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A. Proctor Group at St Dunstan’s College

The superior airtightness performance qualities of the Wraptite® air barrier system from the A. Proctor Group will enhance a new state-of-the-art development at St Dunstan’s College – a co-educational independent school in Catford, London.

Contractor Willmott Dixon will deliver the new Junior School, STEM building and Sixth Form Hub at St Dunstan’s.

Designed by Bond Bryan Architects, the new development will be sited adjacent to the existing historic Headmaster’s House and connected by a glass atrium. Phase one includes a new junior school with specialist facilities for art, music and performance, and phase two includes the construction of the STEM Centre and Sixth Form Hub.

A vital element of the design and construction is to maximise the energy efficiency of the new buildings: Wraptite airtightness membrane, the only self-adhering vapour permeable air barrier certified by the BBA, will form a crucial part of the solution.

The inclusion of Wraptite within the facade will ensure “as-designed” performance, narrowing the gap between as-designed and actual energy performance and reducing the likelihood of potential failures to meet required airtightness levels.

Wraptite is a self-adhesive breather membrane applied externally, quickly and efficiently as part of the rainscreen system. The self-adhesive Wraptite membrane fully bonds directly to the substrate, requiring no mechanical attachment and little seals or tapes to suppress air leakage around junctions or penetrations.

Wraptite combines the critical properties of vapour permeability and airtightness in one self-adhering membrane, providing high levels of protection to the building fabric beneath the cladding. As a result, the Wraptite system allows the substrate beneath to dry quickly and moisture vapour to escape and reduces the likelihood of mould, mildew, condensation, timber distortion and metal corrosion.

Wraptite is compliant with Part B regulation changes and also has BBA approval for unrestricted use in buildings over 18m in England and 11m in Scotland.

www.proctorgroup.com

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KEYSTONE LINTELS TURN ARCHITECTURAL VISION INTO REALITY AT POOLE HOMES

The thermal properties, structural performance and lifespan of Keystone’s standard lintels played a crucial role in the design of two bespoke modern homes in a prime coastal position in Dorset.

The neighbouring properties in the sought-after Lilliput area of Poole Harbour offer views over Parkstone Golf Club and have been designed to an exceptionally high standard. With double and triple-height ceiling voids, rooflights, high ceilings and over-sized doors, the five-bed homes have been designed by Trinity Architecture in collaboration with developer Towncourt Homes to offer residents a strong feeling of space and light. With the correct specification of lintels, a critical element of a project such as this, the design team turned to Keystone Lintels to meet their structural and thermal requirements.

Keystone provided comprehensive technical support and a fast turnaround to ensure the correct lintels were made available onsite via merchant Sydenhams. Manufactured from high quality grade pre-galvanised mild steel, Keystone’s single leaf BOX/K 100, BOX/K 75 and SK-90 lintels were specified in accommodating lengths and masonry loads to achieve the architectural vision.

 

 

The elevations of both properties are arranged to visually break up massing by the stepping up in scale from the left to the right when viewing the front elevations. The off-white render, TBS Portland Blue facing brickwork, timber horizontal boarding and aluminium power coated windows, roof and fascia helped to adjust the building mass and ensured the homes provided a positive contribution to the street scene.

Available in a variation of wall thicknesses and used for internal or external openings, Keystone’s steel lintels are specially designed with a steel plate on the underside of the lintel providing superior structural stability to avoid twisting of the lintel during installation. Keystone’s patented design enhances the structural performance of the lintel without compromising the thermal performance. The innovative thermal break plate features intermittent tabs that connect the outer leaf to the inner leaf resulting in a 90% reduction in thermal bridging. This simple yet brilliant innovation significantly reduces thermal bridging while adding vast improvements to the structural integrity of the lintel.

In an area of the Dorset coast synonymous with luxury homes, the twin homes in Liliput have made the mark architecturally with cost effective lintel solutions that meet the most complex structural requirements.

 

www.keystonelitels.com

 

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Kooltherm pipe insulation fitted on leading biomedical research building

The University of Warwick’s Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research Building (IBRB) is breaking new ground in building design. The £33m facility has been constructed with a cutting-edge offsite approach featuring Kingspan Kooltherm Pipe Insulation and Kooltherm Insulated Pipe Support Inserts.

The research building, designed by Hawkins/Brown and Fairhursts Design Group, will provide world-class facilities for over 300 biomedical researchers helping to deepen our understanding of the origins and mechanistic basis of diseases of the brain and body. Working closely with the project team, which included Willmott Dixon and Hoare Lea, NG Bailey has manufactured and assembled much of the mechanical, electrical and plumbing installations at its specialist offsite facility in Bradford. This specification included the installation of over 20,000 lm of Kingspan Kooltherm Pipe Insulation and Kooltherm Insulated Pipe Support Inserts, with onsite fitout carried out by specialist contractor Insulation & Cladding Services Ltd (ICS).

The University of Warwick set a target to complete at least 50% of the building work using offsite methods. NG Bailey helped to achieve this with a bespoke, five-storey ‘megariser’, which contains all of the buildings’ primary wet and dry services. The riser was delivered to site in eight sections, greatly reducing the number of deliveries and disruption to neighbours and allowing the installation to be completed in two days compared with the 15 weeks it would have taken with traditional methods. The sections were constructed horizontally at the NG Bailey facility and were lifted and installed using a crane – cutting time spent working at height.

As with all offsite work, careful pre-design was essential to ensure the ‘megariser’ and services were aligned correctly once in-situ. The project team collaborated closely with the use of BIM technologies and this process was supported through the specification of Kingspan Kooltherm Pipe Insulation and Kooltherm Insulated Pipe Support Inserts. These products are supported with bespoke BIM objects which can be freely downloaded from www.bimstore.co.uk This allowed service engineers and designers to accurately plan and position pipework and supports. With their leading thermal performance, the products also contributed to the project’s sustainability targets.

 

Stefan Watson, Offsite Integration Manager, Midlands, at NG Bailey explained: “By using offsite manufacture to produce the MEP elements, we removed circa 11,000 working hours from the project and reduced deliveries by around 190 HGV vehicles. The Client set the challenge of at least 50% of the construction being delivered through offsite techniques – and this was achieved.

“This greatly reduced the carbon footprint of the project and the completed building is expected to achieve a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating. Building services play a significant part in reaching this target and we carefully developed a specification which will keep the building’s energy use to a minimum.”

Kingspan Kooltherm Pipe Insulation is one of the most thermally efficient pipe insulation materials in common use. This allowed the project team to effectively insulate the full range of pipe diameters on the project with a minimal thickness of insulation, supporting a faster, installation both in the factory and as part of the onsite work completed by ICS.
The project team also carefully addressed the risk of heat loss through pipe supports by installing Kingspan Kooltherm Insulated Pipe Support Inserts. The premium performance inserts effectively limit thermal bridging through the supports and form an effective vapour barrier. For larger diameter pipework, the inserts are supplied with a metal spreader plate which prevents insulation compression, ensuring the efficiency of the pipework is maintained over time.

The specification of the Kingspan Technical Insulation products also supported work to achieve credits within BREEAM assessment. An Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) certificate for Kingspan Kooltherm Pipe Insulation can be accessed at www.greenbooklive.com. The product is also certified as Eurofins Air Comfort Gold, recognising it as having low emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and both products are manufactured under an environmental management system which is certified to ISO 14001:2015.
With Kingspan Industrial Insulation’s free Pipeline Technical Advisory Service, which can be contacted on 0808 168 7363, clear advice and guidance can be accessed at every stage in a project.

www.kingspantechnicalinsulation.co.uk

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A GOLDEN YEAR FOR OFF-SITE

2022 will be a ‘golden year’ for off-site manufacturing as construction becomes more efficient
Written by Des Duddy, Managing Director at Protrade 

Back in 2011, a quite astonishing feat happened. 

In China, a prefabrication business, which proclaimed itself as the world’s fastest builder, erected the 30-story T30 Tower Hotel in a little over two weeks. That same company went on to build a 57-storey building in just 19 days in 2015, doing so by completing three floors of the structure every day.

Even more recently, it may be easier for you to recall the Huoshenshan hospital that was built in Wuhan in 10 days in 2020, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

All three of the above examples were extraordinary feats of construction over the last decade, with the latter drawing fascination from across the world as millions visited sites like YouTube to watch time-lapse videos of how it was achieved.

As remarkable as they were, they are the latest in a clear line of indicators of the route our industry is inevitably heading in.

MMC (Modern Methods of Construction) and off-site manufacturing are nothing new. However, its adoption as the primary method of working across the industry has been accelerated by the need for construction to be far more efficient after a rough couple of years.

Prior to 2022, the off-site construction of buildings, building elements and structures accounts for around 2% of the total construction market. Thanks to a perfect storm, though, we’re going to see MMC and off-site manufacturing boom and those examples of construction feats I alluded to will become the norm in the years to come.

In this article, we’re going to explore why MMC and off-site manufacturing will become invaluable to the construction sector as it enters a crucial point in its journey to return to pre-pandemic levels by 2023.

The three main benefits of MMC and off-site manufacturing beyond efficiency

There are several articles out there that document the basic benefits of MMC and off-site manufacturing and so I’m not going to go over old ground.

Focusing purely on the economics, though, there is enormous investment going into it in the UK, and for good reason too.

There are three obvious benefits to the country and the economy:

  • the first is the commercial gain
  • its ability to give companies a competitive edge
  • improve the sector’s capability to meet demand after a pandemic that saw multiple projects mothballed and kicked into the long grass during 2020 and 2021.

Off-site manufacturing techniques have progressed significantly over the last few years, moving it on significantly from a time when it held a tarred reputation and was used mainly as temporary accommodation; your portacabins and the like.

Instead, what we now have are buildings and structures that are produced to incredibly high and repeatable standards, as we saw with the hospital that was built in Wuhan in just 10 days.

A word on supply shortages, raw material price inflation, and demand… it’s only going to get worse

It’s no secret that the supply shortages and lead times construction has faced over the last 18 months caused issues with projects across the country, with housing associations and local authorities grappling with limited supplies as well as soaring prices that reached a 40-year high for the industry.

For context, we received notification during October that silicone, which is contained in a lot of sealants, was due to go up 39% in price. We’d already experienced price rises of nearly 60% earlier in the year. As a business, we don’t buy steel in its raw state, but we do buy fixings manufactured from it, and they have risen by at least 25%. Channel and bracketry used in steel building systems, has gone up over 60% since January 2021. If you also look at raw materials, like polymers and monomers that go into making PVA and acrylics, they’ve shot up by more than 40%, too.

The prices we’re seeing in the market are not going to change. The shortage that is being faced isn’t going to disappear. If anything, that demand and the inflation of price is only going to increase, especially with the USA’s historic infrastructure bill, worth an eye-watering $1.2 trillion, that was passed in November by the US Senate.

This, alone, is creating a new wave of competition and demand for labour and raw materials – one that will even outweigh the problems that were faced last year.

But, the reality is Britain needs to build and construction will continue to be a vital sector for the UK economy. It’ll simply cost more. In order to combat these ongoing problems, the onus is on construction professionals to shift to a more viable option.

That obvious alternative is off-site manufacturing.

Off-site manufacturing’s influence was growing in the new build market – now it will become essential

Back in 2018, the Government laid out its plans to combat the growing housing crisis in the UK. However, since the pandemic hit, off-site manufacturing’s role has been accelerated to a point where it, in my opinion, needs to be considered essential.

A report by Savills, one of the biggest retail estate agents in the UK, showed that the proportion of new homes built using MMC was currently between 6-10%. In the new builds market, that is going to increase significantly, especially with the Homes England programme, which is aiming to make a quarter of affordable homes from MMC.

We know Lloyds Bank has the ambition to become the biggest landlord in the country and as part of their intention to buy 50,000 homes over the next decade, the likelihood is they’re going to need to build some of those properties.

As well as dealing with those ongoing supply shortages and price hikes, using traditional building methods to fulfil their needs is not commercially viable. Missing out on rental income is a huge incentive for businesses and institutions to get the homes built rapidly, and there’s no faster construction method than off-site manufacturing, which strips away the myriad of factors, like weather, site access, permissible working hours, and noise pollution, that can impact a project.

If you could purchase a plot of land and know that the house would be finished and ready to move in within four weeks, the financial savings would be significant… not to mention the huge reduction in stress levels!

Concerns over build quality are no longer relevant, with many off-site homes now offering a mortgageable 60-year warranty. Even hospitals, schools and commercial properties are looking towards modern methods of construction.

Why? Because the possibilities are endless.

A case study: How fast-food brands like McDonald’s and KFC showed the importance of MMC and off-site manufacturing

Even prior to the three examples referenced at the beginning of this article, there has been what some have called a quiet revolution taking place for some time with MMC and off-site manufacturing, one that the retail and fast food sectors have been ahead of the game on.

This approach was actually made popular by brands like McDonald’s and KFC, both of which calculated the huge sums of lost revenue caused by not having a fully finished restaurant as each day passed during the construction process.

Talking as no expert on the finances of those two businesses, let’s say, hypothetically, it’s £30,000 worth of takings per day they’re losing out on as they’re waiting for a site to be built traditionally. That equates to £210,000 per week just for one location – a huge sum to be missing out on, even for the giant brands and companies of this world.

McDonald’s, in particular, uses prefabrication technology for its units and its that method that allows that business to complete new outlets on pre-existing groundworks in just 13 hours.

Once planning permission has been granted, the time to store opening is dramatically cut, all while it is creating savings in equipment, labour, fees and other expenses associated with a large scale build. The benefits are two-fold and this rise in interest in MMC and off-site manufacturing is generating jobs and bringing new skills and diversity to the workforce.

Fast turnarounds. Quality buildings. Minimal costings and materials. Restricted loss of earnings. That keyword again: efficiency. It is to see why this method is being adopted more and more.

Where do MMC and off-site manufacturing sit in as part of your strategy?

The facts are clear.

What we know is that off-site manufacturing is much more efficient and provides more accountability and the ability to control costs. The price of raw materials is going to continue to rise and the construction industry needs to find savings in other areas.

Again, efficiency is the keyword. Using the T30 Tower hotel, the 57-storey tower, and the Huoshenshan hospital as examples, they are three projects that, ordinarily, would have taken a year or two – possibly longer – to build traditionally and would have required huge funding from the bank.

All of that has been avoided and brought huge savings.

It will be these types of savings that will help to offset rising materials and labour costs and we’re going to be seeing far more examples of projects like these in the near future as the construction sector continues to climb back to its feet.

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Turning down the heat: Futureproofing the homes of tomorrow

Authored by Mark Dowdeswell, Senior Category Manager – Domestic, at Uponor.

New homes will have to produce around 30% less carbon emissions as part of a major update to the Building Regulations this year. Under Part L1A, there will be a maximum flow temperature requirement of 55°C for new and replacement heating systems, meaning that more low energy heating systems must be used in today’s modular builds.

Underfloor heating systems (UFH) have a larger area heat emitter than traditional radiators, meaning they require a lower heat input in order to heat a room effectively. This allows them to work efficiently alongside renewable heating technologies, such as air source heat pumps (ASHP), which help to reduce a home’s operational carbon footprint.

 

With technology constantly advancing, both ASHPs and UFH now lend themselves perfectly to modular builds with limited space and high-quality design demands. Innovative low profile UFH systems, such as Uponor’s Minitec which stands at just 15mm build height, enable design teams to optimise available space, giving maximum design freedom. To ensure consistent quality of UFH installations in modular assemblies, Uponor also works closely with its partners to provide design support, continuous training and installation reviews, whilst simultaneously providing the largest product range of radiant heating and cooling systems of any manufacturer from under one roof, meaning that design teams do not have to compromise on their aspirations.

This vast product range also enables contractors, architects and specifiers to work alongside one manufacturer, rather than multiple suppliers, allowing them to rest assured that the systems used will not only meet building regulations and hit new performance goals, but that they will be fully-warranted and long-lasting, meaning that the homes built for today, will perform well tomorrow, too.

www.uponor.co.uk

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It’s time to be onside with offsite construction

 

 

As a global building products manufacturer, Sika is among businesses leading the way in terms of developing solutions that enable projects to be built more sustainably. This is reflected in its support of offsite manufacturers. The modular construction process is proven to be less impactful to the environment and more likely to result in a higher-quality, as-designed build that is notable for its energy efficiency. Simon Griffiths, Head of Offsite Construction at Sika UK, tells us about the company’s contribution to the modular market and his future hopes for Modern Methods of Construction (MMC).

 

 

Why is Sika particularly well-equipped for offsite construction?
Sika has ‘target markets’ which work in roofing, flooring, sealing & bonding, building finishing, concrete, waterproofing, and so much more. Sika also works in managing risk, which is a really important part of our business. Any offsite manufacturer looking to develop products and systems will be really interested in managing that risk. Therefore, from that perspective, we would be a great partner and well equipped for offsite construction.

What expertise does Sika bring to offsite construction?
Sika is a global business. We turnover 9.24 billion Swiss Francs per year. In each of our regions we have a team that looks after offsite construction, which brings great expertise to projects inclusive of an offsite element to them. We have regular conversations with the teams in each of our regions around the world, which helps to promote shared learning. We also employ over one thousand chemists worldwide. Their job is to not only develop our existing product portfolio, but it is also to innovate and bring brand new products to the marketplace; all of which will be of interest to the offsite market.

 

 

What is Sika’s offsite team in the UK?
The UK team comprises of eight people. We have specialisms across a lot of the aforementioned technologies. It is an expert team, and one that is really excited to be a part of this industry. Sika has an extensive R&D capability and global reach. We have a proven track record of working across international markets, many of which are on the pulse of offsite manufacturing’s innovations. Sika’s Offsite Division is utilising this global experience to guide offsite manufacturing companies towards unlocking new potentials. The division can offer a customised approach for modular manufacturers, especially where construction solutions need an industrial approach.

 

 

What type of businesses does the offsite team work with?
The key word for us here is ‘collaboration’, but another is ‘early engagement’. It is part of Sika’s mantra to work with every part of the contractual chain. If we can, we will work with clients to completely understand the vision they have for their projects, alongside specifiers to help them push the boundaries of design with our products. Just as importantly, we enjoy working alongside offsite manufacturers to ensure a project’s success. Historically, Sika has manufactured materials for a traditional construction market. Currently, we are working very closely with some offsite manufacturers to develop and tailor our products to how they build.

 

Why has Sika joined the Offsite Alliance?
We have joined the Offsite Alliance for one simple reason: collaboration. We understand that the only way to effectively push the MMC agenda is to collaborate not only with architects, but with offsite manufacturers, and our own competition in the form of other component manufacturers.

How important is offsite construction to delivering future projects?
Offsite construction is critical not only to delivering projects of the future, but also projects of today. We know that the Government has set some quite ambitious construction targets for 2025, including having to build 300,000 homes per year by that time. That’s quite some challenge. In the UK, only six to ten per cent of houses are currently being built using offsite construction. There are lots of benefits with offsite construction. It offers quality, reduces waste and helps address the all-critical building skills shortage.

In terms of offsite manufacturing and engagement with the building supply chain, what does ‘good’ look like?
Early engagement with the supply chain is an extremely significant part of the offsite manufacturing process. The sooner we can be involved with a particular scheme, the better. Architects, for example, can bring a design together, but unless they truly understand what a product does, the design will not be optimised. Trust is also important. It is a value we’ve institutionalised at Sika because it is such a vital part of any business collaboration.

What’s the biggest challenge in stopping us from achieving that early engagement?
One of the hurdles to engagement over the past two years has been COVID-19. It certainly hindered that all-important collaboration. An additional obstacle to bringing the building supply chain on board at the earliest stage of an offsite project is the mindset of component manufacturers. We need to start thinking slightly differently about how we can deliver products which are specifically developed for offsite construction.

What can be done in the future to help unlock the benefits of collaboration between offsite construction and the supply chain?
One solution would be for manufacturers to think differently. We’ve mentioned how products and materials can be developed to suit the offsite marketplace, but we also need to think about taking a different approach to the construction process itself. This would mean offsite manufacturers embracing companies such as Sika, so we can sit down and develop solutions together. When you have the capabilities of manufacturers such as those involved in the Offsite Alliance, there is the opportunity to start from scratch and develop a new solution that will be critical to the way we build offsite in the future.
Offsite has grown steadily over the past few years. Its benefits are widely known and increasingly understood. We are at a point where we believe that the use of offsite will accelerate to meet the demands of many public and private building projects. With extensive technical expertise and solid practical experience on every continent in many climates and environments, Sika is a highly-qualified, reliable partner for all manner of offsite and construction needs.

For more information on how Sika’s offsite division can help your next building project, CLICK HERE

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Register now for The Offsite Show The UK’s largest offsite event

Excel London 3-5 May 2022. The brand new Offsite Show will make its debut in London this year and will run alongside UK Construction Week (UKCW), Civils Expo, Concrete Expo (3-4 may) and Grand Designs Live, (3-5 May).

In partnership with Buildoffsite, and supported by the MPBA, the Offsite Show will be the only UK event that unites the client and supply chain for all aspects of the rapidly expanding offsite construction sector.

The Offsite Show will welcome leading content provider, Buildoffsite who will host  comprehensive free to attend seminars and workshops with support from key industry stakeholders and Government departments.

Join Buildoffsite in welcoming the industry back for the first face to face event where we will be looking at the impacts on the construction industry post pandemic. The challenges faced and how the power of Offsite will be harnessed to deliver net zero major projects faster.

There will be sessions each day covering post pandemic recovery, MMC’s contribution to decarbonisation, whole life cycle retrofit & building for resilience. We also intend to address the opportunities for MMC led innovation through financial and assurance incentives. In this session we will be looking at the challenges businesses face in funding MMC projects and how these can be addressed by recognised industry assurance schemes. Each session will cross reference government targets and how Offsite is set to deliver.

Entrance is free to attend, and you will automatically gain access to all the co-located shows across the three days.

 

Book your free tickets today CLICK HERE

 

Still time to take part – just a few remaining stands available at the UK’s largest Offsite showcase.  If you are looking for new business opportunities within the offsite construction supply chain or want to meet new buyers of offsite construction products, services and solutions, The Offsite Show is an unmissable opportunity for your business.

Across three days, the show will offer the perfect backdrop to network with the industry and invite prospects to meet you in person so that you can showcase your products and services.
The Offsite Show is run in association with Buildoffsite and is supported by the MPBA, British Adhesive & Sealants Association, Building Better, CIRIA and Building Design & Construction magazine.The Offsite Show will be co-located with UK Construction Week, Grand Designs Live and Concrete Expo and forms part of over 40,000m2 dedicated to showcasing the built environment this coming May. Don’t miss the opportunity to meet over 30,000 decision makers actively looking to source new products.

Book your stand today!

Contact us to discuss your requirements and join

Kingspan, Euroclad, Lindapter, Creagh Concrete, Howick, Stelling Properties, C-Probe, Nexus Modular and

70 other companies at The Offsite Show

For stand enquiries contact

Eddie Milton  –  eddie@industry-expo.co.uk

Paul Shelley  –  paul@industry-expo.co.uk

www.offsiteshow.com

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Offsite – not just a solution for new build projects

Offsite construction need not only apply to new build. In fact, this is a common misconception of the practice; one that potentially holds it back from achieving its full potential. As well as offering myriad opportunities and benefits for specifiers of new build projects, it also has much to offer for those specialising in the refurbishment, retrofit or regeneration of existing properties in our existing built environment. MMC Magazine’s Joe Bradbury examines how a modular approach might assist in bringing existing structures up to date to meet modern demand:

Construction is a very diverse industry that includes activities ranging from mining, quarrying and forestry to the construction of infrastructure and buildings, the manufacture and supply of products, as well as maintenance, operation and disposal.

Construction output in the UK is more than £110 billion per annum and contributes 7% of GDP (ref. Government Construction Strategy). Approximately a quarter of construction output is public sector and three-quarters is private sector.

Approximately 60% of construction output is new build, whilst 40% is refurbishment and maintenance. Offsite can cater to both faces of the coin.

Integrating offsite technology into existing buildings

Offsite solutions are already being used in a variety of new build and renovation projects, ranging from hotels and leisure to education and research facilities. However, with the government’s ever-increasing support for the practice, its popularity is only expected to grow.

But why are offsite options gaining traction, and why is the government so enthusiastic about them? In short, they provide high-quality service at a large scale, enabling projects of all kinds to be completed on time and on budget. The demand on the construction sector is constantly increasing, yet the number of projects that are completed on time and on budget appears to be decreasing. This is due to a variety of issues, including tougher restrictions and labour shortages, as well as weather and material supply delays.

When you also consider housing shortages, an ageing population, a rise in specialised housing demands, a distinct lack of adequate student housing and an increase in the number of build-to-rent homes, it’s easy to see why prefabricated solutions are becoming increasingly popular as time goes on.

Offsite solutions are also gaining popularity because they may be planned, manufactured, and pre-assembled offsite, then simply dropped into position for ease and speed in new construction projects while maintaining the high quality expected. This proved to be especially useful in the midst of the pandemic, due to restrictions being more easily adhered to in a factory setting with a smaller team required.

Specialist manufacturers design and build tailored products, to perfectly meet client specifications and these are simply delivered whole ready for installation and fitments or re-assembled onsite quickly and easily for the purposes of refurbishment. Installation does not require skilled labour, significantly reducing time and costs.

 

The potential of offsite in retrofit projects

Take bathrooms and showers, for example; due to the necessity for wet trades and a variety of skilled labour, from designers to plumbers, electricians, and tilers, they might be the most complex aspect of a renovation job. Prefabricated pod solutions, on the other hand, can be totally customised to fit into any space, whether it’s a Grade II listed manor home, an office building, a renovation, or a new construction. They can be built offsite and then assembled onsite as a complete, comprehensive solution.

Sectional pods are ideal for small spaces, and bespoke designs can be completed from concept to delivery much faster than manual builds, which can be slowed by a variety of factors ranging from late material deliveries to multiple contractors working together in confined spaces and relying on other trades’ staged completions.

Specifiers are now expected to make buildings that are environmentally friendly and energy efficient as part of a larger national effort to minimise CO2 emissions, energy consumption, and waste. As a result, environmental considerations will automatically change how our buildings are built and refurbished, as well as the materials utilised and the methods used.

Traditional construction methods use significantly more energy than offsite construction. A traditional construction project’s carbon footprint is significantly bigger than that of modular building due to the numerous construction vehicles and machinery on the job site. Simply said, fewer vehicles on the road and less time spent on site means fewer greenhouse gases are discharged into the atmosphere.

Environmental concern

Our industry has a lot of room to grow as we make the transition to a low-carbon economy. Environmental factors will change how our buildings are built, the materials utilised, and the methods used. We are on the verge of the predicted ‘sea-change,’ and the time has come for the construction industry to adopt novel offsite techniques to rapidly design better buildings that will improve lives, minimise environmental impact, and lower energy costs for inhabitants for many years to come.

Modular building and offsite construction approaches, in terms of the construction process, give specifiers with programme certainty and quality through the simplification of site activities, while simultaneously lowering weather dependencies due to the regulated factory-based assembly process. Buildings retrofitted using offsite technology have higher specification standards and build quality, which lowers occupancy expenses linked to energy use, faults, and maintenance.

Projects can be finished in around half the time if they are built offsite, under controlled plant settings, using the same materials and adhering to the same norms and standards as conventionally built facilities. The completed modules are brought to the job site and assembled.

To fulfil burgeoning demand and address concerns like fuel poverty and climate change, we need inexpensive, well-designed, and energy-efficient buildings. Sustainable construction technologies and renewable energy are critical components of a sustainable solution, and they can be retrofitted into any structure if we set our minds to it.

Offsite gaining more and more support

In recent years, the government has been extremely vocal about the benefits of working offsite. They’ve indicated repeatedly that they’ll promote long-term collaborations with the industry, exploiting digital technology such as offsite construction processes.

Construction management will see that modular design can be a commercially viable alternative to traditional structures when more projects are completed. Because of their sleek forms and high specifications, they may be employed in a wide range of projects, from high-end hotels to student housing, while still delivering a great return on investment.

In reality, the high specification, unrivalled quality, offsite checks, and minimal upkeep can extend the environment’s longevity much beyond what standard refurbishing procedures can provide, which often necessitate on-going care.

In summary

The construction industry (including the restoration and retrofit sector) has a massive task ahead of it. Take housing as an example: if the building sector is to provide 340,000 new homes a year until 2031 and do something about the 11,000+ homes that have been vacant for 10 years or more throughout the UK, it must evolve to keep up with the changing world.

Offsite should not only be considered when specifying for new build projects, it is applicable in many situations. Let’s harness its full potential.

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Euramax provides perfect partnership for Portakabin

One of Britain’s biggest and fastest-growing uPVC window and door manufacturers is proving its worth in partnership with a leading modular manufacturer.
Euramax Solutions, which manufacturers its products for modular and offsite construction companies across the UK, secured a three-year contract with Portakabin last October to supply 5,000 windows per year for its range of modular buildings.

Portakabin produces modular buildings for commercial offices, education and healthcare facilities as well as construction site accommodation.  It was Euramax Solutions’ development of a bespoke solution for Portakabin, however, that has really set the partnership apart.   From its headquarters in York, Portakabin was developing a new product, a portable building system specifically for Europe.   As part of the system, they wanted to develop a way of installing windows and doors around 175mm deep walls made up of insulation and external finishes either side. After approaching several companies about a solution, it was Euramax they chose.

The right solution – The Euramax Solutions team set about designing and developing a specialised clamping system that attaches to the Euramax window and door products so they can be clamped around the wall rather than fixed.

Nick Cowley, Euramax Solutions’ MD, explained: “As a new building it has some of the deepest walls yet used at 175mm. The problem with insulation and a steel  external finish as a wall structure is, while it’s very thermally efficient and as a panel is very strong, it’s not easy to screw into it to fix a window or door as it’s full of insulation in the middle.
“So, rather than fix through, the method is to clamp the windows and doors around the 175mm wall depth. As well as developing our specialised clamping system, we also developed bespoke extrusions, mouldings, and fixings to facilitate the installation.
“It was fantastic to be able to collaborate with Portakabin to develop the bespoke solution that has allowed them to meet their client expectations.
World class delivery – While the window and door solution has allowed Portakabin to solve a problem for customers, the delivery of the system from Euramax Solutions’ delivery method is also providing multiple efficiency benefits for Portakabin.

The products are delivered in bespoke stillages that are order and batch specific and arrive assigned to the specific module, which can be taken from the stillage straight to the production line. The stillages also protect the windows during transportation and minimise unnecessary packaging waste, further helping to streamline production processes for Portakabin.
“Our lineside delivery process from cradle to grave is in Euramax’s DNA. It’s not just about the product, it’s about the manufacturing, it’s about the logistics to deliver the product in specialised delivery stillages, for lineside delivery and installation with Portakabin,” said Nick.

“Once the products are made, they’re loaded onto crates here and then mechanically handled before it’s fixed to the module at Portakabin. They’re all fully glazed and operational for speedy installation using the specialist fixing systems, so no onsite glazing is required. It’s vital that our windows and doors contribute to the quick completion that Portakabin require.”
The perfect partnership – Ian Donal, Head of Supply Chain, Portakabin, said: “Euramax Solutions invested a lot of time and money into the design, development, and technical support for our new European product, and they had the insight into what we required.

“They have not only impressed with product design, but also with how the product is supplied to us. Modular builds are renowned for quick completion, and we can install Euramax Solutions’ products efficiently, so we don’t keep our clients waiting.

“Once our relationship got strong thanks to the European project, we wanted Euramax Solutions to help with the rest of our business. We are delighted with how the collaboration is progressing.”

www.euramaxuk.com

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Construction membranes deliver hidden protection and thermal efficiency benefits

A combination of wall construction membranes from Glidevale Protect has been installed across two social housing developments, designed and built by modular construction specialists Connect Modular, part of The Wee House Group.

The mix of membranes used included the reflective, low emissivity TF200 Thermo for external walls, improving thermal efficiency as well as non-reflective TF200 to provide water resistance and a secondary line of defence after construction, minimising the risk of interstitial condensation.  Protect VC Foil Ultra, the reflective air and vapour control layer was also used on the warm side of the insulation to again manage condensation risk and improve energy efficiency.

The first development using Glidevale Protect membranes completed in May 2021 for Mull and Iona Community Trust, with modular homes built in Connect Modular’s  factory in Cumnock,  Ayrshire and installed across two sites in the remote location of Ulva Ferry on the Isle of Mull, required to meet acute housing need on the island.

Now on site, Connect Modular is working with Riverside Scotland, part of the Riverside Group, in delivering 63 affordable homes in Dundonald, South Ayrshire, representing the largest affordable modular housing development in Scotland.  With a blend of different house types all featuring Glidevale Protect products, the first homes are scheduled to be ready for occupancy by the end of 2021.  The scheme has taken advantage of the benefits of offsite construction for quicker delivery, with all homes expected to be built, put in place and occupied in around a year.

Jennifer Higgins, Managing Director of The Wee House Group commented, “Glidevale Protect is a reputable manufacturer and supplier of high quality manufactured membranes.  These were ideal to incorporate into our timber frame panels being produced offsite in our factory for the Isle of Mull and Dundonald schemes. With impressive aged thermal resistance values for reflective products, this helped to generate low U-values and meet improved energy efficiency needs for our clients, helping to retain energy within the structure and reduce consumption.”

For more information email info@glidevaleprotect.com or call +44 (0)161 905 5700, quoting ‘Connect Modular.’

www.glidevaleprotect.com

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