MODULAR MATTERS But it is not all plain sailing. A major criticism often levelled at the manufacturers of volumetric modules is the overall lack of capacity available in the market, and the increasing leadtimes for products due to production programmes being filled many months in advance. The industry is in danger of shooting itself in the foot, as lead times extend because manufacturers cannot meet demand.
years, with increased investment in the leisure/hotel market, education sector and social and private residential applications being the key drivers for demand. The volumetric modular industry must invest in itself to meet this demand. Visit www.offsitehub.co.uk for the latest volumetric modular projects in the Project Gallery.
A recent market investigation carried out by Cogent Consulting suggests that there is a huge opportunity for the volumetric modular industry to grow at an incredible rate over the next five
POCKET LIVING
1 A new modular housing scheme from affordable housing developer, Pocket, is part of the effort to regenerate Lambeth’s Mountearl Gardens Estate with 32 homes replacing an area formerly occupied by disused garages. It is the first time that Pocket has used factory-built homes in one of its developments. If successful they believe similar schemes could enable them to upscale their pipeline and regenerate more infill sites across London’s inner-city housing estates.
Images: 01-02. Volumetric modules installation process
CASE STUDY
As such, the need to involve the supply chain at the design stage is a key component to the success of volumetric modular technology utilisation. Too often contractors claim that offsite solutions were uncompetitive for a specific project, when the consultation of the supply chain took place after the design and layout of the building had been established. Simple changes often go a long way to reducing layout variation and increasing standardisation, whilst manufacturers are able to utilise their established supply chains to achieve variation through fit-out specification and choice of internal components.
2 With significantly less disruption for local residents – 60% fewer trucks coming to the site and 90% less waste, it also potentially opens up many more sites on existing housing estates, which can be delivered quicker than a ‘traditional’ approach. Pocket estimates that going offsite shaved six months off the Mountearl Gardens project time, without any adverse impact on quality. Currently, Pocket is planning to deliver over 100 new homes across Lambeth in the next year on sites in Lambeth North and Brixton.
Marc Vlessing, CEO of Pocket, said: “Pocket is always looking for new and innovative ways to help house London’s first time buyers. What we are doing at Mountearl Gardens is hugely exciting as it will significantly speed up the delivery of affordable homes for local people, whilst at the same time reducing the disruption to local residents. We are incredibly grateful for the ongoing support of Lambeth Council whose commitment to working with Pocket will help local people stay in their communities.”
Pocket is on track to deliver 4,000 homes by 2023. Pocket is also able to draw on the experience and resources of related companies, the U.S’s largest developer of affordable housing, who recently made a strategic investment in Pocket.
Photographs of the units being installed and a CGI of the completed scheme are available here: https://we.tl/zxxwePSfqM
SUMMER 2016 | WWW.OFFSITEMAGAZINE.CO.UK
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