Bromford signs contract with A leading housing association has signed a £100m+ contract to accelerate the number of low-carbon, factory-built homes it builds every year.

Bromford has sealed a four-year contract with MMC developers ilke Homes Ltd and Hadley Group to provide hundreds of new homes across the West Midlands and West of England.

The first homes to be delivered as part of the partnerships will be a 28-home zero carbon development in Moreton-in-Marsh in Gloucestershire delivered through Bromford’s in-house construction team and ilke Homes. The units are due to be installed in the spring of 2023 over an 8-week period. They will come equipped with air source heat pumps and solar panels that, when combined, will reduce operational emissions – such as those generated from utilities such as heating and electricity – by 100 percent. Plans for the scheme were approved by Cotswold District Council in February.

High levels of energy-efficiency – achieved by increased air tightness and the use of low-carbon technologies – will translate into huge cost savings for Bromford’s customers, at a time when the annual energy price cap is predicted to be raised to more than £3,000 in October.

Development and asset management innovation lead Mike Craggs said: “Providing affordable homes that are cheaper to run and heat is going to be increasingly important for our customers and these partnerships will allow us to make sure the homes that are provided of the highest, EPC-A standard. We’re thrilled to have signed these contracts with ilke Homes and Hadley Group to become our main providers of MMC homes for the years ahead, and are looking forward to work starting on our first development in Gloucestershire.

“Utilising modern methods of construction is key to us delivering the number of affordable, energy efficient homes we are aiming to build during the next five years. Starting with 50 homes in the first year of the contract, we will increase this to up to 200 homes a year by 2025 and are looking forward to getting started on our first site later this year.”

Tom Heathcote, executive director of development at ilke Homes, said: “ilke Homes are increasingly becoming a partner of choice for housing associations looking to scale up the delivery of energy-efficient, affordable housing. Much like many councils and housing associations across the country, Bromford and Cotswold District Council understand the role MMC have to play in enhancing the build quality of homes and their ability to speed up construction programmes. We look forward to working closely with all delivery partners to bring this scheme forward.”

Ben Towe, group managing director at Hadley Group said: “Hadley Group is delighted to be a Bromford Homes delivery partner for new modular home where better efficiency delivers greater affordability for everyone. The housing crisis is not only about more homes, but also about better performance of those homes so they cost less to heat, light, helping people out of fuel poverty.”

 Paul Nicoll, director of advanced methods of construction (AMC) added: “Bromford have taken the initiative by selecting Hadley HOME as a delivery partner and we are excited that together we can develop more homes faster than before by embracing modular. Bromford will achieve the highest EPC rating, benefiting both the environment through efficiency and reducing the cost of living for those living and working from home.”

In 2021 Bromford was named one of Homes England’s strategic partners, securing £240m to develop new homes, 25% of which have to utilise modern methods of construction. Bromford is one of the biggest builders of affordable housing in the country, completing 1,224 homes in the past financial year. For the past two years it has been the biggest builder of social rent homes* and aims to develop more than 7,000 homes over the next five years.

 

Image: (L-R) Richard Mawdsley, Director for Development at Peel L&P’s Wirral Waters,

Dave Dargan, Managing Director, Starship Group – Karl Venture, Managing Director, Starship Modular

 

Net zero modular housing manufacturer, Starship Group, has announced the move of its offsite manufacturing facility to the Mobil Building at Wirral Waters’ Mea Park.

Earlier this year, Starship Group relocated its head office to Hythe, Peel L&P’s Grade A office building at Wirral Waters. Now, the Wirral housebuilder, will move its entire manufacturing arm from its existing home in Deeside back to its Wirral roots.

The conversion of the low-bay element of the Mobil Building, into which Starship will relocate, is the first phase of the development of Mea Park. A planning application for the £9m second phase, a highly sustainable, 70,000 sq. ft multi-unit industrial and warehouse scheme for industrial and logistics companies and supply chains, was submitted to Wirral Council earlier this year.

Starship’s new manufacturing campus will be fully operational by mid-August when it transfers all its residential manufacturing from Deeside. With over 90% of Starship’s workforce already from Wirral, the new location will be within easy reach for employees.

Mea Park, which will form part of the Liverpool City Region Freeport, has the potential to become a centre of excellence for Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), including modular construction, with the facilities and skills being used across a wide range of industries, including house building. As with all projects at Wirral Waters, Mea Park will also be a highly sustainable development, targeting a BREEAM Excellent rating for sustainability.

Starship Group was founded in 2020 following the merger of a number of highly successful property development and construction businesses. Their carbon zero construction credentials, and use of innovative technology, make them an ideal tenant for Wirral Waters.

With a strong client base, including housing associations, private developers and investors, Starship build high-quality, affordable and net zero homes with high-grade insulation to lower energy consumption and reduce energy bills. They also design and build bespoke homes and build to existing specs.

Starship’s business model is more flexible and efficient than other volumetric modular home providers. The company focuses on panelised delivery which reduces waste in the manufacturing, storage and transport of the homes. While much of the construction takes place in the controlled factory environment, the final fit out is done using local labour and supports local economies. Starship also produces its own housing products, alongside the manufacture and delivery of homes designed for a specific clients or places, allowing for a healthy and sustainable pipeline to develop from a range of clients across the UK.

Richard Mawdsley, Director of Development for Peel L&P’s Wirral Waters, said, “Our strategic partnership with Starship Group has taken a leap forward. As environmentally responsible businesses looking to the future of the construction industry, we are very aligned in our ambitions and our values especially in growing a local workforce, and we are delighted that they can see the huge potential for Wirral Waters.

“Wirral Waters offers many benefits to them as an MMC manufacturer and it is fantastic that, between Hythe and MEA Park, we will have the whole Starship team on site at Wirral Waters this summer.”

Dave Dargan, Managing Director at Starship Group said, “We are really excited to be bringing our offsite manufacturing facilities to Wirral Waters which will mean our whole Starship team will now be on one single Campus. The new campus will focus on delivering on our significant residential MMC pipeline and is expected to create over 100 new jobs over the next 12 months.

“We have a fantastic partnership with Peel L&P and we are working hard together to put Wirral Waters on the map as a regional centre of excellence for Modern Methods of Construction and the creation of next generation construction skills”


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The £12.7m school is the first school to be awarded to Portakabin

under the Department for Education’s (DfE) MMC1 framework.

Installation has completed in just two weeks for a brand new,

state-of-the-art 170-place special school outside Norwich.


CLICK BELOW to exclusive drone footage of how the installation unfolded here

 

The school will be part of The Bridge Multi Academy Trust and will be for children with learning and cognition needs from ages four to 19, is in the village of Easton and will provide purpose-built facilities including a forest school area and a specialist autism unit.

Constructed offsite using Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), the school building took shape in lightning speed, with all 60 modules in place in just two weeks. The custom modules have been designed specifically for the Department for Education. At 3.6m wide and 18.75m long, each module attains better thermal performance and offers improved day light for the comfort of both pupils and teachers.

Built by modular building market leaders Portakabin, the school was precision engineered in its manufacturing facility in York.

After starting on site in January, installation was completed in June and the project is on programme to complete in December 2022.

When the school opens it will have a growth plan with children admitted in a careful and planned way until it reaches capacity.

The completed site will include on-site staff and visitor parking, minibus and taxi drop-off points, sports pitches, a MUGA court, outdoor play areas, a forest school area and a productive garden.

 

Nick Griffin, Divisional MD for Portakabin comments: “This Norfolk special school is the first of many projects to be awarded to us on the DfE’s MMC1 framework.

“Our latest module development means we can offer modular schools with better learning environments thanks to larger windows, bigger classrooms and better thermal performance.

“Innovation in modular buildings continues to develop at pace and means we can provide a high quality and reliable alternative to traditional construction, something here at Portakabin we’re always excited to talk about!”

 

Cllr Daniel Elmer, deputy cabinet member for Norfolk’s Children’s Services, said: “Making the case for this school to be delivered as part of the DfE’s free school programme has been a key part of Norfolk County Council’s £120 million SEND transformation programme.

“We pledged to deliver at least 500 new places in specialist provision and this school is a huge part of that work.

“We can’t wait to see the different it makes to the lives of dozens of children and young people with SEND and their families.”

 

Dr Penny Barratt, CEO, The Bridge London Trust comments: “We at The Bridge MAT are extremely excited to be working with Norfolk County Council and the Department for Education to develop this new school, The Bridge Easton. We are aware of the need for additional special school places and are really looking forward to opening this school in Norfolk.”

 

The planned opening date is January 2023.
All places will be commissioned and funded by Norfolk County Council. New admissions will be through a county admissions panel. No waiting lists are in operation at this time.
Find out more about admission to special schools and specialist colleges here

 


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Since it was introduced in 2013 the European safety standard EN 16005 remains a key standard to be followed to ensure pedestrian safety at automatic doors. Considered to be a more onerous standard it defines the responsibilities of all those in the construction industry from manufacturer to end user and including architects and contractors.

 

GEZE UK has revised and updated its popular and informative RIBA-approved CPD Safeguarding Pedestrians from Accidents at Power Operated Doorsets.

 

The 40-minute seminar looks at the European standard EN 16005 in detail and explains the responsibilities of all involved to ensure safety and compliance at all stages of construction.

 

It explains everything from activation distances for escape routes and non-escape routes; the danger points of automatic sliding, swing and revolving doors and how safety features such as finger guards and protection leaves can be used to reduce the risk of injury; and looks at revolving doors which are potentially the most dangerous and which received the most significant changes.

 

It is intended for Chartered members of RIBA but is also suitable for facilities managers, property managers and contractors.

 

Offering architects and specifiers invaluable advice and guidance, which contributes to their continuing professional development, this updated training seminar gives a better understanding of the standards and regulations surrounding pedestrian safety at automatic doors. The seminar is included in RIBA’s core curriculum: Design, Construction and Technology; Health, Safety and Wellbeing; and Legal, Regulatory and Statutory Compliance for the General Awareness knowledge level.

 

It can be presented in person or virtually via a variety of online platforms and at a time to suit, usually lunchtime but breakfast seminars or afternoon sessions can be accommodated.

 

To find out more or to book a CPD seminar, email cpd@geze.com or visit the cpd information page on www.geze.co.uk under services.

 

National Specification Manager Richard Richardson-Derry said: “Automatic doors are a machine and just like any machine they can cause harm if not used properly, however we cannot expect pedestrians who may not be so familiar with them to be aware of the potential danger, therefore those of us in the industry need to take responsibility and ensure they are safe for all to use.

 

This CPD explains how to do just that and that if we all play our part we can limit or even eliminate accidents at pedestrian doors.”

 

RIBA Chartered Architects are obliged to undertake a minimum of 35 hours a week to maintain their competence. Visit the RIBA website www.architecture.com for more information on those obligations.

 

Other presentations offered by GEZE UK, include Specifying, Installing and Maintaining Ironmongery for Fire Doors; Designing Effective Natural Heat and Smoke Ventilation; and Removing Barriers to Access.

For more information about GEZE UK’s comprehensive range of automatic and manual door closers

call 01543 443000 or visit www.geze.co.uk.

 


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ROCKWOOL reinforces commitment to safer cladding and façades with creation of new role

ROCKWOOL, the UK’s leading manufacturer in sustainable, non-combustible stone wool insulation, is pleased to announce the promotion of Hedley Thompson to a newly-created position within the company.

The role – Recladding and Façades Sector Manager – is the first step in the creation of a new team which will focus on working with housing associations, local authorities and housebuilders on the remedial action needed to address fire safety and other issues for the thousands of buildings in the UK which fall short of required standards.

Hedley, already a ROCKWOOL veteran of eight years, is moving to the new position from his previous role as Technical Specification – Façades . Prior to joining ROCKWOOL in 2014, Hedley held a variety of technical and operations roles with the construction sector.

 

Hedley said: “In the first instance, I’m looking forward to the challenge of working with housing associations, local authorities and housebuilders to help them address the many legacy issues they are facing. Government and industry are both clearly calling for action, and ROCKWOOL can provide effective solutions with a range of non-combustible insulation and technical support.”

 

 

Mark Bungay, Commercial Director at ROCKWOOL, added: “There is an acute need for progress within the industry to focus on the many buildings within the UK that need remedial works, and to do so quickly. Hedley’s demonstrable experience – both at ROCKWOOL, and within the wider sector – sees him ideally placed to engage with authorities and businesses to help support them and drive change within the industry.”

 

www.rockwool.com

 


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Nick Cowley, CEO of Modular Group Investments, surveys recent developments in and around the UK housing market

– concluding that demand for quickly and efficiently-built homes is about to soar.

 

 

 

“Massive prefab factory to make one ‘modular’ home every HOUR in new era of flatpack housing”.

 

That was a headline in the Daily Mail back in June. Nothing all that exciting, you might say. But no matter what you think of the Daily Mail, when it starts covering a topic, you know it’s beginning to break through into the mainstream.

The news around UK modular hasn’t been overwhelmingly positive recently. The collapse of modular housebuilder Urban Splash understandably attracted a lot of attention – with some commentators using it to cast doubt on modular’s ability to replace conventional housebuilding, and suggest it might turn out to be a short-lived fad rather than the future of global construction.
But while what happened to Urban Splash is indisputably bad news for the sector – and particularly the suppliers who’ve been left millions of pounds out of pocket – it does nothing to change the fact that if we want to keep building houses at scale without destroying the planet, modular is the only solution.

Small steps in the right direction?

Britain’s tabloid press isn’t known for its subtlety or grasp of detail, but the Daily Mail explained the situation pretty accurately – given a worsening housing crisis, demand for affordable housing that’s only going to rise, an ageing construction workforce, ongoing supply chain disruption, and, above all, the need for Britain and countries around the world to hit net zero, we have to be building homes more quickly and efficiently than ever before.

The way to do that is for construction to switch from outdated brick-and-mortar, muddy field housebuilding and embrace precision offsite manufacturing instead.

While the government needs to be doing much more to support the transition to modular, there are growing signs its thinking the same.

Its £150m Help to Build scheme might be a drop in the ocean given the scale of the challenge ahead of us, but the core principle – letting people build their own homes with only a 5% deposit towards land and construction costs – is one that chimes perfectly with modular.

Want to help people quickly, efficiently and affordably build their own homes while avoiding spiralling mortgage costs? Modular is the answer.

The establishment of the government’s Modern Methods of Construction Task Force is another – very small – step in the right direction.

However, it’s in the decade to come that I think we’ll see modular start to rapidly take off in the UK. Net zero by 2050 sounds comfortingly far off – so far off, in fact, that ministers, developers and others can happily put the issue on the back burner for a while longer.

The government’s more recent pledge – to cut carbon emissions by nearly 80% between now and 2035 – is a different story. That requires deep, radical changes now. As that starts to dawn on businesses and sectors throughout the economy, they’re going to quickly realise the need for an alternative. Luckily for them, modular already exists, and is ready to go.

45% less carbon

The case for embracing modular is only going to get stronger as the years go on – as is the evidence for its climate-friendly credentials.

The last few months have also brought the publication of research by academics at the University of Cambridge and Edinburgh Napier University. The study examined the construction of two modular housing developments by HTA Design – the Ten Degrees Towers in Croydon, which at 44 and 38-storeys are the world’s tallest modular buildings to date, and The Valentine student accommodation block in Redbridge.
Across the two projects, there are 900 homes – and the academics concluded constructing them used 45% less carbon than if they’d been built using traditional methods, saving 28 tonnes of carbon in this one case alone.

The sooner the vast majority of British buildings are built this way the better.

For more information, call MGI on 0330 1340290 or  CLICK HERE to visit the website.


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Prefab construction utilizes off-site manufacturing — a method that is far faster than the equivalent of the on-site building process.

This is due to the enclosed and controlled factory environment, the ability to coordinate and repeat activities, and an increasing level of automation. Also, while the building elements are being manufactured at the factory, foundation and prep work can take place simultaneously on-site, allowing progress to be made much more quickly than on a traditional building site.

Efficiencies in the manufacturing process need to be matched by efficiencies in the design process, this is where Vertex BD comes in.

Vertex BD uses a high level of automation to rapidly reduce the time spent in the design phase, whilst giving its users the flexibility to build the way they need.

Vertex BD is a BIM (Building Information Modeling) software which is your complete source of information for prefab and modular projects.

Vertex BD specialises in cold-formed steel and timber framing and we aim to offer our clients all the benefits from Vertex BD whilst fitting in with how they are currently operating.

Design time can be vastly reduced, accuracy increased and costly errors avoided.

Vertex BD uses digital automation to seamlessly translate information about a project across all disciplines within a project, so all the plans, schedules, material reports, shop drawings, and manufacturing data can be automatically generated and saved within the BIM model.

 

For more information, CLICK HERE

 


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The Wee House Company Completes its First TapcoSlate-roofed, Modular 3 Bedroom Bespoke Home Build on Islay

The latest Wee House has just been completed, a bespoke 3-bedroom home measuring 94 square metres.

The owners of this gorgeous new property decided to relocate to the Hebridean Isle of Islay for their retirement after falling in love with the island following a trip there many years ago and tasked the Wee House Company to build an off-site, bespoke modular home that fitted all of their unique requirements.
The efficiencies gained through running site preparation and module construction concurrently meant that the build was completed within 16 weeks. The style of the house complements its very picturesque setting and is in-tune with the island’s surrounding architecture. The house has the proportions of a traditional cottage, clad in vertical larch with a TapcoSlate Classic composite slate roof and coloured front doors sit comfortably in the stunning, rural landscape with its background rolling hills and outlook to the sea; quiet, tranquil and calm. In terms of design, a lot of consideration was given to the owners’ island living, with larger-than-normal larder cupboards installed in the kitchen to store bulk supplies during winter months as well as generous storage for outdoor apparel in the porch area.
Although this Wee House looks traditional in appearance, as mentioned previously, it was actually produced as a modular unit under controlled factory conditions, thus enabling precision in all aspects of the build as well as allowing strict quality control throughout the process. Strict environmental performance criteria had to be met, this was achieved through a combination of high-quality insulation and better air tightness on the house build, as well as solar photovoltaic panels included as a renewable energy source.
Launched in 2013, The Wee House Company has been blazing a trail in modular house building for almost a decade. With a desire to make custom-build properties accessible anywhere in the UK, father and daughter Ian Hope and Jennifer Higgins joined forces to design, build and deliver homes quickly and cost effectively, all with a depth of construction experience that places them at the forefront of modular build innovations. Ian and Jennifer realised some time ago that modular construction has a number of benefits and is an ultra-efficient method of creating a custom home for a plot of land. By building 95% of the home in-factory, customers’ benefit from the economies of scale normally reserved for larger housing developments – which is no small cost-saving!
Modular build allows a home to be built much quicker than with traditional building methods. Wee Houses are completed to ceiling height, with kitchens, bathrooms, plumbing and electrics already fitted before they leave the factory – fully complete and ready to move in within 3 weeks of being delivered to site. As the single contractor responsible for all works from design through to completion, The Wee House Company is in a unique position to provide accurate, upfront costs for the entire project, from start to finish.

Tapco Roofing Products is proud to provide the choice of its flagship TapcoSlate Classic roofing product to customers and partner with such a unique and innovative company in the UK modular marketplace; and urge you to go check out The Wee House Company’s website for more images and completed bespoke modular housing projects www.theweehousecompany.co.uk

www.tapcoroofingproducts.com

 


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A modular production unit in Bardon, Leicestershire is up for sale – just weeks after housebuilder Countryside Partnerships said it was exiting the 384,000 sq ft modern methods of construction (MMC) facility.

In May, Countryside said its modular business had made six-month loss of £6.5m – £3m of which was attributed to the Bardon site.

The move to leave the modern methods of construction (MMC) premises comes as part of a bid to cut the losses incurred by Countryside’s manufacturing processes.

The Bardon facility is now up for sale through chartered surveyor Walker Singleton. It houses a high-tech timber frame manufacturing line that was designed and installed in a bespoke package.

 

Stephen Jones, director in the Machinery & Business Assets department at Walker Singleton, said: “The production assets of the business are state-of-the-art, with only one other comparable line in operation within Europe. The line has been designed to produce an advanced closed panel product supporting the move to modern methods of construction.

“It is an exciting opportunity for any company wishing to place themselves at the forefront of the timber frame construction industry. The equipment is geared to a volume output and has the capacity to produce 3,000 units per annum. High regard has been placed on maintenance and upkeep of all equipment with all assets being of industry recognised manufacture.”

 

Jones said that the line could be removed from the site and sold separately, but should a suitable party not be found the line will be included in a planned online auction of the wider assets of the facility.

When it announced the move to Mountpark’s Bardon II scheme in June 2020, Countryside said it would create 100 jobs, with staff making its advanced modular panel system that would deliver around 3,250 new homes a year for the company’s three Midlands regions.

Countryside, which is preparing to put itself up for sale, said that it had also completed a review of cost savings across the business, identifying at least £15m of savings a year, the delivery of which is “well underway”.


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With a national housing shortage and ambitious housebuilding targets for developers and local councils to meet, is now really the time to put the pressure on the industry to explore more sustainable methods of construction? The answer is a very clear yes from Wayne Oakes, a director at the sustainable engineering consultancy, Dice. He believes a greener modular building approach can increase sustainability, reduce construction time and begin to tackle the huge volumes of waste generated by the construction industry.

 

The UK’s housing crisis is well documented, with ambitious targets set by the government of 300,000 new homes a year.

With that comes a secondary problem, that of construction waste. A DEFRA report highlighted that in 2018, construction, demolition and excavation accounted for 62% of the UK’s total waste.

So how do developers continue to build at speed, reduce the volume of waste materials and create more sustainable methods of construction?

The answer is staring us all in the face – modular homes.

Modular homes are designed to be energy efficient and very efficient to manufacture. They’re created off site – where waste can be kept to a minimum – and different elements of a build can all be happening at the same time.

Offsite construction enables phases of work to be undertaken concurrently. Onsite substructure and infrastructure work can be taking place whilst the superstructure is being built in a factory. Factory conditions also mean that there are no delays due to inclement weather.

And there are environmental benefits to working offsite, helping us to fight the climate crisis. It is more straightforward to manage waste in a factory environment rather than on a construction site. It allows for far more control meaning less contamination, more recycling and less overall waste.

Another large contributor to climate change is pollution and energy output. Modular designs see a 40% reduction in HGV movement at construction sites, and manufacturing off site also minimises the time and energy spent on site.

This cuts travel and transport, as workers are more likely to be concentrated around a specific factory. Due to these factors, overall pollution is reduced.

Recycling is another big focus across every sector. Materials in traditional construction like timber, brick and concrete, are very rarely re-used and it can be hard work to do so. The volumetric and panelised systems found in modular building lend themselves to recycling in a much more practical and efficient way.

There are challenges, as there are with every construction project, and they do require a different approach to traditional methods of construction.

Modular projects and units do differ from the traditional, standard residential units. They have specific requirements in terms of their sub-structures and external works. This is particularly the case in sites with gradients and water management requirements.

On our first modular project, we worked very closely with the manufacturer on specific design standards, in particular with regards to the National Housebuilding Council’s requirements for the substructure.

This was a condition of the offsite manufacturing partner, to ensure that each of the plots met the requirements of building control.

As engineers, we need to be agile, responsive to site specific needs and challenge design to ensure modular methods of construction get the recognition they deserve.

We’ve realised technology’s potential and are driving the change.  It’s our duty to think creatively to develop new, more sustainable ways of construction and ultimately living.