Greenwich cabinet member for housing, added: “Employing modular techniques as part of our Greenwich Builds programme is allowing us to quickly deliver the high quality and sustainable council homes so badly needed in our borough. With plans for construction on 750 new homes to be underway by 2022, we’re excited to be at the forefront of delivering innovative zero-carbon council properties, making good on Royal Greenwich’s commitments to tackling both the housing crisis and climate change.”

The project team have been working hard through the coronavirus crisis using virtual resources. This has enabled seamless design and virtual consultation events with stakeholders and the public. The first of these homes for council tenants is expected to be on site before the end of this year.

Source: PlaceTech

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