OFFSITEDEDICATED TO OFFSITE DESIGN, MANUFACTURE & DELIVERY | WINTER 2016

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P08MODERNISE OR DIE Mark Farmer tells us more about why the offsite industry needs to focus its efforts.

P40THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY What is offsite’s contribution to a more sustainable built environment?

P62M&E PREFABRICATION Essential services can be installed as complete units with ease.

STRUCTURAL TIMBER AND PANEL PRODUCTS CHOOSING & SPECIFYING THE BEST MATERIAL

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Premier Modular recently announced its appointment as the contractor providing a series of modular building complexes at Hinkley Point C in Somerset, following EDF Energy’s Final Investment Decision. The complex will deliver offices and site welfare facilities required for the construction phase of the new nuclear power station.

The 38,000 sqm of office space – the largest modular project awarded in the UK – will house all the management and technical personnel required during the construction stage of this much needed

new nuclear power plant. Part of the buildings will be converted after the construction cycle to remain as high quality offices for the permanent site.

Almost 1,000 steel framed modules are being constructed offsite at Premier’s state-of- the-art manufacturing facility in East Yorkshire, before being transported to the Hinkley Point C site for final assembly and fitting out – a process that will take only 16 months from manufacture to hand over. Since Premier’s appointment as a preferred bidder for this contract back in July 2015, Premier has

continued to work closely with EDF Energy to ensure that delivery of the complex can proceed as soon as the Final Investment Decision has been made. Hinkley Point C will provide reliable, low carbon electricity to meet 7% of UK demand.

EDF Energy envisages an estimated 25,000 job opportunities will be created over the construction of the new power station, including up to 1,000 apprenticeships. It is also Premier’s intention to contract work, where practical, to companies local to the Hinkley Point C site, where it is anticipated that approximately 35% of the work will be completed. David Harris, Divisional Director at Premier said: “This project is one of the most significant modular projects in history and will really put modular construction on the map. We foresee that this project is not only important for Premier but will also be of significant benefit to the local economies in Yorkshire and Somerset in terms of both sub-contractor and supplier opportunities required to support this major construction project.

Premier will resource this project with the full scope of skills required to deliver the scheme to the excellent standard and quality of product that we and EDF Energy expect and we anticipate taking on a number of apprentices throughout the delivery of the scheme.”

Source: www.premiermodular.co.uk

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OFFSITE NEWS

Premier Modular Set for Mammoth Nuclear Project

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OFFSITE NEWS

Work has begun on a development of modular flats on the site of the old Inverpark Hotel in Arbroath. The process of constructing ‘modules’ complete with everything from electrics to plumbing at a factory away from the main development site has been identified by the Scottish Government as an important, cost-effective approach to addressing the housing shortage and improving the sector in terms of efficiency, quality and sustainability.

The modules are constructed using structural insulated timber (SIP) panels, making them strong and energy efficient. They are currently being constructed in McCallan Homes’ production facility in Dunfermline and will then be transported to Arbroath where the services are connected and the modules bolted together with the final exterior finish completed.Iain Allan, Director of McCallan Homes, said: “There are many significant benefits to building properties using offsite construction. Modules are built in a controlled environment, helping to ensure a high quality build that uses materials that are not exposed

to the elements. The building process is also far quicker than on a traditional site, benefitting the local neighbourhood. In addition by using structural insulated timber panels to construct the modules we are able to achieve exceptional levels of insulation and noise reduction in our builds. We are delighted with the progress of the development and are looking forward to welcoming the first residents in the spring of next year.”

Roddy Maxwell, Property Director at Wardhaugh Property, the company responsible for marketing the development, added: “This is a really exciting development on a well-known site in Arbroath. The method of constructing offsite allows for a safer build, less wasted materials, a lower carbon footprint and, most importantly, no corners can be cut. The flats that will come onto the market in the spring of 2017 will be of a very high quality.”

The site of the old Inverpark Hotel, just off Millgate Loan, is being developed by McCallan Homes Ltd and will consist of a range of 12 two-bedroomed flats.

Source: www.scottishconstructionnow.com

Arbroath Hotel Looks to Offsite

REGENERATION, RESTORATION & GROWTH – RETHINKING THE ABANDONED, DISMISSED AND MISUSED

Urban Regeneration in New Islington, formerly considered one of the worst places to live in Manchester. The aim, to create the best place to live and work. Premier completed the new Free School in Aug 2016, meeting the overall objectives of the masterplan, to be inspiring, innovative and fresh. The building is visually stunning with unique features such as oversailing feature entrance, outdoor 1st floor classroom plus bird and bat boxes including a Restart habitat.

Building Regeneration in the International Quarter London. With an abundance of green space and fresh air, all workplace design must have employee wellbeing at its heart. The project was to transform an old school building over 10 years old into a state-of-the-art welfare facility and project office. A bespoke viewing deck provided the finishing touch to this modern, spacious and inspirational accommodation.

The news recently has been dominated by the need to expand: build more houses, villages and towns and extend the infrastructure to support these new homes, some utilise existing brownfield but many will take up new greenfield sites. It is true that this has to happen but are we making best use of the spaces we already have?

Premier Modular is a forward thinking company, striving for constant improvement and innovation, achieved through their open and transparent working practice where all ideas are welcome. These strengths mean that when they collaborate on a project, they look beyond the building itself to create a cohesion with the surroundings and ultimately provide something that is socially, economically and environmentally sustainable.

Over the last few years they have worked on several projects where ‘Regeneration’ has been key:

Space Regeneration at University College London, providing a two-storey roof top extension positioned on John Dodgson House, an existing 50’s built sandstone faced building located opposite St Pancras Station. The extension provides additional student bedrooms in an area where space is very limited and land value makes many projects economically unviable. This space saving solution provided 55 bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms plus shared living spaces.

Sustainability is about developments that meet the needs of the present without compromising the future, can we be doing more to release the potential value of our space? David Harris, Divisional Director, Premier Modular Ltd will be exploring this further in his Offsite Masterclass at Ecobuild Explore Offsite on 7th March.

For more information visit: www.premiermodular.co.uk

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UK GREEN BUILDING COUNCIL

BREAKING BARRIERS TO BETTER DESIGN

Offsite methods have a crucial role to play in the design quality of housing and across the wider sustainability agenda. Clare Murray, Head of Sustainability at Levitt Bernstein and UK Green Building Council (UK-GBC) Future Leader alumni reveals how.

It is no coincidence that a number of housing schemes are being built using offsite construction, whether using component parts, pods, structurally insulated panels (SIPS) or bespoke in-situ concrete systems. These modular and offsite ways of improving the built environment are beginning to reduce build costs and construction times while minimising pressure on the shortage of skilled workforces. The potential for high quality results, combined with improved built performance, is a real advantage, but there are also a number of sustainability benefits to be explored.

Often sustainability is seen as a battle between reducing carbon emissions and project cost, however, offsite construction is one of the few examples where both can be achieved in harmony. While the fundamental layout design of homes will remain broadly the same, whether built traditionally or not, the quality of the result is where offsite construction comes into its own, with improved thermal performance and assurance of high airtightness levels. Another sustainability advantage is the increased use of timber, such as cross laminated timber (CLT) and SIPS. These options provide the industry with robust renewable and low carbon materials capable of accelerating sustainable design. In addition to this, there is huge potential for construction waste reduction, reduced embodied carbon and the use of cradle-to-cradle materials, which are notoriously difficult to monitor and track on site.

For years the industry has persevered with the collection of Green Guide Ratings, environmental management and timber certifications for each material used – this is before even looking at the embodied carbon, lifecycle assessments and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). It is fair to say that design teams have high aspirations for sustainable sourcing of materials but lack the resources and available data to track materials sufficiently.

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UK GREEN BUILDING COUNCILAlthough take-up can be a slow process, as with any industry change, due in part by lack of experience, the industry will grow as upfront costs begin to fall. Tender returns for projects, unless guided by clients or design teams to specifically seek offsite methods, often result in a lucky dip of traditional construction methods with the occasional surprise offsite construction technique. The hope as the industry progresses is that clients and design teams will be faced with a healthy mixture of construction technologies appropriate for the building types being tendered. The huge automated factories popping up across the country by companies who have invested in the long term production of offsite methods should go a long way to accelerate this process.

What does the future hold?There is a clear pressure on the speed of housing delivery to keep up with the demand, but the question for the industry is how best to resolve this. We are seeing positive steps towards improving education and upskilling around offsite construction methods. The recently announced strategic partnership between the Supply Chain Sustainability School and the UK-GBC is an important move, as they work together to raise awareness and embed sustainability right across the supply chain. Through elements such as UK-GBC’s growing focus on innovation, and the School’s recently published Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) overlay for the RIBA Plan of Work, we can foster a much deeper understanding across the industry of the benefits and practicalities of offsite construction and other innovative approaches. 

It is likely that a mix of construction methods will always provide the most choice, including both traditional and ‘modern’ methods. However, offsite construction has the greatest potential to achieve the wider sustainability goals for using appropriate materials and reducing waste simultaneously.

For more information visit: www.ukgbc.orgwww.levittbernstein.co.uk

This rooftop extension provides an additional 49 new postgraduate study bedrooms to an existing hall of residence for University College London.

An offsite volumetric modular construction was used to keep construction time to a minimum and works were completed within one academic year. Each bedroom was fitted out in the factory with an en-suite bathroom pod, desk, wardrobe and light fittings. Once in position, the units were clad with glazed facades, designed to create a layered appearance and use natural and artificial light to animate the built elevations.

This is where factory construction has the capability to closely select and control material provenance and certification from large sheet materials down to small components. In this respect, offsite construction presents a wealth of untapped potential for optimising the construction process to achieve resource efficiency, indoor air quality targets and the use of locally sourced materials.

As the industry develops, it is these global aspects that will be brought to the forefront of the sustainability agenda to encourage progress that has been previously difficult to make.

Where do we need to be cautious?For the environmental design of homes it is important that offsite methods, such as volumetric modular systems, remain as flexible as possible and are used in a responsible way. There is a clear cost and time saving to be had on repetitive modular runs, but we must take account of the need for variance in environmental design response.

Orientation, site location and context play a huge part in design and therefore how comfortable and enjoyable homes are. A one size fits all solution to façade design and home layout goes against good environmental design, leading to excess solar heat gain and loss, among other considerations like views, privacy or choice. Of course, as long as these issues are considered early on and we adapt the modules to fit design, rather than designs to fit modules.

As with any construction type the result is only as good as the workmanship and products used. Offsite methods have a distinct advantage in this respect, but it will only take a few bad experiences to make the industry cautious. The advantage for offsite currently is that the onsite methods are experiencing skills shortages, which can cause a drop in the build quality and speed of construction.

JOHN DODGSON HOUSE, LONDON

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Images:01. Modules can be easily craned into

position with huge project time savings ©Levitt Bernstein

02-03. John Dodgson House, Camden, London ©Jack Hobhouse