SINIAT & PROMAT ROUNDTABLE
BTR: INNOVATION FOR ROI
Leading drywall manufacturer Siniat, and fire protection specialists Promat, hosted a roundtable to try and identify how the Build to Rent (BTR) sector can innovate design and construction to increase ROI, as UK society and the construction industry come to terms with the impact of COVID-19.
With the discussion taking place on the Zoom platform, the ‘virtual roundtable’ sought to break the conversation down into key themes surrounding market status, design and innovation, productivity and sustainability. Here are some key soundbites from the session. BTR has been a successful market segment and has evolved quickly with offsite methods bringing improved levels of delivery and cost confidence. But will it continue in a post-COVID-19 climate to be an attractive investment proposition with increasing demands on amenity space? Clare Harrison, Project Director, Grosvenor Group: “We see BTR as one of the more stable sectors at the moment. People are staying at home more than they ever have done, so the emphasis on good quality homes that are well connected with flexible and adaptable amenity space is more acute. We are confident about the BTR sector.”
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Tim Phillips, Head of Residential Europe, CA Ventures: “In terms of investment and the size of the market, it’s a good time for BTR to go mainstream. With a loss of value in the office and retail environments, money is going into BTR. Additionally many wider lifestyle decisions are being delayed so people will be in the rental space for a longer period of time.” Adam Challis, Head Of UK Residential Research, JLL: “The sector is quite well suited to adjusting to a new normal. One of the hallmarks of the amenity space in BTR is its flexibility to be used in many different ways. It is important to try and replicate what we miss about being in an office environment without physically having to travel. A more fluid set of choices is something BTR does very well.” Brendan Geraghty, Director, Geraghty Taylor: “There is a third space that exists between work and home: the amenity space. BTR is quite far down the road with this. Flexibility and
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connectivity is extremely important and a major requirement plus how that space is consistently managed. We see the workplace turning into a ‘meeting economy’ where people can collaborate easily.” Michelle Hannah, Associate Director, CAST: “What COVID-19 has brought to the front is how critical the construction programme is. Schemes halting have had a significant effect, so how do clients protect the construction programme to deliver their returns when required? Offsite is a great way of doing that.” Karl Wilkinson, Operations Leader, Building, Laing O'Rourke: “Offsite hasn’t been immune to COVID-19 but it does de-risk restrictions. We managed to maintain productivity levels throughout the COVID period and the projects where we were employing a large amount of offsite were completely uninterrupted.”
