Offsite Magazine - Issue 41

OFFSITE DEDICATED TO OFFSITE DESIGN, MANUFACTURE & DELIVERY | ISSUE 41 JAN/FEB 2024 | £4.95

BESPOKE MEMBRANE SOLUTIONS MAKE SURE YOUR PRODUCTS ARE WRAPPED AND READY TO PERFORM

P26

OPERATION OFFSITE Paul Ruddick spoke to us about business expansion, Imjin Barracks and what ThriveTM delivers

P30

STATE OF THE MMC NATION Big questions, lively conversation, industry debate and what to expect from Modular Matters 2024

P62

CAR PARK PRIORITIES Precast concrete and the structural options available for the growing number of UK multi-storey car parks.

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19 - 20 MARCH 2024

COVENTRY BUILDING SOCIETY ARENA

Join the conversation and connect with key players Gain the latest information about emerging

technologies and investigate the solutions to the challenges faced by the sector. Offering two days of evidence-driven presentations,

case studies and interactive facilitated debate, MODULAR MATTERS will address roadblocks, analyse successes and separate the myths from the facts.

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19.03.2024

COVENTRY BUILDING SOCIETY ARENA 08:15

Registration & Exhibitor Networking

09:15

Introduction from Conference Chair

Darren Richards, Managing Director Cogent Consulting

VOLUMETRIC MODULAR OPPORTUNITIES – A NEW TAKE ON OLD IDEAS?

09:25

Keynote Speaker: Lee Rowley, Housing Minister - DLUHC Overview of the Construction Industry

12:55

Steve Chivers, Managing Director Rollalong and Paul Read, Director of Sustainability & Investment Magna Housing 109 Modular Homes in Dorset & Wiltshire

13:20

Q & A Panel Discussion

13:30

Lunch & Exhibitor Networking

VOLUMETRIC MODULAR – WALKING THE WALK!

14:30

Charlotte Hale, Operations Director SO Modular

14:50

Tom White, Chief Executive Officer Lighthouse

15:10

Sally Orlopp, Director of People, Property and Independent Living - Centrepoint and Robin McGrenary, Independent Living Development Director - Centrepoint Independent Living – Reuben House

15:35

Q & A Panel Discussion

James Pickard, Principal & Founding Director - Cartwright Pickard and Keith Blanshard, Industry Advisor – Buildoffsite Murray Grove: Standing the Test of Time

15:45

Coffee & Exhibitor Networking

10:50

Q & A Panel Discussion

11:10

Coffee & Exhibitor Networking

09:40 Edward Jezeph, Senior Manager

Homes England Housing Innovation and MMC with Homes England

10:00

Helen Spencer, Executive Director Growth - Great Places Housing Group and Mike Ormesher, Project Director - Offsite Homes Alliance (OSHA) Future Model for Housing Delivery

10:25

VOLUMETRIC MODULAR SUCCESSES – ITS NOT ALL BAD NEWS!

11:50

Keynote Speaker: Daniel Paterson, Director of Government Affairs Make UK Modular The Future of Construction in the UK

12:10

Fenella Lowden, Client Solutions Lead TopHat Modular apartments in Kent

12:30

David Jaques, Assistant Director, Development and Regeneration - Cardiff Council and Ron Beattie, Founder & Managing Director - Beattie Passive Delivering Passivhaus Plus at Scale to Help Tackle the Housing Crisis

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VOLUMETRIC MODULAR – RISING TO THE CHALLENGE!

16:00

Brendan Geraghty, Chief Executive Officer - UKAA Accelerating BTR - the scope for MMC

16:15

Keynote Speaker: John Fleming, Founder & Chairman - Vision Taking Volumetric to New Heights

16:35

Stuart Marshall, Head of UK & Global Sales - Elements Europe High Rise Modular

16:55

Monika Wandzik, Head of Architecture and Planning - Stelling Properties Modular Construction, Continuous Improvement in Integrated Value Chains

17:15

Q & A Panel Discussion

17:30

Event Summary from Conference Chair

17:40

Event End

CONFERENCE PROGRAMMES

20.03.2024

COVENTRY BUILDING SOCIETY ARENA 08:30 Registration & Exhibitor Networking

13:00

09:30 Introduction from Conference Chair Darren Richards, Managing Director Cogent Consulting

VOLUMETRIC MODULAR - PROCUREMENT AND RISK MANAGEMENT

09:40 Darren Moore, Head of Category

Crown Commercial Services and Kumar Kairamkonda, Category Lead Crown Commercial Services Supporting Public Sector Procurement within the MMC Market

10:05

William Chung, Managing Associate Mishcon de Reya Mitigating Financial Risks in Modular Construction

VOLUMETRIC MODULAR – DESIGN AND ENGINEERING FOR MANUFACTURE

10:25

Anne Daw, Head of MMC Delivery HLM Architects Increasing Demand Through Kit of Parts Design & Collaboration

Ollie Green, Product Manager - KOPE Design as a Service: Capturing Your Product Logic in KOPE

Daniel Leech, Chief Executive Officer Design4Structures The D4S Delivery Framework – Maximising Success for Modular Manufacture and Construction

11:25

Q & A Panel Discussion

11:40

Coffee & Exhibitor Networking

10:45 11:05

VOLUMETRIC MODULAR – DESIGN AND ENGINEERING FOR MANUFACTURE

12:20

Ben Haldin, Product Manager Fulcro Engineering Services Creating Project Certainty

James Morton, Structural Engineer Ramboll Modern Methods of Construction: A Study of Upfront Carbon

12:40

13:25 13:40

Chris Miles, Commercial Director Fire Protection Association (FPA) and George Edwardes, Technical Director Fire Protection Association (FPA) Is fire safety an afterthought in Modular construction?

Q & A Panel Discussion

Lunch & Exhibitor Networking

VOLUMETRIC MODULAR – EDUCATING THE MARKET

14:40

Nick Marriott, Digital Engineering Lead Portakabin Portakabin within Education Market – Modular Construction Cradle to Handover – What the future could be

15:00

Chris Leese, Technical Director TG Escapes Modular Construction in Education and the Importance of Flexible Design

VOLUMETRIC MODULAR – DELIVERING CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS

15:20

Keynote Speaker: Emma Whingham, Deputy Commercial Director New Hospital Programme (INVITED)

15:40

Martin Harvey, Head of Design and Technical Services - McAvoy Case Study: How a Modular Rental Solution Was Used to Rapidly Deliver Ward Space for University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust

16:00

Narciso Simioni, Architectural Lead - MTX Building in Flexibility

16:20

Paul Ruddick, Chairman & Founder Reds 10 Imjin Barracks Single Living Accommodation: ‘The role of SMART Technology in decarbonizing our buildings’

16:40

Q & A Panel Discussion

16:55

Event Summary from Conference Chair

17:05

Event End

Offsite Magazine readers can take advantage of a 10% DISCOUNT on delegate tickets by entering OffsiteMagazine10 when booking online

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WELCOME

PUBLISHING

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FRONT COVER A. Proctor Group

Welcome to the first issue of Offsite Magazine for 2024. Hopefully many people will be picking this up at the Modular Matters event at its new home in Coventry, where the modular sector will be debating where its sits in the ever-complicated world of construction.

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by Buxton Press PUBLISHER: Offsite Magazine is produced and published by Offsite Media Ltd 101 Longden Road, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, SY3 9PS T: 01743 290001 www.offsitemagazine.co.uk ©Offsite Media Ltd. SUBSCRIBE TO RECEIVE OFFSITE: This magazine is a bimonthly publication and the annual subscription fee for UK postage is £29.70 plus VAT for all six issues (£4.95 per copy). Visit www.offsitemagazine.co.uk

The offsite sector is certainly under scrutiny. The volumetric modular housebuilding sector particularly is feeling some acute pressure, and the year started poorly with the liquidation of ‘kit of parts’ digital pioneer Modulous plus Laing O’Rourke announced it expects to trim nearly 20% of its workforce at its Centre of Excellence for Modern Construction in Steetley – a flagship facility for offsite methods.

ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES PLEASE CONTACT: Julie Williams // T: 01743 290001 E: julie.williams@offsitemagazine.co.uk SEND US YOUR NEWS: Gary Ramsay // T: 01743 290001 E: gary.ramsay@offsitemagazine.co.uk BACK ISSUES VISIT: www.offsitemagazine.co.uk FOR OFFSITE ENQUIRIES PLEASE CONTACT: E: info@offsitemagazine.co.uk DISCLAIMER: The content of Offsite Magazine does not necessarily reflect the views of the editor or publishers and are the views of its contributors and advertisers. The digital edition may include hyperlinks to third-party content, advertising, or websites, provided for the sake of convenience and interest. The publishers accept no legal responsibility for loss arising from information in this publication and do not endorse any advertising or products available from external sources. The publisher does not accept any liability of any loss arising from the late appearance or non-publication of any advertisement. Content including images and illustrations supplied by third parties are accepted in good faith and the publishers expect third parties to have obtained appropriate permissions, consents, licences or otherwise. The publisher does not accept any liability or any loss arising in the absence of these permissions for material used in both physical and digital editions. No part of this publication may be reproduced or stored in a retrieval system without the written consent of the publishers. All rights reserved.

But as referenced several times this issue – not least in our chat with Reds10’s Paul Ruddick – the offsite sector and modular options are wide and varied. The education and healthcare sectors are thriving with countless opportunities to deliver better buildings and all contributing to a sustainable, circular economy landscape. It is critical to understand that the modular market is not only a housebuilding market. What needs to be created and communicated better is a clearer understanding about what offsite systems can genuinely do and what they can realistically achieve –

with trusted data and cost the primary concerns.

But modular housebuilding grabs the headlines. There were plenty generated after the House of Lords Built Environment Committee published its ‘letter’ to the UK Government following its inquiry in 2023 into offsite housing. It didn’t make for happy reading – and whilst not directly critical of those businesses operating in the offsite homes sector – was scathing in its findings and conclusions, finding the Government’s approach in ‘disarray’, with millions of pounds of public money invested with little coherent strategy or measurable objectives on how it is all being spent.

The eye-opener for many was that the Government’s MMC Taskforce – which was allocated £10million in 2021 to turbocharge offsite and work on that all-important data – had never met.

Really? The Modular Matters event will be discussing all the above issues and much more, and with (as we went to press) Housing Minister Lee Rowley MP making the keynote presentation, supported by senior Homes England personnel, this event offers everyone a massive opportunity to find out firsthand why.

Huge thanks to all our contributors, advertisers, and supporters for their help this issue.

Gary Ramsay

Consultant Editor Email: gary.ramsay@offsitemagazine.co.uk

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CONTENTS

COVER STORIES P06 | TIME TO GET PASSIONATE

P26 | OPERATION OFFSITE

ABOUT UK OFFSITE

06

26

Should the challenges faced in delivering offsite housebuilding impact on the positives found elsewhere? Adam Salt, Business Development Manager North for A. Proctor Group, reflects on some of the success stories he encounters in a buoyant marketplace.

Paul Ruddick, Chairman of Reds10, spoke to us about booming business and why the volumetric modular sector is perfectly placed to provide a new generation of low carbon, energy efficient buildings.

P30 | STATE OF THE MMC NATION

P62 | PRECAST ENSURES

PARKING WITH EASE

30

Modular Matters has moved to the Coventry Building Society Arena for 2024 and will be taking place on 19-20 March 2024. As in previous years, the event aims to stir up conversation and create debate. What can you expect from this year’s speakers?

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The number one priority in the design of any high-rise structure is the safety of the user. As MPA Precast illustrate, nowhere is this more apparent than in the construction of the growing number of multi-storey car parks.

36 | Does the Offsite Industry Need an ‘Elon Musk’?

Some would say the offsite industry is currently in mild turmoil – an exaggeration or fair comment? Darren Richards, Managing Director of offsite experts Cogent Consulting, has a pragmatic view to what makes the market tick.

40 | Changing Modular: A Distinct Market With the volumetric modular housebuilding industry under scrutiny, Richard Hipkiss, Development Director of the MPBA, considers why the outlook in other markets is on a different trajectory.

42 | The Modular Cure The specification of more modular buildings could breathe new life into NHS infrastructure.

Martin Irvine, Senior Business Development Manager at Premier Modular illustrates some of the reasons why.

44 | Redefining How We Build The construction industry faces significant challenges in maintaining productivity and managing workforce shortages. Dr Ehsan Noroozinejad from the Urban Transformations Research Centre, Western Sydney University, Australia, provides an international view on how technology can help.

50 | Generating More Offsite Options The Ecology Building Society were the first UK lender to launch dedicated mortgages for offsite construction. Dan Capstick, its Mortgage Product Manager, outlines recent developments of a position which remains unique.

54 | Fresh Directions in Timber

NEWS

FEATURES

08 | Industry News

32 | Changing Construction Direction

News and developments from across the UK offsite industry and wider construction arena including: The launch of Offsite Construction Week, House of Lords Built Environment Committee MMC calls Governments approach to MMC housing in ‘disarray’, KOPE announces £5.5million of seed funding, Boutique Modern plan to start building a new factory in Newhaven and MTX deliver a range of new healthcare facilities.

In 2023 Volumetric Building Companies opened a facility in Ireland, to serve the Irish, UK and European markets. We spoke to David Johnson, VBC’s UK Pre-Construction Director about the new opening and the shape of the modular market.

TDUK in collaboration with Waugh Thistleton Architects, have released a study on policies from across the globe which encourage the use of timber in construction and follows the UK Government’s Timber in Construction Roadmap.

58 | Lifecycle Impacts The LSFA is on a mission to highlight the safety and sustainability credentials of light steel framing – here they contrast and compare different metrics for assessing environmental impact.

FULL SPEAKER PROGRAMME LIVE! 19 - 20 MARCH 2024

COVENTRY BUILDING SOCIETY ARENA

Book your tickets today:

WWW.MODULARMATTERS.CO.UK

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024 | WWW.OFFSITEMAGAZINE.CO.UK

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COVER STORY A. PROCTOR GROUP

TIME TO GET PASSIONATE ABOUT UK OFFSITE

Confidence in modular and offsite construction has been dented in the last year. But should the challenges faced in delivering volume housebuilding via these methods impact on the positives found elsewhere in the sector? Adam Salt, Business Development Manager for A. Proctor Group, reflects on some of the success stories he encounters in a buoyant marketplace.

1 The offsite sector has undoubtedly faced issues – specifically in the housing sector – with a number of high-profile manufacturers ceasing operations in 2023. Specific factors can be attributed to each individual case, though it’s possible to draw some broad conclusions. Delivering traditional housing developments required organisations to plan for, and finance, a scale of production that isn’t yet there. Those financial risks were compounded by delays in purchasing land and securing planning permissions.

Yet it remains fundamentally true that the speed and quality made possible

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by modern methods of construction (MMC) is demonstrated every day in the delivery of other buildings.

Whether it’s high-rise residential, schools, hospitals, warehouses or prisons, there is real momentum to turn MMC into BAU (business as usual).

UK construction is setting an example that others want to follow My colleagues and I talk to people all over the world about modular and offsite construction methods. Those conversations have made one thing particularly clear: the UK is pretty good at this. Some construction companies in the United States, for example, are just starting to grasp the potential, and

they see the UK almost like pioneers.

But that picture isn’t necessarily reflected here at home. When failures in MMC-delivered housing are reported in the wider media, they continue to link modern housing to the flawed prefab and non-traditional housing of yesteryear. Rather than being elevated by success stories, the sector is instead weighed down by continual comparisons to past failures.

Encouraging positive change from the top down Arguably the biggest success story is that the wider construction industry has collaborated with the UK government to try and affect positive

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COVER STORY A. PROCTOR GROUP change. And perhaps the most significant result of that collaboration is the Construction Playbook, published at the end of 2020. The playbook sets how government will work with industry to deliver public projects more efficiently, with a particular focus on getting projects and programmes “right from the start”. Not only is this a positive in itself, but changes and improvements evidenced in public procurement usually start to become the norm throughout construction.

Promoting the adoption of construction platforms A key goal of the Construction Playbook is to procure more projects using construction platforms. These are “standardised and interoperable components and assemblies”, where manufacturers can offer a ‘kit of parts’ for use with a common structural solution. As shorthand, platform construction is often compared to modern automotive assembly techniques. One of the earliest examples of a fully realised construction platform is Seismic. We supplied our Wraptite® external air barrier system to the Northampton School for Boys Multi-Academy Trust, which was a Department for Education-funded project that used Seismic’s technology.

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3

4 schemes across the country, it is still grappling with two particular challenges: storage and transport.

A key advantage of Seismic, and platforms generally, is the speed and efficiency with which buildings can be ‘assembled’ (rather than ‘constructed’) thanks to the repeatability offered by the system design. Products specified for use with such systems need to work within that environment, rather than risk slowing things down. The self-adhered nature of the Wraptite® membrane did just that, providing vapour permeability and airtightness in a single layer. It saved on labour and material costs and contributed to overall building performance goals.

Supporting panelised and volumetric offsite solutions Product platforms represent an exciting future for the construction industry and are backed by government procurement guidance.

Of course, modular solutions like panels and volumetric systems remain an important part of the landscape.

Indeed, they are often still the first thing people think of when talking about modular and offsite. While the offsite sector is delivering exciting

When panels are completed in the factory, they are typically shrink wrapped. The materials used to make the panel naturally contain moisture, but rather than being able to dry out during storage, the wrapping traps moisture within the system. Here again, Wraptite® offers a significant benefit. Its vapour permeability allows moisture out of the construction, helping the panel to dry out – and the self-adhered nature of Wraptite® protects finished products during transportation too.

The majority of membrane solutions are taped, meaning they are not fully bonded to the substrate. During transport, lateral air movement across the surface pulls at the membrane, tearing it and potentially damaging the panel. That doesn’t happen when Wraptite® is used.

Working with the offsite sector to offer bespoke solutions These are all important features of a single product in the A. Proctor Group range, and they can be taken advantage of by any offsite or modular manufacturer. Where we really work best, however, is engaging

with manufacturers individually and finding ways in which we can help to improve processes. Collaboratively, we look at the manufacturing, storage and transport stages to find the right solution for any given system. This collaboration is what gives us such optimism in the offsite sector as we’re working with system manufacturers every day and seeing the outcomes of their efforts. Exciting innovations, like developing robotics to apply membranes in the factory, show that offsite construction is not sitting still.

And we are proud to support, and work with, such developments.

Our Wraptite® membrane might be the right solution for you, but it is not our only solution. To find out more about our membranes for offsite and MMC, and to find out how we can work with you to offer the right product (or combination of products) for your system visit: www.proctorgroup.com Images: 01-04. When panels are completed in the factory they are typically shrink wrapped.

Wraptite’s vapour permeability allows moisture out of the construction, helping the panel to dry out and the self-adhered nature of Wraptite® protects finished products during transportation

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024 | WWW.OFFSITEMAGAZINE.CO.UK

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UK INDUSTRY NEWS McAvoy Delivers Ash Manor School Extension A new modular extension at a Surrey school will provide much needed additional space in anticipation of a local population surge due to planned residential development in the area. The modular classroom block at Ash Manor School in was manufactured and installed by leading offsite specialists, McAvoy who have significant experience in delivering space solutions to the education sector.

McAvoy worked with Surrey County Council and Ash Manor School to design and deliver a cutting-edge modular solution. The scheme, commissioned by Surrey County Council included the creation of a single storey school building which will house the school’s Arts, Design & Technology block. Externally, the scope of works included extensive landscaping, ground preparation, and the installation of a cuttingedge M&E service infrastructure.

The scheme was completed within 24 weeks from the delivery of the first module to handover.

The building utilises the very latest in precision manufacturing techniques and further reinforces McAvoy’s credentials for high quality, fast delivery, and sustainability in the Education sector.

The project was registered with the Considerate Constructors Scheme and achieved full marks in the site audit. McAvoy proved their dedication to supporting the local community by teaming up with The Parachute Regiment Association to set up a mast at Ash Manor School Combined Cadet Force.

This local community group had previously faced significant obstacles in finding companies that could successfully install the mast, which has been a crucial addition to the facility.

Thomas Boyle, Contracts Manager at McAvoy said: “We are delighted to have been appointed to deliver the extension at Ash Manor school which will provide the area with vital additional school places.

Our team has vast experience in delivering high quality accommodation in the education sector, and has worked with Surrey County Council on many education projects over the last 10 years. The school

can now benefit from a sustainable, high-quality, fitfor-purpose building that has been designed with the needs of its students at its core.”

Cllr Natalie Bramhall, Surrey County Council Cabinet member for Property, Waste and Infrastructure added: “We are pleased that work with McAvoy to expand Ash Manor school is now complete, offering more places for secondary education to meet demand in the area. The new and sustainable building at the school will help to ensure children and young people in Surrey have access to a high-quality education that leads them successfully onto the next stage in their lives.”

Source: www.mcavoygroup.com Hear more from McAvoy at www.modularmatters.co.uk

Building Better Searches for Traditional Contractors to Join MMC Framework Building Better, the National Housing Federationbacked alliance of housing associations and councils set up to increase the use of modern methods of construction (MMC) in social housing, is hunting for dozens of local, traditional build principal contractors for a new MMC framework.

Procurement for Housing (PfH) is working with Building Better to develop the £800million framework which will run over four years. Traditional construction firms in 10 different regions of England and Wales will be appointed, offering their services as lead contractor on MMC projects.

The ‘Integrated Traditional Build & MMC framework’ is being designed in response to calls from social housing providers for a compliant way of involving trusted, local contractors on MMC projects, where elements of traditional construction are often still needed.

With a growing number of MMC manufacturers supplying only their systems – rather than taking the principal contractor role – housing providers want to bring in local, trusted construction firms who can lead offsite projects. This will also allow housing associations and local authorities to continue investing

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in local contractors. To shape the framework, PfH and Building Better have spoken to SME building firms across the country, gathering feedback on how an agreement would best work, including ways to make the procurement process more straightforward and to develop the most effective contracting environment.

The framework will cover the construction of housing, apartments, and extra care homes and there will be a regional lot structure. A contract notice will be issued in March 2024, with successful bidders appointed in the summer.

Tony Woods, Technical Manager - Construction & Sustainability for PfH said: “We’ve been talking to traditional contractors to find out how they’d want to work on MMC schemes and, interestingly, many of their requests are the same as those from offsite manufacturers. Both want to be engaged early in the process, before set designs are in place. Both

want a more transparent way of working with wider use of ‘pain and gain’ agreements and a simpler, more collaborative contracting environment. This feedback is now being used to design our integrated framework.”

Trina Chakravarti, Director of Building Better added: “Increasingly, our members want a blend of different construction methods on their MMC projects.

Traditional SME construction firms have a huge amount of expertise, and we’re keen to harness this through the framework. Using a collaborative approach means that manufacturers can concentrate on delivering their product, traditional firms can take control of the building process and we can offer housing associations and councils a wide range of construction solutions.”

Source: www.pfh.co.uk

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UK INDUSTRY NEWS New Offsite Construction Week Unveiled

16-20 SEP 2024 Innovative Thinking – Revolutionary Technologies

PARTNERS:

Offering unrivalled access to leading industry pioneers, demonstrators, dynamic factory tours, thought provoking roundtable discussions and CPD accredited masterclasses – a collective of industry bodies are collaborating to deliver Offsite Construction Week. Taking place from 16-20 September 2024, Offsite Construction Week will revolve around three major industry events – Offsite Expo, the Offsite Summit and Offsite Awards, with a wide range of parallel activities taking place in the UK and overseas via a coordinated programme of offsite activity.

Unilateral Support Offsite Construction Week is the brainchild of industry associations operating across the sector. Presenting a unique proposition, trade bodies, industry alliances and material groups including BUILDOFFSITE, Building Engineering Services Association (BESA), Light Steel Frame Association (LSFA), Modular and Portable Building Association (MPBA), Steel Construction Institute (SCI), Structural Timber Association (STA) and others have come together to curate the most comprehensive series of offsite events the UK has ever seen.

Offsite Expo – The Main Event Offsite Expo 2024 will be taking centre stage during Offsite Construction Week. Bringing together the sector’s big hitters in one easy to reach central UK

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location, the event will take place at the Coventry Building Society Arena on 17 and 18 September. As the first and foremost event of its kind, Offsite Expo is now established as the most technically advanced exhibition in the construction calendar. With a new international focus, it will be two days packed full of the latest technical innovations, ground-breaking manufacturing technology and digital ingenuity.

Offsite Summit Bringing an international focus to Offsite Expo and being held in association with BUILDOFFSITE – the Offsite Summit sees the coming together of those making waves in offsite technology from across the globe. Delegates will have the opportunity to gain insight from those achieving worldwide recognition as the Offsite Summit showcases international innovation and best practice from across Europe and beyond including the USA and Australia.

Offsite Awards In 2024 the Offsite Awards celebrate the 10th anniversary by awarding a special accolade for the Offsite Project of the Decade. Taking place alongside Offsite Expo on the evening of 17 September 2024, the Offsite Awards celebrate projects with technical innovation and project performance that is worldbeating. Rewarding excellence in precision building design and delivery, by recognising outstanding

examples of prefabrication, factory-based methods and advanced delivery techniques, these awards offer a promotional platform to those who are leading the way in developing a safer and more sustainable built environment.

CPD Accredited Seminars One of the reasons Offsite Expo has experienced incremental growth year-on-year is the quality of the speaker programme. Helping fulfil CPD obligations, the Offsite Masterclasses and Spotlight on Offsite Sessions support the development of new skills and specialisms. Curated by leading offsite experts, the free to access programmes provide a comprehensive and balanced perspective on this rapidly emerging sector from a host of renowned architects, engineers and offsite manufacturing pioneers.

If you would like to host an event of your own during Offsite Construction Week, then get in touch with the organisers: info@offsiteconstructionweek.co.uk and become a partner. Events can be product launches, factory or site study tours, roundtables, webinars, podcasts or drinks reception activities – just as long as you are talking about offsite technology!

To keep up to date with developments visit: www.offsiteconstructionweek.co.uk

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UK INDUSTRY NEWS MMC Will Struggle Without Fresh Government Approach

DC Timber Systems Awarded STA Gold Standard

DC Timber Systems, timber frame kit specialists and a division of The JR Group, has been accredited with a gold status accreditation – the highest rating which can be achieved – by the Structural Timber Association (STA), through its STA Assure scheme.

The House of Lords Built Environment Committee published a letter to the Government following its inquiry into the future of modern methods of construction (MMC) in housing, saying its approach to MMC is in ‘disarray’.

It went on to say that millions of pounds of public money have been invested, but the money has not been backed by a coherent strategy and set of measurable objectives. Some Category 1 (modular) MMC firms have failed financially, though with the right approach it could still play an important role in the building of much-needed housing.

There is evidence of real barriers to MMC, such as risk aversion on the part of warranty providers, insurance companies and insufficient clarity for building regulations. However, the Government appears to have made limited effort to understand and address these challenges.

If the Government wants the sector to be a success, it needs to take a step back, acquire a better understanding of how it works and the help that it needs, set achievable goals and develop a coherent strategy.

These are some of the findings and recommendations published by the Built Environment Committee (BEC), established following the collapse and closure of several Category 1 MMC companies during 2022 and 2023. Lord Moylan, Chair of BEC, said: “MMC are successfully used to construct homes abroad and build high-rise and non-residential buildings in the UK, but this success has thus far eluded the building of

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MMC homes in meaningful numbers. In the context of an ageing skilled workforce and the need for greater building sustainability, MMC has shown some promise. We heard evidence that the Government couldn’t achieve its housebuilding targets without a sizeable contribution from the MMC sector.

“Our inquiry found that the Government has not set out clear objectives for the funding it provided the MMC sector. Homes England has not given any clear metrics as to how success is to be measured and over what timescale. The Government needs to change tack. Simply throwing money at the sector hasn’t worked. If it wants to encourage MMC it must acquire a much deeper understanding of how it works, develop a clear strategy, and demonstrate leadership.”

Among the findings, the committee heard contradictory evidence about whether MMC homes were more or less expensive to construct than traditionally built homes. Given the scale of public investment being made, the Government should ensure it is achieving value for money. It also stated that the Government’s MMC Taskforce – which was allocated £10million and was expected to take forward work on data and standards – has never met, and the Government should explain the justification for abandoning this approach and set out how the promised funding has been used or reallocated.

For more on the findings and comments of the Built Environment Committee visit the UK Parliament site: https://bit.ly/3HH2Sxd

The STA Assure membership and quality standards program, is designed to benefit both customers and members alike, promoting the differing specialisms and demonstrating a commitment to the exceptionally top-level standards held by STA members. The Gold standard is awarded to businesses who can ensure a consistently high quality of structural timber products and offers complete customer assurance in the construction, offsite build and timber frame build sectors.

This is the second accreditation assigned to DC Timber Systems from the STA since its creation in 2020, when they were previously awarded the silver standard, demonstrating that the business has successfully showcased its commitment towards the highest quality output possible. Based in Dundonald in Ayrshire it specialises in the design and manufacture of structural and full timber frame kits throughout Scotland and the UK. Ian Samson, Managing Director of DC Timber Systems, said: “We are delighted to be awarded the highest possible status from the Structural Timber Association, it is a step forward for DC Timber as a company. This accreditation reflects the hard work of the team in-house in delivering quality procedures, management systems and product performance as well maintaining the high standards already achieved by us. Our gold standard demonstrates our calibre and expertise to the market and offers complete reassurance for our customers. We’re hugely grateful for our workforce on operating consistently at this high level to help us achieve this as a team.”

Source: www.thejrgroup.co.uk

WWW.OFFSITEMAGAZINE.CO.UK | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024

UK INDUSTRY NEWS HS2 Viaduct Redesign Cuts Carbon Footprint HS2 has revealed new images showing the Edgcote Viaduct, which – after a structural redesign – has had its carbon footprint cut by more than 13% in comparison to the previous design.

Set low into the landscape of west Northamptonshire, the 515m-long viaduct will carry the railway across the floodplain of the River Cherwell, south of Chipping Warden. It is one of more than 50 major viaducts being built as part of the HS2 project, which is designed to free up space on the most crowded part of the existing west coast mainline and drive growth across the UK. To achieve the impressive carbon saving, engineers adopted the same pioneering approach developed for the Thame Valley Viaduct, near Aylesbury. This lighter weight, modular design cuts the amount of concrete and steel in the design and will be manufactured off site at a facility in Kent.

Instead of five beams per span, secured with concrete poured in situ, the team will use just two larger ‘u’ shaped beams per span, secured directly to the next pair of beams. While not significantly changing the height or length of the viaduct, this structural change will reduce the number of lorry movement and speed up construction. At between six and eight meters high, the viaduct will be supported by 20 pairs of precast concrete piers.

From a distance, it will be largely hidden by existing hedgerows and woodland.

Paul Cooper, HS2 Ltd’s Senior Project Manager, said: “The success of the Thame Valley Viaduct design shows that a two-beam approach can deliver dramatic carbon savings and speed up construction – particularly for longer viaducts – so it’s great that we’ve been able to roll it out again at Edgcote.”

As well as changes to the beams, the piers will also be narrower and extended to almost connect with the parapet edge, helping to enhance the appearance of a light and narrow structure. Edgcote is one of 15 viaducts designed by HS2 Ltd’s main works contractor, EKFB – a team made up of Eiffage, Kier, Ferrovial Construction and BAM Nuttall - working with their design partner, ASC (a joint venture between Arcadis Setec and COWI) and specialist architects Moxon.

EKFB Project Technical Lead, Richard Smith, added: “As well as significant carbon savings, the redesign of Edgcote Viaduct also incorporates many health and safety benefits including less working at height and fewer temporary works associated with wet trades.

There are also benefits to the local environmental such as reduced numbers of deliveries and activities on site, minimising the impact on local residents.”

The new lighter-weight structure expected to save 360 tonnes of embodied carbon in comparison to the previous design. As well as cutting embedded carbon in terms of materials, this approach requires less lorries to deliver material to site, cuts waste and improves safety by reducing the amount of working at height and is particularly suited to longer viaducts like Edgcote and Thame Valley.

Source: www.hs2.org.uk

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UK INDUSTRY NEWS New Architectural Role Created at Beattie Passive

Passivhaus pioneer and offsite modular construction specialist Beattie Passive, a member of the Passivhaus Trust, the Association of Environment Conscious Building (AECB) and the Good Homes Alliance, has announced the appointment of experienced architect James Montgomery to the newly created role of Design Manager.

A RIBA-chartered architect, James Montgomery has over two decades of experience in architectural design and management, successfully delivering a broad range of award-winning construction projects for private, commercial and public sector clients, including the Cromer and District Hospital. James was the lead designer for the Norfolk Model 2FE primary school and several Special Educational Needs (SEN) schools.

As Design Manager at Beattie Passive, James Montgomery leads a team of in-house architects and architectural technicians. James works with external architects and clients, to ensure the vision for their project is delivered to Passivhaus standards, and with blue chip clients – working at strategic levels – on nationally significant sustainability projects. As a designer and problem solver, James has a strong

track record of listening and understanding the needs of clients, and producing award winning designs which exceed expectations.

“I’m now doing Net Zero and Passivhaus, not just talking about it,” said James. “I’m looking forward to working on a variety of interesting projects, from 3D volumetric modular, through to national infrastructure decarbonisations, Passivhaus healthcare and education solutions. All these offer our clients the benefits of the Beattie Passive Passivhaus solution, along with the reduced running costs and smaller carbon footprint required for a greener and more sustainable future.”

Ron Beattie, Founder and Managing Director of Beattie Passive, said: “James is a talented architect with a very strong track record. We’re extremely pleased to announce that he’s heading up our architectural design team, as we have some exciting new large-scale Passivhaus projects scheduled in 2024.”

Source: www.beattiepassive.com

KOPE Raises £5.5million in Offsite Technology Boost KOPE, the only-purpose built software platform for offsite construction, has announced a £5.5million seed funding round led by Socii Capital with participation from Autodesk, Saint-Gobain, Barton Malow Ventures, Halkin Private Capital and Luck Investment.

The construction sector is at a pivotal moment, facing challenges with material shortages, rising prices, an ageing workforce and an increasing carbon footprint.

While productising the construction supply chain and manufacturing more building components away from site can alleviate some of the problems, a tailored software platform is needed to support the required changes across design, construction and procurement.

KOPE offers unrivalled integration with the offsite construction supply chain, allowing you to quickly evaluate and apply prefabricated products into new or existing projects, improving efficiency, reducing costs and waste, and helping deliver sustainability goals.

Companies can use KOPE to leverage offsite construction by bringing Products into Projects™.

With the ability to instantly see the impacts of differing solutions, the construction industry can finally embrace offsite construction through the whole design process.

Mark Thorley, Co-founder and CEO of KOPE, said: “We have been fortunate to work with global industry leaders who share our vision for innovative

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construction methods and a productised supply chain.

This latest fundraising gives us further confidence that KOPE will support those in our industry looking to adopt prefabrication and offsite manufacturing.

With these key industry partners and their broad experience, we are excited about this next phase of our journey.”

Leading the round, Yuan Chen, CEO and Partner of Socii Capital stated: “We are delighted to partner with Mark, David, Radu and the whole team at KOPE. It is rare that you find a company so well positioned in terms of skills, domain knowledge and network.

KOPE has all the right components to take advantage of a structural change in one of the largest and most important global industries, and to bring innovative and data centric solutions to its customers.”

Ryan McMahon, General Manager of Manufacturing Informed Design at Autodesk added: “Autodesk believes that KOPE’s strategy to integrate products into projects is transformational and reinforces that industrialized construction methods are the future for AEC. We are excited to be a part of KOPE’s journey and to supercharge aspects of the Autodesk ecosystem.”

On Saint-Gobain’s participation in the round, UK & Ireland CEO Mike Chaldecott, commented “We’re delighted to be working with and investing in KOPE. At Saint-Gobain our vision is to be the worldwide leader in light and sustainable construction. KOPE’s platform helps bring products together into solutions so that architects and designers can quickly assess, compare characteristics and specify with confidence, solutions that will deliver the performance and results they need for their specific project.

“This capability will help accelerate the transformation of construction and the quicker adoption of light, sustainable and modern methods of construction and ultimately help create better buildings for people and the planet. As well as investing in KOPE we will also be working closely with the business to integrate our wide range of products, systems, and our performance data into the platform so we can provide a quick and comprehensive digital specification experience for building designers when specifying Saint-Gobain via KOPE.” Source: www.kope.ai Hear more from KOPE at www.modularmatters.co.uk

WWW.OFFSITEMAGAZINE.CO.UK | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024

UK INDUSTRY NEWS Wiltshire Council’s First Modular Home Installed

The first modular home provided by Wiltshire Council is being installed on a site in Durrington.

Manufactured by Dorset-based Rollalong, the two-bedroom accessible bungalow on New Road in Durrington is the first to be commissioned by the council using offsite construction.

across the county and to see our housebuilding continue to make progress in such an innovative way.”

Wiltshire Council is delivering more than 150 such homes across the county. Factory construction means they are quality checked, highly insulated and draught free, and residents will be able to move in soon – the properties arrive decorated and already fitted out with kitchens and bathrooms.

“It’s really rewarding for everyone involved in the project to see this modular building take shape on on-site,” said Councillor Phil Alford, Cabinet Member for Housing at Wiltshire Council. “The team from Rollalong are experts at manoeuvring the units precisely into place and the bungalow will be ready for occupation in a fraction of the time on-site that it would take in a conventionally built home.

“We are adapting to the demand for more sustainable and efficient methods of construction and adopting this growing technology to deliver around 150 new homes across the country. With their brick slips, render and roof tiles, it’s hard to tell our MMC homes from traditional builds. The quality of the building is really impressive – inspectors from NHBC have monitored every step of the process. I’m looking forward to rolling out this technology to more sites

These modular homes are zero carbon in use thanks to air source heat pumps, smart controls, and solar panels. The modules can be configured as bungalows, flats, or houses to suit residents’ needs. Last year Magna Housing and Wiltshire Council joined forces to address the housing crisis, appointing Rollalong via the South West Procurement Alliance (SWPA) Offsite Construction of New Homes framework to build nearly 1,000 new homes over the next three years.

“We were delighted to be awarded the contract by Magna Housing and Wiltshire Council to design and build these modular homes that will provide a range of high-quality, affordable housing for everyone,” said Steve Chivers, Managing Director of Rollalong. “We are building the homes of the future designed for living today. We want to demystify modular housing and champion the benefits that this style of housing can provide in the face of a nationwide housing crisis.

We are now creating jobs and apprenticeships in the South West, using local supply chain partners, and creating systemic change in our transition towards a circular economy in the region.”

SWPA places great importance on sustainable and environmentally friendly construction methods, aiding in the production and implementation of enhanced

energy performance and net zero carbon projects.

The organisation emphasises the need to meet the ‘Gold Standard’, promotes early collaboration, and brings clients together for aggregation of demand in the delivery of net zero public sector buildings, to support public bodies in meeting their net zero commitments for their newbuild projects.

“The site at Durrington is a great example of the collaboration between Wiltshire Council, Rollalong and SWPA in providing high-quality homes which are cost efficient and eco-friendly, include net zero appliances and are no different aesthetically from traditional builds,” said SWPA Regional Manager Penny Searson. “This two-bedroom accessible bungalow for Durrington is the first of Wiltshire Council’s MMC homes and further demonstrates the need and provision for more MMC housing.”

The Durrington development is just the latest stage in a roll-out of new modular homes by Rollalong and its partners across the South West. Rollalong has already manufactured 120 homes and completed the first five sites in Sherborne, Halstock and Dorchester in Dorset for Magna Housing.

Source: www.rollalong.co.uk Hear more from Rollalong at www.modularmatters.co.uk

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024 | WWW.OFFSITEMAGAZINE.CO.UK

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UK INDUSTRY NEWS Boutique Modern Plans for New Factory

Construction company Boutique Modern will start building a new factory in Newhaven this year which will create more than 35 further jobs at the business and double its capacity.

The BCorp modular housing company was given the green light by Lewes District Council to build the factory in Avis Way and plans to move in at the end of this year. The business specialises in delivering sustainable homes for affordable and social housing schemes in the South East, helping the most vulnerable people in society to find a place they can call home.

Dick Shone, Managing Director at Boutique Modern, said: “This is an exciting new chapter for Boutique Modern, which will mean more homes and jobs for local people. This will prepare us for the next exciting phase when we open satellite factories in other areas with housing demand. Each new factory will create upwards of 100 new jobs and generate more than £20million for the local economy per year, per facility.

It’s our belief that social and affordable housing should be beautifully designed and sustainable and it’s a privilege for us to be able to make a difference.”

The factory has been designed by award-winning Brighton architects Morgan Carn and will feature

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a two-storey industrial building to be used to manufacture offsite modular housing units. Boutique Modern currently employs more than 70 people but has outgrown its current site in Beach Road. The new factory will take its headcount to more than 100 employees. The empty disused site in Avis Way was previously occupied by a large workshop, store and office building that was demolished in 2021 and the space is currently used by Boutique Modern for the temporary storage of housing modules.

before we expand to other sites, thereby enabling the sustainable growth of our business.”

When the new factory opens at the end of this year, it will enable the business to operate two manufacturing lines, which will provide more flexibility in terms of what it manufactures and increase control over delivery speed to clients. At full capacity the factory will be capable of producing up to 125 houses or 250 flats per year, whilst maintaining flexibility in its output to manage market peaks and troughs.

Councillor Zoe Nicholson, leader of Lewes District Council, said: “I’ve placed a strong focus on community wealth building at the council, so to see a local contractor we work with growing so dynamically is really exciting and welcome news. I recall being at the opening of the homes in Fort Road, Newhaven, the first modular project undertaken by Boutique Modern for Lewes District Council. It was a proud moment seeing new council housing opened that is highly sustainable and of such high quality. There is so much good news coming out of Newhaven and plenty still to come.”

Dick Shone added: “The Boutique Modern business model has been developed over more than 10 years to allow us to open satellite factories in locations where there is housing demand. Instead of growing one large factory capable of producing thousands of homes in a single location, the Avis Way Factory will allow us the opportunity to pilot setting up in a new facility with our existing processes and systems

The new factory will feature solar panels to provide on-site power generation for lighting and power tools, feeding energy back into the grid when not required on-site. It will also include electric vehicle charging points and more than 30 covered cycle spaces for employees to cycle to work, together with trees and plants to improve the look of the site.

Source: www.boutiquemodern.co.uk

WWW.OFFSITEMAGAZINE.CO.UK | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024

UK INDUSTRY NEWS MTX Deliver Four Operating Theatres at Royal Bolton Hospital MTX has completed a project to deliver four state-ofthe-art operating theatres at the Royal Bolton Hospital using modular offsite techniques to ensure faster, greener, safer and more cost-effective delivery.

The company was initially awarded the contract to deliver two new theatres at the hospital, but the ambition of the Bolton NHS Foundation Trust was always to create four new theatres to enhance patient care and help minimise the backlog of surgeries resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

In December 2022, the Trust announced success in its bid for £19.6million funding to significantly increase its theatre capacity by creating all four new theatres and refurbishing existing day-case theatres to create a bespoke day case paediatrics theatre hub.

The first two theatres were already well advanced before MTX began construction of the first-floor extension to the initial single storey development – to create a total of four new theatres with ward accommodation and dedicated plantrooms.

Building on top of the initial construction required a complex and innovative programme to ensure the integrity of the ground floor was not compromised, along with careful management of introducing more than 50 additional structural steel modules on top of almost 140 already in place to create the ground floor.

Making optimum use of offsite construction enabled MTX to minimise build times by up to 50% while creating high quality fully compliant facilities and reduce waste by up to 60%. For the Royal Bolton Hospital project MTX used offsite manufactured structural steel units and mechanical and electrical modules assembled on site to streamline delivery of the new facilities.

David Hartley, Managing Director at MTX, explained: “The latest contract award continues a five-year relationship with the Bolton NHS Foundation Trust and we are proud to be partnering the Trust in its vision for improved patient care. Challenges on site threatened the schedule for the project but in the spirit of collaboration with the Trust MTX refused to allow those to significantly impact the project.

“Careful onsite management by the MTX team has minimised the impact on patient care during the construction period and enhanced the speed of delivery. Our continued collaboration with the Trust is testament to the hard work and expertise of the MTX team, and the effectiveness of MMC and Design for Manufacture and Assembly principles that are at the core of our business success.”

The new theatres will provide enhanced capacity for both Bolton and Greater Manchester and help to drive down waiting lists in the city-region. They have been built on the former staff car park near the Princess Anne maternity unit.

Annette Walker, Director of Finance at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust added: “Being able to increase the capacity of our theatres will enable us to provide even better patient experience and help us to tackle the backlog of elective waiting lists throughout Bolton and Greater Manchester. Creating brand new and modern spaces at our hospital will be crucial as we continue to provide the highest levels of care for patients in Bolton both now and well into the future.”

The four ultra-modern theatres have been designed to work flexibly and adapt for inpatient and day case adult patients, including ear nose and throat, oral, urology and general specialities.

Source: www.mtxcontracts.co.uk Hear more from MTX at www.modularmatters.co.uk

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UK INDUSTRY NEWS Housing Key to 2024 General Election The Housing Forum, the UK’s cross-sector, industrywide organisation that represents the entire housing supply chain, has called for political parties to adopt a £4billion ‘Housing Accelerator Fund’ in a Manifesto for Housing launched in advance of the 2024 general election.

Housing is set to be one of the biggest issues of the election, with recent polling showing that it was the fourth most important to Britons, behind only health, the economy, and immigration. Reforming the planning system to build 1.5 million homes in the next parliament has become one of Keir Starmer’s crucial missions ahead of the next election, while the Conservatives are planning bold housebuilding projects in London and Cambridge.

The Manifesto calls on all political parties to adopt housing as a top 5 priority, and to commit to a longterm plan for housing for as long as 25 years. The proposals include ways to improve housing supply, quality, and affordable housing, including reintroducing housing targets alongside strong incentives for local authorities to meet them, reforming and updating the social rent formula, with rents reflecting the energy efficiency of the property and removing VAT from all forms of retrofitting, regeneration and fire safety work.

Chief among these calls is for a £4billion ‘Housing Accelerator Fund’, to build an extra 60,000 affordable homes. Doing so, The Housing Forum claims, would cut homelessness in half in three years.

The Housing Forum is also calling on politicians to avoid: “damaging and inflammatory rhetoric such as ‘concreting over the countryside’ to describe building the homes and neighbourhoods needed for people to thrive”.

Launching the Manifesto, Shelagh Grant, Chief Executive of the Housing Forum, said: “A lack of affordable quality housing is the main problem holding back Britain. It limits people’s prosperity, keeps them

in poor health, and stops them from reaching the opportunities they need to thrive. Our Manifesto is a roadmap not just to solving the housing crisis at hand, but for setting the housing sector on a positive trajectory for generations to come.”

Stephen Teagle, Chair of The Housing Forum added: “It is positive to see the main political parties taking housing seriously, but a long-term plan is needed to deliver the scale of new housing – and in particular affordable housing that is needed. We need commitment from all political parties to putting housing at the heart of government.”

Source: www.housingforum.org.uk

NHBC Publishes 2024 Technical Standards NHBC has released its Technical Standards for 2024. The NHBC Standards define the technical requirements and performance standards for the design and construction of new homes registered with NHBC and provide guidance on how these can be achieved.

NHBC’s Standards are rigorously reviewed to drive incremental improvement and ensure that they continue to support builders and developers to deliver high-quality new homes. There have been several significant changes and updates across Parts 3 to 8. These include a new chapter 4.6 – ‘Engineered fill’ in Part 4 covering NHBC guidance on meeting the technical requirements and recommendations for using engineered fill to support residential developments, external works and infrastructures, improvements to chapter 7.2 to provide more information on durability, ventilation strategies, integration of roof solar technologies and roof cassette systems, and a revision of Part 8 (chapters 8.1 – 8.6) to improve the usability of the sections and improve guidance on heat pumps and solar photovoltaics.

Mark Russell, Standards & Policy Manager at NHBC commented: “Our standards team is committed to

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continuous improvement and revising the Standards annually to ensure they remain current and relevant.

I am proud to be part of such a robust process that continues to support the ongoing advancement of build quality and helps builders and developers to keep raising standards in house building.”

NHBC works continuously to review technical content, update the Standards and make sure they keep pace with the needs of the industry, the regulatory environment and, wherever possible, anticipate

changing consumer expectations. It consults with stakeholders from across the industry to ensure the Standards are always relevant and provide the required support for builders and developers to keep raising the level of quality in house building. This latest edition of the Standards will apply to every new home registered with NHBC where the foundations are begun on or after 1 January 2024.

Source: www.nhbc.co.uk

WWW.OFFSITEMAGAZINE.CO.UK | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024

UK INDUSTRY NEWS SoloHaus Stars in BBC1’s DIY SOS Big Build The Hill Group teamed up with BBC One’s ‘DIY SOS: The Big Build’ to transform a dilapidated caretaker’s cottage into a state-of-the-art new community hub for Essex-based mental health charity, Butterfly Effect Wellbeing. Hill rallied its local supply chain and joined forces with presenter Nick Knowles, the DIY SOS team, and stars from Eastenders to deliver a gamechanging community project. Aired on the run-up to Christmas 2023, the programme was filmed on location at the site of a former school in Latton Bush, Harlow.

Responding to an appeal for support by the programme’s producers, Hill brought together volunteer staff, suppliers, and tradespeople to help deliver the project and donated one of the company’s award-winning SoloHaus® homes, which was specially adapted for the charity and now serves as a brand-new therapy room for classes and support groups. As a result of everyone’s hard work and contributions, the charity now has the capacity to support up to 200 people suffering from mental health issues every week, a significant increase from the 10 people the charity was able to support prior to the project.

SoloHaus® homes are purpose-built, modular, singleperson dwellings created for Hill’s Foundation 200 initiative, a £15million pledge to design, manufacture, and donate 200 quality homes to homeless charities

REHAU Report Encourages More Offsite Building Services

and local authorities by 2025. The SoloHaus® was specially adapted for the charity before being carefully installed on-site to create a spacious and welcoming new holistic garden room with large, bifold glass doors where health and wellbeing classes, including meditation, yoga, and holistic healing, will be held.

This new, additional space beyond the main building allows the charity to run paid-for sessions to generate revenue that can be invested back into the charity to support its core services.

Tom Hill, Managing Director at The Hill Group, comments: "This was a remarkable project, and I’d like to thank DIY SOS: The Big Build for bringing the show to Harlow at Christmas. Special recognition must go to Angela for her unwavering dedication

With pressure for major construction projects growing across the UK, a new report from REHAU – the window and polymer specialist with annual sales of around €3.5billion – is encouraging mechanical services contractors, specifiers and developers to accelerate the uptake and deployment of offsite construction techniques, particularly when it comes to building services.

REHAU’s new report, ‘Offsite Trends in Building Services’ explores how modern methods of construction (MMC) can help tackle many issues surrounding building supply. Underlining a skills shortage of 937,000 construction industry vacancies by 2032, it looks specifically at how to implement mechanical service installation into offsite projects to make builds easier and faster.

Steve Richmond, Head of Marketing and Technical, REHAU Building Solutions, said: “Building at pace within tight footprints and using traditional methods is undoubtedly difficult, necessitating new approaches such as MMC. This new report details what is possible and how different offsite methods suit specific projects and help provide simpler, faster and high-quality builds for contractors, all within a factorycontrolled environment.”

to the community, and this crucial project will substantially enhance the support she can provide to local people when they need it most. I want to extend my thanks to all the tradespeople and suppliers whose generosity and dedication made this transformative project possible.”

Angela Hannibal, founder of Butterfly Effect Wellbeing said: “Being part of DIY SOS and getting this amazing new facility is a dream come true. I was speechless when the big reveal took place. I’m so pleased to have done all this in memory of my mum, which allows us to help more people who, like her, find themselves facing tough times.”

Source: www.hill.co.uk www.butterflyeffectwellbeing.com

how the company can help with the challenge of building at height in smaller spaces. At the same time, it uncovers obstacles that contractors, specifiers and developers must overcome when using offsite construction methods to ensure quality work.

The guide includes information on key components that can be assembled at the factory and transported and assembled on-site for a high-quality build. This includes modular shafts, pre-wall constructions, bathroom pods and polymer risers, as well as relatively new technologies such as thermally activated building structures (TABS), which can provide both heating and cooling.

“There have already been many exciting innovations across the globe to further improve offsite construction methods that we have included within this new guide,” adds Steve. “Like all fields, MMC is continually developing, and the hope is that through this whitepaper, readers can find out more about these innovative methods and solutions, and best put MMC techniques into practice to meet market demand.”

You can download ‘Offsite Trends for Building Services’ at: www.rehau.com/uk

With high-rise construction increasingly necessary in high-density urban areas, REHAU’s guide highlights

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024 | WWW.OFFSITEMAGAZINE.CO.UK

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UK INDUSTRY NEWS Reds10 Completes at Imjin Barracks Reds10 has completed work on the first project to be delivered as part of the British Army’s Single Living Accommodation (SLA) Programme at Imjin Barracks for the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO). The SLA is the first site to benefit from a new wave of net zero carbon construction and has become one of the most advanced buildings in Europe for Smart Building Control.

Located in Innsworth, Gloucestershire, the threestorey building provides modern, high quality and sustainable accommodation for Army personnel based at the HQ of the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC), comprising 69 single en-suite bedrooms, alongside best-in-class communal facilities.

The SLA is an example of an innovative, digitally enabled, intelligent building. It generates and analyses over 21,000 data points (including humidity, door and window contacts, sound levels, temperature, daylight, power metering, water and more), whereas a typical Building Management System (BMS) only has around 220 data points feeding into it. Large volumes of real time data are processed and accessed via a platform powered by Reds10’s SMART building technology, ThriveTM, optimising operational performance and maintenance.

The £13million project has sustainability at its core, in alignment with the DIO’s 2020-2030 strategy.

It has achieved a Defence Related Environmental Assessment Methodology (DREAM) ‘Excellent’ rating, scored more than 95% on the Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI) and complies with a BACS Class A building (BS EN ISO 52120).

Major General Richard Clements CBE, Director of Army Basing and Infrastructure said: “It is excellent to see the result of significant investment in new modern accommodation for Imjin Barracks, as part of the enduring commitment across Defence to enhance living conditions for our people. I am delighted that this building is now ready for occupation. The facilities and interior have been completed to an impressive standard and the design will contribute to local efforts to reduce the Army’s carbon footprint.”

Phil Cook, Defence Sector Lead & Director at Reds10, said: “It has been a pleasure to work on this first SLA alongside the DIO, the British Army, Arcadis and the rest of the project team, improving the lived experience for Armed Forces personnel.

Thanks to true collaboration and agility throughout the project team, we have been able to deliver a

SMART, sustainable space which reflects the way its occupants live and work in today’s modern society.”

The project was delivered for the Army by the DIO, contracting to offsite construction specialist Reds10, Technical Service Providers Arcadis and HLM Architects. Reds10 employed 3D volumetric construction with units arriving on-site up to 90% complete, allowing for significantly faster programme delivery, increased security thanks to fewer people needed on site, minimal disruption to a live military site and stronger quality assurance.

The Army’s £1.4billion SLA Programme is delivering 8,500 SLA bed spaces over ten years to improve living conditions for serving personnel. Additionally, 8,000 SLA bed spaces are being provided by the Defence Estate Optimisation (DEO) Army Programme.

For more on Reds10 go to this issue’s Q&A with Chairman Paul Ruddick on p26 or book a ticket to www.modularmatters.co.uk in March.

Source: www.reds10.com

CROUDACE GETS AHEAD OF THE CURVE 2025 is coming faster than many may realise. And with it will come the mandatory Future Homes Standard (FHS) compliance for new builds. These regulations will ensure the houses of tomorrow produce 75 - 80% less carbon than current Building Regulations.

From heating to hot water systems and insulation, today’s building technologies are being critically reexamined. Alongside other legislation targeting existing homes, these measures will help the UK achieve the 2050 net zero target. But some housebuilders are not waiting until then. Builders like Croudace Homes are trialling new technologies and cutting carbon right now, using industry-leading solutions like PosiJoist.

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“With the Future Homes Standard, the market for Posi-Joist is going to grow, because additional room is going to be needed for services to pass through the ceiling void,” says Site Manager, Matthew McCourt.

“We’re going to have a lot more additional services passing through the joists, such as pipework, cabling and additional ducting. Now, PosiJoists are the only product on the market that can facilitate that.”

Croudace believes Posi-Joists are much more versatile than other products out there on the market.

“They are much more adaptable than i-joists. When it comes to the first fix stage inside the property, PosiJoists are much easier to work with.

Electricians and plumbers find it much easier to run their cabling and pipe work through. And we know it saves time,” added Matthew McCourt.

Trades are saving about a day or two of installation time for each home.

That translates to incredible time and labour cost savings across a whole development. So, at a time when industry is facing many challenges, from finding new ways to achieve new regulations, to specifying sustainable products, there has never been a better time for Posi-Joist.

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

WWW.OFFSITEMAGAZINE.CO.UK | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024

SUPPORTING THE DELIVERY OF MMC PROJECTS THROUGH OUR MODERN METHODS OF CONSTRUCTION FOR NEW HOMES (NH3) FRAMEWORK

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Our frameworks are procured in accordance with The Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and are free to use. They provide public sector organisations with easy access to procure works, products and services for the construction, refurbishment and maintenance of social housing, schools and public buildings.

LHC Procurement Group strives for excellence in the services provided to their clients and aims to deliver the best solution to suit every project’s individual needs.

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Our dedicated Client Support and Project Support teams are on-hand to assist throughout the life of the project.

For more information on how our frameworks can work for you, get in touch.

WWW.LHCPROCURE.ORG.UK/SOLUTIONS/

UK INDUSTRY NEWS Wernick Group Celebrates 90 Years of Business

key strengths of the Wernick Group 90 years later.

He would be immensely proud of everything the company has achieved over that time.

Today, the Wernick Group consists of six distinct businesses: Wernick Buildings, Wernick Hire, Wernick Refurbished Buildings, Wernick Events, Wernick AVDanzer, and Wernick Power Solutions. Each company within the group holds focal importance in delivering comprehensive and tailored solutions to meet the evolving needs of its clients.

Wernick Group’s Chairman David Wernick added: “We are a fourth-generation company with my son Jonathan running the Group as CEO. We take great pride in what we’ve achieved over the last 90 years and are incredibly grateful for the dedication of our employees during this period.”

Wernick Group has proudly announced its 90th anniversary, marking a significant milestone in the company's rich history of delivering innovative and sustainable modular solutions.

run business over the past nine decades, Wernick continues its mission to improve people’s lives through the provision of sustainable buildings and infrastructure.

The Wernick Group of companies has a proud legacy stretching back to 1934, growing from a humble maker of poultry crates to becoming Britain’s largest family-owned provider of portable and modular buildings, and off-grid power solutions.

CEO Jonathan Wernick, commented: “Samuel Wernick, my great-grandfather, started his working life as a poultry dealer. He manufactured wooden crates to transport the chickens which led him to start manufacturing as a commercial enterprise.

It was Sam’s ability to adapt to the opportunity of manufacturing these crates that led to the birth of the Wernick Group a few years later. This ability to adapt quickly to opportunities remains one of the

Since its founding, the business has been at the forefront of the modular building industry. Whilst maintaining an enduring status as a family-owned and

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The last decade in particular has seen a vigorous expansion through a combination of shrewd acquisitions and organic growth. The Wernick Group currently has forty operating centres throughout the UK, working across both the public and private sectors. The Group of companies combine to offer the sale and hire of permanent and temporary modular buildings, site accommodation, and off-grid power solutions.

Source: www.wernick.co.uk

WWW.OFFSITEMAGAZINE.CO.UK | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024

BUILDING PRODUCTS

A RELIABLE PLUMBING PARTNER FOR THE MODULAR AND PREFABRICATED INDUSTRY

1 It is well known that complete MEP systems, which are commissioned and fabricated offsite, achieve the best results.

The Henco range of WRAS approved multilayer technologies are highly regarded and deliver a complete piping system that meets the new Part L standards.

The Henco range is suitable for vertical risers, integrated corridor modules, prefabricated plant rooms, preengineered bathrooms, bedroom units and serviced headwall systems. The Henco solution is ideal for underfloor applications, as the integrated range of manifolds can be standardised due to their ‘plug and play’ design.

“Our aim is to not only deliver world class products, but to show how the systems can deliver important services, such as plumbing and heating networks in a safer, secure and sustainable way. With Henco press and push-fit multi-layer detectable technologies, offsite and modular fabricators have a robust, reliable and compliant solution,” says Lee Kenny, UK and Ireland Manager for Henco.

The Henco Pro-Fit system meets customer requirements with its

low-cost ‘push-fit’ jointing method, while also incorporating advanced engineering features like nondemountable and detectable joints to prevent leaks during transportation and longer-term. To aid quality of joining, the Henco Pro-Fit fitting has a highly visible red control panel which then disappears once the join is completed successfully. The system also comes pre-insulated, is fully rotatable, is detectable and has a wide range of adapters to suit other materials such as copper and BSP connections.

For more information visit: www.henco.be/en or email david.dickson@henco.be Images: 01. The Henco range is suitable for a wide range of prefabricated services

CAVITY CONCERNS We have all seen the news reports about the number of affected buildings in the UK, the cost of remedial work and the impact on all affected by it. The whole industry is consumed by the focus on cladding, without giving due consideration to what should be used as a standard in the cavity build-up.

Our industry has been overwhelmed by the sheer scale and magnitude of the recladding crisis, says Craig Fyall Technical Director at Permavent Limited, but what does not make the headlines is the building cavity and its contribution to a building’s fire rating.

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The additional challenge of identifying and extinguishing a fire within a concealed cavity can be notoriously difficult for obvious reasons. The NHBC’s and BRE Trust’s TF2000 study attests to this, whilst also identifying the supporting role a combustible membrane can play in accelerating any fire spread. It’s critical to put the emphasis on cavity design at the planning stages of any construction project. As an industry we have a duty of care to make sure the same mistakes are not repeated, by cutting corners specifying products which contribute to fire due to their inferior performance characteristics.

Achieving a Class A rating when manufacturing a membrane is exceptionally difficult: one must consider the substantial differences in the testing methodologies and the product performance. It is important to understand that whilst a B classification is defined in BS EN13501 as having a “limited contribution to fire”, an A rated counterpart “will not contribute to a fire”. This being the case, why are class B products still being specified when they can by nature contribute to a fire on an external wall, regardless of how limited that contribution may be?

This is true to the point that the NHBC now recognise advances in membrane technology and that an A rated membrane should be used wherever possible.

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

WWW.OFFSITEMAGAZINE.CO.UK | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024

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• Well adapted range for PODS, Volumetrics and DfMA

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COLD For further information contact: David Dickson, Head of Specification on: 07394 569 283 or email: david.dickson@henco.be

Discover our full range of products on www.hencopro-fit.uk

For more technical and commercial information, tips, offers and much more, register now to access your FREE personal MyHenco-space

VOLUMETRIC MODULAR

OPERATION OFFSITE

Paul Ruddick, Chairman of Reds10, spoke to us about booming business and why the volumetric modular sector is perfectly placed to provide a new generation of low carbon, energy efficient buildings.

2 traditional contracting business model, will not happen. Increased use of platform design, standardised design and sub-assembly components will naturally drive demand for factorybased methods in the future and they are what will have the biggest lasting impact.

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Q: Can you outline the creation of Reds10 and its overarching role amongst the many others attempting to disrupt the construction model?

we could generate higher levels of productivity. Clients want to have a building finished to a high standard, on time, on budget and they want a single point of responsibility to make it happen.

Paul Ruddick (PR): We started Reds10 with a definite aim in mind: to be a game changer. We wanted Reds10 to have an impact on the industry from the start, because we recognised that the traditional construction business model has not generated any improvement in productivity in the last 50 years. This is not through a lack of great people in our industry but rather that the business model has not evolved. We recognised that centralisation was the answer. By having our own design capability, vertically integrated in-house supply chain, offsite manufacturing capabilities and great on-site delivery,

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Q: The ‘traditional’ way of construction is portrayed as outdated but still has a giant market share – can offsite delivery, DfMA and factorybased methods really deliver a lasting alternative?

PR: Considering market conditions, the construction industry will have no other choice but to fully embrace some form of offsite methods in the not-sodistant future. However, expecting a jump in productivity by shifting part of the construction process into a factory, while keeping the current

Q: How integral to the future of volumetric modular methods is the deeper understanding and use of digital tools and technology – or AI – to develop more efficient new buildings and increase quality/ productivity levels – how is Reds10 developing an Industry 4.0 approach?

PR: Construction has no alternative but to embrace digital tools and technology if it is going to progress.

The tools available must be adopted across the industry regardless of position, age or discipline. This is how Reds10 operates – you’ll often hear us saying that we are ‘born digital’.

We now have the capability to track and (more importantly) analyse and measure productivity and activity across the business against key metrics. This means we can make key business decisions based on data that is trusted. This is the only route to gains in productivity. On a wider level, the widespread adoption

WWW.OFFSITEMAGAZINE.CO.UK | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024

VOLUMETRIC MODULAR

4 of technology – specifically shared data and information throughout the construction process and beyond – allows the industry to be less siloed, but ultimately drives greater accuracy, efficiency, productivity and safety.

Q: Can you say a little about the ThriveTM SMART building technology?

What does this deliver across your projects to help provide accurate energy consumption data? Can it help boost pre-manufactured value?

PR: ThriveTM is our proprietary SMART building system, which is built into our units and accessed via a single platform. The system generates and analyses data points covering humidity, door and window contacts, sound levels, temperature, daylight, power metering, water and more. In a recently completed Imjin Barracks project, the system is generating and analysing over 21,000 data points.

To give you an idea of scale, a typical Class A Building System works with approximately 220 data points.

Having an integrated business model plays to the installation of SMART systems. Generally, several systems are installed that don’t talk to each other.

But we design everything ourselves in-house and install as a single system

that allows all the hardware, like the air-source heat pumps and mechanical ventilation and heat recovery systems, to talk to each other. We then overlay that with code, so it responds to an occupant’s behaviour. When someone is in a bedroom, for example, and they open the window, it turns off all the heating in that room.

Q: Education is a key area for Reds10, and the recent completion of Imjin Barracks for the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) and British Army is a landmark moment – have public sector clients got a clearer understanding of what procuring an offsite solution brings or is there still a knowledge gap?

PR: Yes, Education has always been a key sector for Reds10, but we now work across the Defence and Justice sectors, which are just as important for us. There is of course still a knowledge gap but personally, I believe it’s not the client’s job to become an expert in offsite construction and its benefits.

What they want is a high-quality building, in the shortest timescale, at the best value, with the lowest carbon.

It’s up to us, the experts, to give them confidence that offsite construction is the way to achieve all these goals better than other building types.

This is all part of the customer experience at Reds10, we are offering the best solution for the clients’ requirements, and we are working together to do so.

Q: Building regulations, the planning process and warranty issues often stymie some of the benefits of offsite – e.g. its speed. What can be done to improve this situation and widen its client appeal?

PR: In my opinion, so many of the recent failures in the offsite market have been down to companies putting all their eggs in one market: the private residential sector. I believe that a standardised product, so that units can be relocated to other sites in the event of planning or on-site delays alongside a strong pipeline of work across different sectors to lessen pipeline risk is the answer here. In fact, a Bryden Wood report has shown that 70% of the public sector estate could be delivered via one product. Should the industry come on board with this, it would reduce the number of technical variables and requirements, which would inherently streamline technical compliance. This would go a long way in allaying the current potential client worries.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024 | WWW.OFFSITEMAGAZINE.CO.UK

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VOLUMETRIC MODULAR

5 Q: Carbon reduction is central to everything we do in society, but there is an additional focus on understanding embodied and operational carbon more in construction. How is Reds10 delivering its projects with sustainability issues and net zero targets in mind?

PR: Reds10 has been delivering amazing spaces with less carbon for several years now – this includes schools for the DfE, accommodation for the MoD, leisure spaces for local council and more. We’ve been able to do so primarily through the extensive knowledge of our entire team, starting at procurement stage and flowing right through to operating the finished building through our ThriveTM SMART building system.

It should be mentioned that offsite construction is inherently lower in carbon than traditional construction, especially when achieving a high pre-manufactured value. However, what has really helped us achieve some impressive milestones, is a collaborative working environment throughout each project team, which includes the client and key stakeholders. Getting everyone on the same page and working together towards a common goal, alongside the ability to implement user feedback and lessons learned from completed buildings directly back into the design and production of the next building, at speed, has allowed us to ensure the highest of sustainability outcomes.

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Q: 2023 was a difficult year for the volumetric sector with some significant business exiting for a variety of reasons. Reds10 delivered strong financial performance and a third consecutive year of turnover and profit growth – what do you attribute this success to?

PR: I believe that some of the decisions we made four years ago have put us in a great position today. Namely, we were early adopters of platform design, while also centralising our design capabilities and taking them in house. Perhaps most importantly, we placed our design and technical directors at the centre of the business, while tasking them specifically with a focus on research and development.

We invest significantly to develop and deploy new technologies that help to improve end user experience and building quality. Last year was another period of high performance and achievement as Reds10 continued its consecutive year-on-year growth trajectory, bucking the market trend despite wider challenges. Our strong secured pipeline of work is testament to our focus on innovating products that are tailored to meeting customers’ needs, our unique platform approach, vertically integrated delivery, an ongoing commitment to product innovation and in-house design capabilities.

Q: How do you see the volumetric modular offsite and wider offsite sector developing over the next 18 months and what ideally do you want to see from a Reds10 perspective in 2024?

PR: I truly believe volumetric offsite construction is going to break into the mainstream in the next 18 months.

Not least thanks to the complex, high-quality buildings Reds10 has recently delivered, which clearly and undeniably demonstrate the benefits of offsite construction. Thanks to our portfolio of work, we are now being awarded larger, more complex projects, which directly contradicts the argument repeatedly given by Tier 1 contractors – that modular specialists cannot deliver large, complex projects.

We are just about to open our fifth factory in Driffield, East Yorkshire, and have a virtually full order book.

For more information visit: www.reds10.com You can also catch Paul Ruddick on 20 March at Modular Matters, Coventry Building Society Arena www.modularmatters.co.uk Images: 01. Paul Ruddick, Chairman, Reds10 02-03. Imjin Barracks, Single Living Accommodation, Gloucestershire 04. Abbey Farm Educate Together Primary School 05.

Volumetric units are craned in to provide a wide range of buildings

WWW.OFFSITEMAGAZINE.CO.UK | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024

MODULAR MATTERS

STATE OF THE MMC NATION

Modular Matters has moved to a new venue at the Coventry Building Society Arena for 2024 and will be taking place on 19-20 March 2024.

What can you expect?

The modular sector has experienced a volatile 18 months and is at a critical stage of development. The sector faces unprecedented challenges following fluctuating demand in the housing sector, and a construction slowdown – all combined with increased scrutiny from the wider construction market and media. But while there are many obstacles to overcome, those operating in the volumetric modular industry are still pushing game-changing technology, evolving to meet future demands and see no reason why it offers huge benefits and efficiencies to clients and specifiers.

As in previous years, Modular Matters aims to separate the fact from the fiction, tackling the big questions, stirring up conversation and debate and facing the positive and negative impacts of the previous year. With Housing Minister Lee Rowley MP

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making the keynote presentation, this event offers a massive opportunity to find out first-hand about the ‘state of the MMC nation.’

Strategic thinking It is not all doom and gloom. Modular technology remains at the forefront of innovation, capable of redefining how we think about construction, with the ability to not only improve structures across many vertical sectors but create sustainable spaces that support the all-important carbon goals and the circular economy. With game-changing industry leaders presenting success stories and demonstrating proven techniques for overcoming the current

construction status quo – Modular Matters takes a frank and candid look at the commercial and financial barriers to growth, to determine the roadmap to stable and viable longterm business models.

Influence the narrative With a brand-new venue, the 2024 event will provide a more interactive and engaging platform that encourages active delegate participation through facilitated engagement and discussion. This will give delegates the chance to understand more of the industry detail, taking lessons from UK and global developments and client-led conversations.

WWW.OFFSITEMAGAZINE.CO.UK | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024

MODULAR MATTERS The conference sessions give a wide range of industry innovators, changeleaders, influencers and disrupters the opportunity to have their say to a dedicated audience. Modular Matters will determine the actions needed to make radical transformative change across the built environment and develop a viable and sustainable modular supply chain.

Modular Matters offers a platform for all voices in the industry to discuss how to: • Break the traditional housing model and explore multiple vertical markets • Seize market opportunities through innovation • Build a viable and sustainable supply chain through collaboration • Achieve a stable and commercially viable project delivery model through partnerships.

Get involved and visit Raising the bar, building on the successes of several previous events, while diversifying and expanding the programme and exhibition to attract a wider audience – Modular Matters presents an opportunity to join the conversation and connect with key players in the sector as well as suppliers, manufacturers, architects and decision makers from local authorities and the wider public sector.

Modular Matters 2024 invites delegates to deep dive into the current state of the modular market, tackling the recent changes and increased media attention following the withdrawal of multiple players from the sector. With an objective to influence, inform and investigate – Modular Matters will address industry barriers, identify solutions, analyse successes and separate the myths from the facts. Day One will focus on modular housing with Day Two focusing on healthcare and education.

The Modular Matters conference is supported by a modular expo, showcasing technologies and innovations - providing the opportunity for networking and direct interaction with key industry suppliers, consultants and engineers servicing the sector.

For the full speaker line up and to book your place visit: www.modularmatters.co.uk

Hear from representatives from the following companies and more!

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024 | WWW.OFFSITEMAGAZINE.CO.UK

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VOLUMETRIC MODULAR

CHANGING CONSTRUCTION DIRECTION

In 2023 Volumetric Building Companies (VBC) opened a facility in Ireland, to serve the Irish, UK and European markets. We spoke to David Johnson, VBC’s UK Pre-Construction Director about the new opening and the shape of the modular market.

1 The new facility in County Monaghan, Ireland, brings vast experience in timber panelised solutions with VBC appointing a team of 27 product designers, architectural technicians and support staff to boost its already diverse modular product portfolio, but what was behind this move and what plans are there for the UK market? “The facility in Monaghan is currently a centre of design excellence that originated from a panelised timber background,” says David. “It is already expanding to support global operations across all systems including hot rolled steel 3D modular and timber 3D volumetric modular. Healthcare is a specific focus in Ireland right now.”

Productivity and national barriers Modular manufacture is often seen as a way to improve construction productivity – that seems to be perpetually low – why is this so difficult to address and how can offsite methods help improve the way we deliver buildings? Key factors contributing to the lack of construction productivity in the UK can be attributed to the skills shortage due to aging workforce, labour shortages post Brexit, material supply impact of

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2 COVID-19 and Brexit but what else?

“In the UK specifically the construction process is also weighed down by compliance legislation and the planning process with a contracting process that is cumbersome and time consuming,” says David. “Offsite construction offers the ability to deskill much of the construction process and provide a consistent highquality solution in significantly faster timescales. It allows manufacturing facilities to be located in areas where labour is available providing a more robust and dependable workforce and supply chain giving the ability to deliver much more predictable product in known timescales for costs that do not escalate.”

The UK often proudly likes to see itself as a global leader in offsite construction. But differing political, economic, social and business landscapes have massive impacts, what is the UK construction landscape like in comparison to the USA for example – what are the parallels and differences? “The UK is a leader in offsite construction technology, but, compared to other markets, it is not the leader in the large-scale adoption

of offsite methods,” says David. “There is still a fundamental distrust of offsite technologies in the UK by clients, developers and funders. This is in part due to some high-profile failures of both projects and businesses but also just a fear of the unknown. From my experience, the US market is more willing to adopt new systems and technologies and trust the systems proposed. Whilst it differs from state to state, the procurement and work winning process is much simpler with less complex contracts. The delivery process requires less onerous planning and code compliance requirements when compared to the UK.” Platforms – are they the answer?

Standardisation – does it exist? It seems to be mean different things to different organisations and can be a major obstacle when systems fail, so what can be done to overcome these issues? Much faith has been put in the development and adoption of platform solutions, but do these really solve some of these puzzles surrounding offsite? “Standardisation does exist, but it does not have to mean carbon copy buildings,” says David. “Within VBC we have standardised components that have a degree of flexibility modelled

WWW.OFFSITEMAGAZINE.CO.UK | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024

VOLUMETRIC MODULAR in to allow our systems to flex to meet project specific requirements.

Provided projects remain within these defined constraints then a project can be deemed to be standard. The issue is when client’s approach modular providers too late in the project gestation period when too many constraints have been applied. This then stifles standardisation and creates a bespoke process that loses many of the benefits of adopting an offsite solution.

“Platform solutions can certainly help but we need to clearly define what is a platform. Since the release of the UK Construction Playbook many businesses are using the word platform to gain favour with Government clients selling only their own system as a platform. A true platform solution must be a public domain solution that is manufacturable by multiple suppliers, that way, the ongoing issues with confidence and compliance can be largely alleviated. To do this, manufacturers should relinquish reliance on their ‘systems’ and be willing to manufacture a universal platform.

“The Government can help by developing a compliance process that is less demanding than those currently in place with a series of standards that – akin to building regulations – provides the confidence clients and investors needs without the burden of expensive and time-consuming project specific compliance testing.

They could also develop and mandate a platform solution on government projects that goes further than the current guidance and principles. For UK Government to harness all the manufacturing capacity in the UK, I’m certain that with full factories and guarantees of future pipeline, modular manufacturing businesses would switch to delivering a pre-approved mandated platform system in a heartbeat.

Mindset change Innovation is more than creating new products but changing the way construction is approached with offsite offering many benefits – maybe not clearly communicated by the offsite sector itself very well – there are many fantastic projects happening overseas, what can be learned from the international way of doing things? “The single biggest issue we

3 have in the UK offsite sector is the comparison with traditional methods of construction,” says David. “There is a tremendous construction history in the UK with some of the longest trading and most established construction businesses in the world. The UK has a fantastic built environment legacy with our architecture and building history revered around the world, but this brings with it an intrinsic and subconscious adherence to traditional build methodologies. The symbiotic relationship between UK construction and bricks and mortar has not waivered.

“Other countries with less established construction histories are demonstrating a willingness to adopt different methods of construction on a much larger scale and are confident in adopting new building systems and technologies. There is also a willingness in other countries to express the modularity of a building and celebrate the new and innovative approach where the UK has a habit of wanting to cloak buildings is a skin that makes them appear traditionally built.”

As all followers of offsite will know, the UK’s volumetric modular sector had a torrid 2023 with some high-profile business failures inevitably affecting client confidence in offsite. Albeit tied to the housebuilding sector – what can be done to restore some confidence into the modular and wider offsite sector? “It has been a very difficult time for UK modular businesses and without support at government level it will not be the end of the tough times,” adds David. “Businesses have not failed due to system issues or technology problems: they have failed due to lack of committed pipeline and consistent workflow. Whilst the UK Government

have independent programmes and departments exploring and implementing the use of modular, it is not widespread, and confidence remains with traditional contracting and construction.

“The mindset of the industry must change regarding the definition of what a modular business needs to be successful. Most modular businesses in the UK and around the world are delivering projects that are individual and bespoke. To really unlock the benefits of modular the paradigm shift has to be made to industrialised manufacturing of buildings and put the ‘system’ ahead of the ‘project’ to ensure buildings are developed not just for offsite construction but for offsite manufacture. If this can be supported by a commitment of continuous volume, buildings will be delivered significantly quicker and cheaper with manufactures able to invest in infrastructure and technology to support improvements in speed, quality and cost.

“I appreciate it is a big ask but to bolster confidence in the sector requires a bold move to give large scale manufacturers the volume they need to demonstrate they can be successful, without it, investment will not come, and the UK volumetric modular sector will remain a cottage industry.”

For more information visit: www.vbc.co Images: 01.

David Johnson, UK Pre-Construction Director, Volumetric Building Companies 02-03. Offsite manufacturing has enormous benefits but these still need to be communicated clearly and more widely

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024 | WWW.OFFSITEMAGAZINE.CO.UK

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ADVERTORIAL

ENHANCING EFFICIENCY & PRODUCTIVITY

Amidst surging demand for offsite manufacturing, Elta has introduced a 'Prefabricated Solutions' service, catering to a wide range of fan applications including smoke fans.

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2 With the continued rise of offsite construction and the prefabricated building systems market booming, Elta is proud to offer its innovative 'Prefabricated Solutions' service. The solution is set to help cut installation costs and speed up building projects with greater efficiency and compliance while enhancing site safety.

Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) and offsite initiatives are growing exponentially across the UK. To highlight this, last year, the Crown Commercial Services selected 29 firms to be part of the £10billion Offsite Construction Solutions framework, with public sector buildings across healthcare, education, justice and defence all expected to swing toward modular construction.

Elta’s Prefabricated Solutions service is ideal for specifiers and contractors working on commercial building projects of any scale. Fans and ancillaries, such as acoustic equipment, mounts, panels, flexible connections, fan controls and more, can all be assembled offsite and

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delivered as a compliant assembly.

These are then ready for crane lifting, resulting in quick, efficient installation.

The ventilation and air movement manufacturer are one of the first in its sector to offer this kind of solution across multiple fan types and ranges.

Colin Moss, Car Park and Spoke Control Manager at Elta, has pioneered the service and elaborates on the multiple benefits specifiers and contractors can gain by going down the prefabricated assembly route.

“Installing individual components on-site can be a cumbersome and time sensitive task. It requires ample storage and working space, leading to congestion on busy sites and increasing the potential for site safety issues. The collection and assembly of various parts can also be timeconsuming, causing delays to projects.

“Not only this, but site time is costly, and labour costs can quickly add up when dealing with unnecessarily complex, site installations. With Prefabricated Solutions by Elta, these challenges are a thing of the past, and you can manage these expenses and have better quality control of the finished product.”

A key benefit of the new service from Elta is the provision of both acoustic and air flow performance data when engineering a solution. Using Elta’s selection software, the acoustic performance data can be supplied at the initial stages to help simplify the process for specifiers and contractors.

This means an engineered acoustic solution can be developed from the start, and there is no need to re-select or re-calculate separately were they sourcing these components from elsewhere.

factory environment. The company, which has UK-manufacturing sites in Kingswinford, Fareham, and Colchester, is certified to ISO 9001, meaning even units built to bespoke specification will still be accredited and, importantly, all smoke fans are certified with the ancillaries and mounting base.

Luke Hammond, Applications Specialist at Elta, explains that prefabricated assembly of fans also unlocks a host of other benefits. These include a more streamlined design process, offering simpler compliance with both ‘The Golden Thread’ and environmental requirements while reducing disruption to the local community, and other related site activities. “Gone are the days of waiting for single components to be delivered to the site, which can get lost or damaged while other elements of the project are in transit,” says Luke.

“With our Prefabricated Solutions service, all necessary components are packaged together, ensuring a hassle-free delivery. Preassembled units also mean other costly, disruptive activities on-site, such as crane lifting and road closures, can be minimised.

Shipping materials like pallets, packaging and strapping is all reduced as well, and with better overall coordination, Prefabricated Solutions allows workforces to focus on boosting productivity in other areas.”

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INDUSTRY COMMENT

DOES THE OFFSITE INDUSTRY NEED AN ‘ELON MUSK’?

Some would say the offsite industry is currently in mild turmoil – an exaggeration or fair comment? Darren Richards, Managing Director of offsite experts Cogent Consulting, has a pragmatic view on what makes the market tick.

1 The recent House of Lords Built Environment Committee criticised the Government for lacking a clear strategy on MMC investment, saying it ‘too easily accepted that the way to encourage MMC was through undirected and non-strategic investment of public money’.

I should declare an interest here – I am not head of some remote business that parachutes in and corrects things when they go wrong. To coin a crude phrase: I have skin in the game. I love this dynamic industry – it has been my life for 30 years. I am not some ‘textbook’ consultant or media commentator with little or no actual experience. I have run major offsite facilities, developed new and groundbreaking offsite technology and have invested heavily in the offsite industry.

Big brains with deep pockets Comparisons are often drawn between the offsite manufacturing and the automotive industry. But we must ask if the electrification of vehicles would have been as fast without the

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2 intervention of Elon Musk. Love him or loathe him, no one can deny his genius. His transformative impact on the automotive industry through Tesla cannot be overstated. He has done this by popularising electric vehicles, advancing battery technology, building charging infrastructure and pushing autonomous driving capabilities.

Something we are trying to replicate here in the UK with little success.

Hype cycle For those not familiar with the Gartner Hype Cycle, it is a graphical presentation of specific emerging technologies through five distinct phases – technology trigger, peak of inflated expectations, trough of disillusionment, slope of enlightenment and plateau of productivity. Whether it be the electrification of vehicles or the development of an iPhone – the graph pretty well remains the same across all emerging technologies.

What I am trying to say here is that it is a natural progression – the way of things. With offsite construction

we have been through the inflated expectation phase and are now in the trough of disillusionment. But it will not last, with the right government intervention – we can soon start climbing the slope of enlightenment before we reach our equilibrium and plateau of productivity. There is no turning back, what is the alternative – we do not have a Plan B! We know we need offsite construction – what we need now is a plan from Government.

Natural selection There are many theories I could quote here but I will refrain and focus on just one – evolution. With offices in Shrewsbury – the birthplace of Charles Darwin – I understand that extinction is part of evolution. Some adapt and survive by developing coping and collaboration strategies, others do not.

Anyone who has tried to get a product tested will know testing facilities are struggling to keep up with demand.

The Government has invested public money in established and new entrants to the market. These companies have developed and tested a vast array of panelised and volumetric systems in

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INDUSTRY COMMENT total isolation. There is a ‘cutthroat’ competitive approach. My view is that the market is not established enough for these tactics. Margins are slim, vast factories need robust pipelines of work to stay afloat – then disaster strikes and the residential market crashes. The perfect storm which many have not survived. But this issue is not exclusive to the offsite industry, traditional construction firms are taking a battering, and many are going under.

But we could do things so differently.

Seismic for example helps clients use offsite manufactured solutions and sub-assemblies while promoting standardised design practices and fostering maximum interoperability.

The aim is a more efficient and interconnected industry that spans onsite and offsite manufacturing options with greater vertical integration.

VISIBILITY Peak of Inflated Expectations

Plateau of Productivity

Slope of Enlightenment

Trough of Disillusionment Technology Trigger

TIME

3

GARTNER HYPE CYCLE

Currently there is no standardisation across offsite technologies, particularly in the manufacture of volumetric modules. Each manufacturer produces to a different size and specification. So, would the Government not be better to invest in collaborative ventures involving new ‘big players’ into the UK market who have sizable budgets working alongside the most innovative of established companies with the specific remit to deliver a range of standard housing systems? A bit of a spread bet approach which limits exposure.

What does success look like?

Whilst the spotlight firmly shines on the residential sector, the commercial volumetric modular industry has it ‘virtually nailed’. Yes, there has been the odd exception, but it is not the norm. There are some big players in this space who have been around for decades – predominantly serving the healthcare and education sectors.

We do not have to look far. With specialist skills and tried and tested technologies, these firms know what works well for their construction clients and form long lasting relationships, so it can be done.

Unlike SpaceX, this is not rocket science. We need to use the right technology for the right applications across low, medium and high-rise sectors. We need collaboration and standardisation throughout the supply chain, with greater integration, openess and genuine collaboration.

4 The Government has invested millions – but as identified by the House of Lords Built Environment Committee – throwing enough money and see if it sticks is not a recognised strategy. In my opinion we need an Offsite Thinktank – an industry backed initiative bringing those with vast actual manufacturing, product development and offsite construction experience together to help the government practically define a way forward, for the good of homeowners, social landlords and tenants.

And I think we can do this without the intervention of Elon Musk.

For more information visit: www.cogent-consulting.co.uk Images: 01. Darren Richards, Managing Director, Cogent Consulting 02. Tesla has become emblematic of groundbreaking innovation 03. Gartner Hype Cycle 04. Offsite methods are trying to change the way construction is perceived

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COMMERCIAL MODULAR

COMMERCIAL MODULAR: A DISTINCT MARKET

With the volumetric modular housebuilding industry under heightened scrutiny, Richard Hipkiss, Development Director of the Modular and Portable Building Association (MPBA), considers why the outlook in mature commercial markets is on a different trajectory.

1 Vast investment is required to set up advanced manufacturing facilities and production lines work best when demand is steady, and utilisation is high. But as we all know, construction is an unpredictable business – particularly in the housing sector, as we are currently witnessing.

The underlying challenges of the housing shortage are much more complex and political than simply finding a quicker way to build.

Manufacturing facilities require a substantial investment of time and money to set up and need a constant throughput of work to provide a return on that investment. The stop start

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nature of residential construction is not conducive to keeping a factory running at capacity all the time.

This is why so many of our members operate in sectors such as healthcare and education where modular approaches have been successfully used for decades. Leading modular manufacturers strive to develop long-term strategic relationships by developing skills and sector specialisms. A healthier pipeline of future work allows modular players to optimise their products and develop their production capabilities. For innovative construction methods to become a preferred alternative that

can truly compete with traditional methods, strategic alignment between modular producers and construction clients, particularly in the public sector are mutually beneficial.

Streamline & standardise The benefits of volumetric modular buildings come from the industrialisation of key construction tasks. MPBA members aim to standardise, streamline and automate major parts of the value chain. To get that right, modular companies need best-in-class manufacturing capabilities, including sophisticated digital design platforms and lean, efficient production lines.

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COMMERCIAL MODULAR

2 Investment in digital technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), 3D printing and real-time data analytics is happening at pace. It is standard practice for Building Information Modelling (BIM) to be embedded into the design and advanced manufacturing processes involved in modular construction. Increasing technological advancements coupled with the advantages provided by modular construction such as vastly reducing building schedules and cost without impacting on quality, together with sustainability gains such as reduction in construction carbon and material waste are contributing to demand in the commercial sector.

Evidencing value Pre-Manufactured Value (PMV) is another driving force in the specification of volumetric technology in public projects – particularly in the healthcare and education sectors. PMV is a core metric for measuring the level of offsite in a project and is central to the UK government’s procurement programmes. To secure a contract, suppliers are required to show that pre-manufacturing will account for at least 70% of their construction cost, which plays to the strength of a volumetric modular approach.

Since 2016 the BIM mandate has required UK public sector construction projects to use BIM technology.

4 This has helped speed up the pace of adoption during the design and construction phases. It has been predicted that government intervention around the ‘golden thread’ will accelerate things further.

Central to the concept is guaranteeing the traceability and availability of project data and all decisions relating to the design, construction, safety performance and maintenance of the building.

The ‘thread’ involves the information handed over at the completion of a project which must be right from the start of client ownership and then must remain accurate throughout the building’s lifecycle. With traditional construction often key information such as product specification and maintenance details are not complete or accurate at the point of client handover which means the golden thread required for optimal running

MPBA The MPBA plays a key role in the connecting of sectors in the modular and portable building industry. The association collaborates with specialist technical advisors to enhance innovation in the design and manufacture of modular buildings. These can be designed and manufactured from timber or steel in any size and shape to meet individual client needs while ensuring full compliance with Building Regulations.

To find out more visit: www.mpba.biz

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and safety cannot be achieved. As an established method of sharing building lifecycle data across design, construction and operation – BIM is also regarded as integral to achieving a golden thread.

Accurate and reliable data With volumetric modular construction all data can be validated and coordinated as part of a structured process, which helps provide accurate and reliable information for clients at the point of handover. It also means it is easier to identify what products and material specifications were used on previous projects should any legislation changes occur.

With its powerful combination of controlled deliverables and customisable outputs, modular construction provides cost and time efficiencies together with the repeatable quality and safety – meeting the key drivers and stringent protocols demanded by the commercial sector.

Images: 01. Guy's Hospital Orthopaedic Theatre.

Courtesy MTX 02. Archbishop Holgate’s School.

Courtesy Portakabin 03. London Academy. Courtesy Algeco 04. Swansea University. Courtesy Wernick Group

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HEALTHCARE

THE MODULAR CURE

The specification of more modular buildings could breathe new life into NHS infrastructure. Martin Irvine, Senior Business Development Manager at Premier Modular illustrates some of the reasons why. providing trusts with high-quality buildings, at speed, for a well-rounded service delivery in the long term.

The implementation of Hospital 2.0 is expected to upgrade NHS infrastructure and standardise the design and build of new facilities, to minimise project costs and overrun times. MMC will form a key part of this standardisation procedure and will provide a means of building hospitals with fixed costs and shorter, guaranteed programmes, without the need for a high volume of specialist personnel.

1

2 The government’s New Hospital Programme is at the centre of plans to augment hospital infrastructure by the end of the decade. A key part of the programme is the use of a new standardised construction process, known as Hospital 2.0, that is expected to make hospital construction 25% cheaper and 20% faster than traditional methods.

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Modern methods of construction (MMC) will form an important part of this approach to ensure buildings are produced sustainably and efficiently.

Whilst the focus of this investment will mainly be on large hospital projects, NHS trusts will still require smaller, specialist facilities to reinforce their infrastructure. For this, modular construction could also be the answer,

These large hospitals are just one piece of the wider evolution NHS infrastructure is undergoing.

Investments in smaller, bespoke facilities, such as discharge units or cancer treatment centres, hold equal importance when it comes to upgrading healthcare services and meeting future demand. Modular building solutions are a suitable match in this regard: the offsite manufacturing practice is buoyed with the speed and flexibility to deliver any number of peripheral facilities efficiently. As a flexible building solution, modular also enables individual areas and room types to be standardised and the building layout to be adapted in line with local clinical needs and site restraints. This is enhanced with the use of digital tools to tailor building designs to specific healthcare requirements.

Currently, the UK’s first modular barn theatre is under development and will feature three new operating theatres to expand procedure capacity.

The project is a prime illustration of the opportunity for enhancing infrastructure through modular buildings and is one of several new surgical hubs the NHS is developing to deliver 780,000 additional surgeries and outpatient appointments.

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HEALTHCARE Contrary to common misconceptions, modular buildings can be provided on both long-term and permanent bases and still be delivered in a short timeframe. This can be particularly beneficial where long-term healthcare facilities are needed urgently. For instance, provision of a modular facility that delivers inpatient care and discharge services, in a matter of weeks or months, could increase patient capacity and accelerate the flow of patients far sooner than if the building was constructed traditionally. Research suggests that modular buildings can accelerate project timelines by up to 50%. In turn, this could open the door to reducing waiting lists and delays in the emergency services department at a faster rate.

When it comes to mapping out building solutions for NHS trusts, it is imperative that designs comply with or exceed the technical building requirements of the NHS. As is standard, all modular buildings are built in adherence to the Health Technical Memorandas and Health Building Notes. Together, these specifications provide guidance on the design, planning and delivery of new healthcare buildings. In some cases, the flexibility of modular building enables it to naturally align with these guidelines. For instance, item 10.4 of the Health Building Note requests that the design and planning of radiotherapy facilities is flexible to ensure changes to clinical services and equipment can be accommodated with minimal disruption to services. The ability to reconfigure permanent modular buildings after implementation affords trusts the flexibility to modify such facilities as and when is required.

One challenge NHS trusts face when introducing new facilities on site is the disruption this could cause to services.

Day-to-day activities, such as the transferal of patients or movements of emergency services, can be critical for patient care and be severely impacted by the long-term presence of a live construction site. The factory-based nature of modular buildings precedes a short assembly and fit-out period that only requires a construction site to be operational for a matter of weeks or months – far less than is typical for traditional construction practices.

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4 Naturally, shorter construction periods create less chance for healthcare services to be interrupted and limit the impact of noise pollution and construction debris on the healthcare environment. It is also a cleaner method of building – on-site waste debris is minimised through the precise, lean manufacture of components for a smooth assembly later on.

In light of the continued pressure NHS trusts are experiencing, the injection of new facilities to account for periods of increased demand could be a muchneeded step change. As the number of people seeking specialist healthcare grows, investments in quick, flexible

building solutions, in tandem with the acquisition of new hospitals, could help to accelerate access to more resources. The challenge to grow and adapt to complex healthcare needs is ongoing for NHS trusts. Modular building is the fast-track solution trusts need to overcome it.

For more information visit: www.premiermodular.co.uk Images: 01. Martin Irvine, Senior Business Development Manager, Premier Modular 02. Priority Assessment Unit, Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 03. Outpatient facility, King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 04. Discharge facility, Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024 | WWW.OFFSITEMAGAZINE.CO.UK

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DIGITAL CONSTRUCTION

REDEFINING HOW WE BUILD

The construction industry faces significant challenges in maintaining productivity and managing workforce shortages. Dr Ehsan Noroozinejad from the Urban Transformations Research Centre, Western Sydney University, Australia, provides an international view on how technology can help. improvements in project schedules, with 65% noting reduced project budgets and 55% experiencing decreased construction waste.

1 Despite its critical role in driving economic growth, the construction sector has historically lagged in productivity improvements compared to other industries. This discrepancy is partly due to the industry's inherent complexity, reliance on manual labour, and the bespoke nature of many construction projects. Moreover, skilled labour shortages have become increasingly acute, exacerbating project delays, increasing costs, and affecting overall project quality.

In response to these enduring challenges, offsite construction has emerged as a transformative approach.

Recent industry reports suggest that offsite construction is on the rise, with the modular construction market alone projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.5% from 2020 to 2025.

This growth is indicative of the sector's potential to significantly impact overall construction industry efficiency. Furthermore, a survey conducted by the National Institute of Building Sciences in the United States highlighted that over 70% of contractors who have adopted offsite construction methods reported

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Despite the promising adoption rates and benefits, there remains a significant knowledge gap regarding the integration and future role of smart and emerging technologies within this sector. While previous studies have laid a foundational understanding of offsite construction's advantages, less attention has been given to how immersive technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and the Internet of Things (IoT) can further enhance these benefits.

All these emerging technologies have a future potential impact on offsite construction and can redefine the landscape of the construction industry. By exploring the integration of smart technologies in offsite construction processes, these strategic advancements not only address current industry challenges but also pave the way for a more efficient, sustainable, and innovative construction sector.

Drones and remote monitoring Drones have rapidly become indispensable in offsite construction, offering aerial photography, surveying, and remote monitoring capabilities.

They enhance site security, track progress, and can inspect hardto-reach areas, ensuring project milestones are met efficiently and safely. As drone technology advances, its integration into offsite construction is expected to deepen, with potential applications in logistics management and real-time adjustment of project plans.

Smart sensors Embedded within construction materials or placed around the worksite, smart sensors provide critical data on environmental conditions, structural integrity, and material quality. This real-time data collection facilitates predictive maintenance, improves safety, and ensures compliance with specifications, significantly reducing the risk of errors and rework.

Artificial intelligence and machine vision AI and machine vision systems are set to transform offsite construction by automating design, enhancing precision in manufacturing components, and optimising logistics.

By analysing vast datasets, AI can predict project outcomes, optimize resource allocation, and even guide robotic systems in assembling complex structures, ensuring adherence to design specifications with minimal waste.

Extended reality (virtualization) Extended reality (XR), encompassing augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and mixed reality (MR), offers immersive design and planning tools that bridge the gap between digital models and physical construction.

XR technologies allow engineers and clients to visualize and interact with building designs before construction begins, facilitating better decisionmaking, enhancing collaboration, and reducing the likelihood of costly changes.

Integrated project management systems Digital platforms that integrate project management tools with real-time data from the construction site are

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DIGITAL CONSTRUCTION

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2 becoming a cornerstone of efficient offsite construction. These systems streamline communication, document management, and project tracking, ensuring that all stakeholders have access to up-to-date information, which is crucial for the timely delivery of projects.

Wireless technology The advent of 5G, 6G and future generations of wireless networks promises to significantly enhance connectivity between offsite manufacturing facilities and construction sites. Enhanced bandwidth and lower latency enable the seamless transfer of large datasets, support remote operations, and facilitate the use of IoT devices, improving coordination and efficiency across projects.

Big data and analytics The construction industry generates vast amounts of data, and through big data analytics, this information can be leveraged to make informed decisions, optimise workflows, and predict trends. In offsite construction, analytics can improve supply chain management, forecast project risks, and enhance quality control processes, leading to more reliable and predictable project outcomes.

Robotics Robotics in offsite construction heralds a shift towards more automated and precision-driven processes. From welding and cutting to assembling parts and applying finishes, robotic systems offer unmatched speed and accuracy, reducing manual labor requirements and enhancing safety on the production floor.

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Internet of Things (IoT) IoT technology integrates sensors, software, and other technologies to connect and exchange data with devices and systems over the internet.

In offsite construction, IoT devices can monitor the condition of materials during transport, track inventory, and ensure components are assembled correctly, paving the way for more dynamic and responsive construction ecosystems.

3D Printing and additive manufacturing 3D printing and its advanced iterations (such as 4D printing, where objects can change shape over time) are set to revolutionise how components are produced for offsite construction.

Offering the ability to create complex, customized parts with reduced material waste, additive manufacturing supports sustainable construction practices and opens up new design possibilities that were previously unachievable.

Industry implications and future outlook The exploration of these key technologies illuminates a path towards a radically transformed offsite construction landscape. This technological revolution is setting the stage for an industry evolution, characterised by unprecedented levels of efficiency, safety, and environmental sustainability. As we delve into the practical applications and potential of these innovations, it becomes evident that their integration is not just enhancing offsite construction processes but is pivotal in addressing long-standing industry challenges.

This progression towards a technology-centric construction model heralds a new era of construction practices. It promises a shift from traditional, often inefficient methods to a future where projects are executed with greater precision, agility, and sustainability. The implications of this shift are profound, extending beyond the immediate benefits of cost and time savings to fundamentally reshaping how projects are conceived, designed, and delivered. It signals a move towards a construction ecosystem that is more resilient, adaptable, and responsive to the needs of society and the environment.

For practitioners in the construction industry, the message is clear: the future is now. The integration of these advanced technologies into offsite construction is not merely an option but a necessity for staying relevant and competitive in a rapidly evolving industry landscape.

The collective expertise and vision of engineers and industry practitioners will be instrumental in harnessing these technologies, steering the construction industry towards a brighter, more sustainable horizon.

The journey towards an innovative and efficient future for the construction sector is well underway, guided by the light of emerging technologies.

Let us all, especially engineers, lead the charge in adopting these advancements, shaping a future where construction is synonymous with efficiency, precision, and environmental stewardship.

For more information email: ehsan.noroozinejad@ westernsydney.edu.au Images: 01.

Dr Ehsan Noroozinejad, Senior Researcher, UTRC Western Sydney University specialises in smart and resilient construction, immersive technologies and net zero construction 02-03. Robotics are central to factory-based precision, quality and productivity.

Courtesy BE-ST

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MMC IRELAND NATIONAL CONFERENCE

RAISING THE BAR BUILDING ON SUCCESS

Following the success of the 2023 inaugural MMC Ireland National Conference, organisers of this event have announced that this year The Lyrath Estate, Kilkenny will be the stunning location for the conference and exhibition taking place on 22 & 23 May 2024.

Last year delegates from across the European offsite sector gathered at Croke Park, Dublin for the 2023 conference. The event hosted in partnership with MMC Ireland and Explore Offsite, exceeded expectations, with exhibition space and delegate tickets selling out well in advance. This year is set to be another sell-out event with extremely high demand.

Raising the bar, building on the success of the previous event, while diversifying and expanding the programme and exhibition to attract a wider audience, the 2024 conference has been increased to two days.

Conference chair will be industry pioneer Darren Richards, Managing Director of Cogent Consulting – The Offsite Experts.

Paul Tierney, CEO of MMC Ireland said: “The resounding success of the first conference showcased the inherent

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expertise and technical knowledge that exists across the industry and our membership. As we work to champion the benefits of offsite technology, we welcome the robust commitment to increase the adoption of modern methods of construction shown by the sector and government.

“We have an outstanding venue for our 2024 conference and a packed schedule. This is a destination event which offers the opportunity to learn from the best in this rapidly evolving industry as well as network with industry innovators and changeleaders in stunning surroundings.”

The event will host a high-profile speaker programme showcasing the best in modern methods of construction with presentations and case studies. During both days, panel discussions will offer further insight into some of the key event themes and topics. Day one will culminate in

a drinks reception where delegates can network with leading industry players from across Ireland and beyond.

Tackling the big conversations and facing the positive and negative impacts of the last year, the conference programme will not shy away from difficult topics and will look to address some of the challenges facing the offsite industry. Key topics will include the road to net zero and the circular economy, platform design and DfMA together with risk and future technology profiling.

The road to net zero no doubt presents major opportunities for the MMC industry, but the conference will consider how the industry can develop a more accurate dataset for underpinning claims around embodied carbon and whole-life carbon. As Ireland looks to develop more sustainable buildings, the

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MMC IRELAND NATIONAL CONFERENCE

to collaborate and standardise with the wider use of platform approaches or maintaining the ‘status quo’ by designing and producing bespoke solutions for each and every build.

concept of using MMC technology in the context of circular design is another key speaker topic. This combined with the increased use of advanced digital technology by MMC suppliers is predicted to present a major opportunity for the sector.

Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) has been at the forefront of MMC approaches for a decade or more but now platform design is coming to the fore. With the industry being at a cross-road, now is the time to debate whether there is a desire

Whilst all of these topics will be addressed in the context of Ireland and the UK markets, the speaker line-up will be geographically diverse with international speakers presenting best practice comparisons, industry trends and technological and cultural differences.

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MMC IRELAND MMC Ireland invites delegates to join in the conversation and connect with key players in the sector at their National Conference. As a leading sector representative body, MMC Ireland brings together the collective expertise of members to provide guidance, support and project insights on key industry issues. From technical standards and best practice principles to training and professional development, the organisation is dedicated to ensuring that members have the resources and regulatory environment they need to succeed in today’s competitive and increasingly global marketplace.

To learn more about MMC Ireland and how to become a member visit: www.mmcireland.ie For full details on the national conference programme and to book your delegate places visit https://bit.ly/3HYoR2z

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024 | WWW.OFFSITEMAGAZINE.CO.UK

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HOUSING

GENERATING MORE OFFSITE OPTIONS

The Ecology Building Society were the first UK lender to launch dedicated mortgages for offsite construction. Dan Capstick, its Mortgage Product Manager, outlines recent developments of this still unique position. type of construction becomes better known and more widely used.

And finally, as a lender with four decades’ experience in self-build mortgages, we were interested in ways to appeal to new and different types of borrowers, including those who might struggle with the larger upfront costs for this type of development.

1 Having taken a fresh look at how we could offer mortgages for homes built by this method, our aim was to address several challenges. We wanted to create a better customer experience for offsite construction borrowers and join up the finance with the build by unlocking stage payments in a simpler way. We also wanted to offer more support to this sector of the construction industry, doing what we can to increase public awareness of the methods and benefits of offsite, whether modules are 2D or 3D. Offsite construction accounts for more than half of all self-build homes, according to the latest figures from NaCSBA, the National Custom & Self Build Association. Ecology is keen for this sector to grow and create more product choice for consumers. We believe the pace of this growth will speed up as the number of highquality suppliers increases and this

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On the first anniversary of the product launch, our priority this year is to add to our growing pool of partner suppliers, teaming up with more businesses which use different methods and materials. This partnership approach is also unique within our sector, and we want to do as much as we can to showcase offsite construction’s technology and innovation.

We’d love to see wider use of modular construction more generally – for example by traditional builders, including large-scale developers, who still tend to favour traditional building techniques and materials. As well as ensuring more consistent build standards, using offsite construction could help developers to cut the carbon footprint of the build process, as well as reducing site waste and saving them money.

Modern industry accreditations should give consumers added confidence in the high quality of what can be built now. That’s why we need more advocates and great examples of offsite construction. These homes tend to achieve the highest energy efficiency levels, even better than the high levels among self-build homes in general. We’ve seen this with the offsite construction homes Ecology has lent on, thanks to the greater accuracy and precision of construction made possible by a modular build.

As a green lender, improving energy efficiency standards is something Ecology wants to see across the UK’s housing stock, which is the oldest and most draughty in Europe. That’s why we use our rates to reward our borrowers for reducing the environmental impact of their homes through our C-Change discount.

When it comes to newbuild, we believe offsite construction can help to deliver better quality, warmer homes, which will save their owners money on their bills as well as creating lower carbon emissions than traditionally constructed properties. In addition, we see speed of construction as a particular strength at a time when the UK is struggling with a massive shortfall in housing supply, across all tenures.

Where there is an urgent need for homes combined with stringent cost pressures, such as in the social housing sector, we believe offsite construction could be hugely beneficial in delivering good quality, energy efficient and affordable homes at scale across the country.

Housing need and the costs of buying and renting are key concerns for all age groups as battle lines are drawn for the forthcoming General Election.

We hope the next Government will show more imagination in ways to speed up the construction of goodquality new homes and look more closely about how offsite construction can help to deliver this.

For more information visit: www.ecology.co.uk Images: 01. Dan Capstick, Mortgage Product Manager, Ecology Building Society

WWW.OFFSITEMAGAZINE.CO.UK | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024

05-07 March 2024 / ExCeL, London

05 - 07 March 2024 ExCeL, London

what will you take a stand for?

Driving Collaboration and Innovation for a Sustainable Built Environment at the sectors most influential, large scale exhibition and conference.

Futurebuild is more than an event; it’s a call for action. It’s a platform to engage and collaborate, and a stage for debate. It’s three days of education and dissemination of knowledge, and a showcase of innovation.

Take a stand for a better built environment.

www.futurebuild.co.uk

Join us at Futurebuild 2024

SHOWCASING THE LATEST TRENDS AND TECHNOLOGIES IN

STRUCTURAL TIMBER In partnership with the Structural Timber Association, the 2024 Structural Timber Conference is set to return on Tuesday 16 April 2024 to Central London.

Providing a focal point for celebrating timber’s success and steering discussions that will define its future.

Through the Timber in Construction Roadmap, the government has committed to increase the safe use of timber in construction (TiC) in England, to help reduce embodied carbon in the built environment and drive investment into tree planting, forest management and domestic supply chains, creating new green jobs and industries.

Following a year of remarkable achievements and innovations, the conference promises to showcase the benefits and explore the possibilities of timber construction. With influential speakers and engaging discussions, the Structural Timber Conference 2024 will address challenges, present solutions, analyse successes, and help drive the industry forward.

With a heightened focus on circularity and sustainability, this event tackles the crucial question of ‘what’s important right now?’ for the structural timber sector.

Designed for a diverse audience, including architects, engineers, clients, contractors, local authorities, housebuilders and developers – the event provides a firsthand look at cutting-edge technologies and designs shaping the future of UK timber usage. As demand for more sustainable structures continues to grow, the conference invites industry professionals to dive deep into the current state of the timber industry and contribute to redefining the future of offsite timber construction.

TICKETS ON SALE NOW WWW.STRUCTURALTIMBERCONFERENCE.CO.UK

In partnership with:

SPEAKERS INCLUDE:

PHILIPPA BIRCH-WOOD UK Green Building Council

ANDREW CARPENTER Confederation of Timber Industries

FINBAR CHARLESON dRMM

TIM GALLOWAY Health & Safety Executive

CHRIS GAZE Structural Timber Association

ALEX GOODFELLOW Donaldson Offsite

KIRSTEN HAGGART Waugh Thistleton Architects

KELLY HARRISON Whitby Wood

DAVID HOPKINS Timber Development UK

JESS HRIVNAK RIBA

CHARLIE LAW Timber Development UK

DAVID LOMAX Waugh Thistleton Architects

ANDREW ORRISS Structural Timber Association

TIM SNELSON Arup

DUNCAN WALTERS Eckersley O’Callaghan

STEVE WILKINSON James Gorst Architects

PROMOTIONAL OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE Now is the time to align with industry leaders and strengthen your supply chain, as we ask ‘what next’ for structural timber construction.

To learn more about the exhibition & sponsorship opportunities, please contact Karen Cox on 01743 290014 or email karen.cox@radar-communications.co.uk Tate+Co - York St John University Creative Centre, ©Hufton+Crow

STRUCTURAL TIMBER

FRESH DIRECTIONS IN TIMBER

Timber Development UK (TDUK) in collaboration with Waugh Thistleton Architects – have released a study on policies from across the globe which encourage the use of timber in construction and follows the UK Government’s Timber in Construction (TiC) Roadmap.

Embodied carbon is recognised by major policy influencers such as the United Nations, Royal Society and World Green Building Council, and in the UK by the likes of the Climate Change Committee and Environmental Audit Committee as crucial to overcoming climate change.

1 Commissioned by TDUK and written

by Waugh Thistleton Architects, ‘Timber Policy’ is a comparative study of policies, across six countries, which can act as a powerful tool to support policy makers on their journey to decarbonise construction in the UK, and beyond. Timber is at the heart of transitioning to a sustainable, circular economy for the UK and many nations around the world. This study is a snapshot of a rapidly evolving movement.

“The UK Government’s roadmap is a fantastic starting point, but without more action, there is a risk the UK falls behind. We need a clear timeline for change, starting with limits on embodied carbon in buildings, which is currently unregulated. Embodied carbon can account for more than half of the emissions of a building over its lifetime - hundreds of thousands of tonnes of carbon per year - but this is currently ignored by UK politicians and policy makers.

“What we need to see this year is ambition turned to action,” says David Hopkins, Chief Executive of Timber Development UK. “This means forward looking policy – and politicians brave enough to create a framework which places value on low-carbon construction. Timber is the ultimate low-carbon material, and countries across the developed world have rightly recognized this – working to create comprehensive policy frameworks that support the growth of the timber industry.

“Our new book, highlights the policies being put in place in a variety of countries around the world. The UK Government, if they are serious about achieving the goals of their roadmap, now need to look at what policies would work in the UK. We hope that these examples give food for thought and we can start to engage policy makers on making this happen, rather than simply relying on the market to change.”

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Despite a wide array of evidence and calls from these bodies to implement key policies, such as the regulation of embodied carbon, there has been a highly variable policy approach across the world. The UK, once positioned as a leader in sustainable construction using timber, now lags behind many other nations due to its regulatory environment. Timber Policy outlines how six different countries around the world are helping to support the transition to low-carbon construction.

“Working at the forefront of global timber construction and participating in extensive research with European partners, we understand first-hand the impact of government policies on sustainable, low-carbon construction.” adds Andrew Waugh, director and cofounder, Waugh Thistleton Architects.

“While the UK once led the world in mass timber construction, recent years have seen a shift in global leadership.

Recent assessments, such as the Climate Change Committee's critique of the UK Government's Carbon Budget Delivery Plan, highlight the urgent need for accelerated policy development in the UK. “While we commend initiatives like the Timber in Construction Roadmap, our research for Timber Policy reveals that current UK efforts fall short of addressing the urgency of the climate crisis. Bold leadership, as demonstrated by progressive nations such as France, Germany, The Netherlands and Denmark,

WWW.OFFSITEMAGAZINE.CO.UK | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024

A pioneering Unipart company is looking for talented structural and design engineers to support growing demand for the design, manufacture and delivery of transformative, modular, construction industry solutions.

Unipart Construction Technologies combines optimised digital design and advanced manufacturing to deliver modular assembly and concrete reinforcement solutions for a modern, sustainable construction industry.

With products utilised across commercial, residential and infrastructure applications, Unipart Construction Technologies is engaged in a number of major UK construction projects and is now extending its engineering and design team to support this growth.

Join the Team There are a number of exciting opportunities for structural, design and chartered structural engineers, with relevant design experience and knowledge of construction methodologies to join the team.

It would be great if you’re a practicing engineer with experience in the design and development of products;

from concept to installation including component and system specification, definition, prototyping, manufacture, testing and installation.

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STRUCTURAL TIMBER

2 mandating limits on embodied carbon and investing in sustainable timber projects, is essential for a meaningful transition to a low-carbon future.

The Roadmap sets out timelines to consider options, encourage voluntary reporting, and seek advice, after which revisions to policy will be put in place. The Timber Policy Guide shows how this process has already happened in the six example countries and policies which have already been implemented.

“Despite challenges, some progress in the UK is evident. For example, the DfE's flagship project to standardise mass timber school fabrication underscores its commitment to

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innovation. Additionally, the Mass Timber Insurance Playbook and New Model Building Guides, funded

by Built by Nature, a philanthropic organisation, provide invaluable resources for navigating the complexities of timber construction.

This is the second in a trio of essential books, with the first edition Timber Typologies providing clarity on different timber systems. The final book in the series, Timber LCA, will demystify lifetime carbon analysis for timber buildings. Collectively, these books are intended to act as a stimulus for action – in the UK, and beyond.

“The urgency of climate action cannot be overstated. With projections indicating a 1.5-degree increase in global temperatures by 2050 and up to 3 degrees by the end of the century, decisive steps must be taken. The Timber Policy book serves as a beacon of hope, illustrating how public-private partnerships can drive systemic change towards a sustainable future.”

For more information and to download a copy of Timber Policy visit: www. timberdevelopment.uk/ resources/timber-policy Images: 01.

Timber Policy 02-04. The use of timber is central to a more sustainable and low carbon built environment. Courtesy BSW/B&K Structures/TDUK/Waugh Thistelton

TIMBER IN CONSTRUCTION ROADMAP Last December the Government published its ‘Timber in Construction Roadmap’, setting out a framework for increasing the use of timber in construction. It outlines how the UK government intends to increase the safe use of timber in construction as well as increase domestic wood supply and reduce embodied carbon across the built environment.

The policy roadmap outlines priority themes that identify both the opportunities and barriers to timber construction in England. The roadmap comes after a significant amount of work by the Confederation of Timber Industries (CTI) to advocate for timber, including a policy report ‘Timber in Construction: Barriers and Solutions’ as well as political site visits, and APPG engagements. CTI members, Timber Development UK (TDUK) and the Structural Timber Association (STA), all feature heavily in the roadmap, having worked with government and many industry partners in the Timber in Construction (TiC) Working Group over the past 12 months.

The recommendations are structured around seven ‘priority’ themes looking at creating far reaching change for English woodlands, homegrown constructional timber and many boosting many aspects of the timber knowledge and supply chain on the national road to net zero. The key themes are: • Improving data on timber and whole life carbon • Promoting the safe, sustainable use of timber as a construction material • Increasing skills, capacity, and competency across the supply chain • Increasing the sustainable supply of timber • Addressing fire safety and durability concerns to safely expand the use of engineered mass timber • Increasing collaboration with insurers, lenders, and warranty providers • Promoting innovation and high performing timber construction systems.

To read the full policy roadmap and see more detail on Government and Industry expectations, ways forward and action points visit: www.gov.uk/government/publications/timber-in-construction-roadmap/timber-in-construction-roadmap www.structuraltimber.co.uk

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www.timberdevelopment.uk

www.cti-timber.org

WWW.OFFSITEMAGAZINE.CO.UK | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024

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LSFA

LIFECYCLE IMPACTS

The Light Steel Frame Association (LSFA) is on a mission to highlight the safety and sustainability credentials of light steel framing – here they contrast and compare different metrics for assessing environmental impact. insulation properties due to their airtight nature – reducing in-use carbon emissions for the lifetime of the building. The use of light steel also allows for more efficient insulation systems compared to other materials used in offsite technology portfolios.

Lightweight metal studs create air pockets that can be filled with insulation which helps reduce heat loss through walls or roofs and increases thermal efficiency within a structure’s envelope.

TION UC TR NS CO

DES IGN FOR RE US E

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LIFECYCLE ANALYSIS

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DIS M A N T L E

Building safety is a key concern of the LSFA, our members and endclients. But safety does not have to come at the expense of sustainability – with light steel frame, construction professionals can achieve both.

Once environmental discussions focused on lifecycle analysis including recycling buildings at the end of life.

More recently the focus has been on embodied carbon. But this is only part of the sustainability equation.

Embodied carbon assessment is a subset of a broader discipline of lifecycle analysis which covers a range of different environmental impacts.

To understand the environmental performance of a product, the LSFA and our members firmly believe its entire lifecycle needs to be taken into consideration – not just the manufacturing and construction phases. A lifecycle assessment of a steel product looks at resources,

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energy and emissions, from steel production to its end-of-life stage, including recycling or reuse.

As the construction industry continues to prioritise safe and sustainable building solutions – light steel framing has become an increasingly attractive option. This type of steel framing offers several environmental advantages that make it well suited for numerous applications in both residential and commercial buildings.

Environmental benefits National targets for carbon emission reductions and the drive for buildings that are ‘low carbon’ in operation present a huge challenge to the construction industry – a challenge which the steel construction sector is playing a major part in overcoming.

In addition to being strong and economical, light steel frame systems also provide excellent thermal

These structures require fewer resources to build and maintain while providing greater durability over time, they have longer lifespans resulting in lower long-term costs associated with maintenance and repairs. In addition, the frames have exceptional acoustic performance which makes them suitable for use in areas where noise pollution needs to be reduced or eliminated altogether.

Overall, light steel provides many environmental benefits. Its low weight facilitates easy transport, reduced foundation requirements and prefabrication means it is quick to assemble on site. Its ability to support multiple types of finishes makes it suitable for a variety of cladding options allowing architects greater scope in their designs without compromising sustainability goals.

In addition, its excellent thermal properties offer significant potential savings in terms of heating and cooling costs throughout the lifespan of light steel buildings.

Once produced – forever in use Manufactured from the most abundant component on earth, steel can be recycled or reused endlessly without detriment to its properties. This unique characteristic gives steel a high value at all stages of its lifecycle.

WWW.OFFSITEMAGAZINE.CO.UK | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024

LSFA

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4 The recovery infrastructure for steel recycling is highly developed and extremely efficient and has been in place for decades. Current recovery rates from demolition sites in the UK are 99% for structural steelwork and 96% for all steel construction products – figures that far exceed those of any other building material.

Site waste is virtually eliminated using prefabricated light steel systems compared to the industry average wastage of 10% in construction materials. Cold rolled steel components are manufactured to length, the swarf and offcuts produced which are minimal, can be recycled so there is no production waste.

Light steel frame construction is used extensively in the UK in a wide range of developments. The overriding benefits of safety, quality, speed, strength

and value are widely acknowledged but the sustainability benefits can be overlooked. As innovators in light steel systems, leading manufacturers within our membership want to inspire construction professionals to develop buildings that meet the rigorous requirements of the recent Building Safety Act but are also highly sustainable.

A lifecycle approach will be a ‘game changer’ for the light steel sector and long-term analysis will show that it is intrinsically more environmentally sustainable than other construction materials. Its properties make it the ultimate sustainable construction solution in terms of its longevity, superior in-use performance and its ability to be recycled and reused. But most importantly – enhancing the safety and sustainability credentials of new buildings.

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The LSFA works to drive engagement, champion change, and spread the word about the cost, productivity, performance, sustainability and safety benefits of contemporary light steel systems. Trusted and widely specified by the UK construction industry – highly innovative and digitally savvy, the light steel sector has developed panelised and modular solutions that deliver high quality buildings on fast-track construction programmes.

Bringing together a wealth of experience and technical know-how, the LSFA’s website has a library of valuable information, including guides on sustainable steel and circular construction.

Find out more at: www.lsf-association.co.uk

Images: 01. The LSFA believe the entire lifecycle of a building needs to be taken into consideration 02. Sandgate Pavilions a luxury sustainable development with panoramic views.

Courtesy Ayrshire Metals 03. Steel can be designed for reuse at the end of a building’s life. Courtesy Frameclad 04. For the latest in light steel frame technology development attend the annual Focus on Framing event.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024 | WWW.OFFSITEMAGAZINE.CO.UK

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FUTUREBUILD 2024

PAVING THE WAY FOR INDUSTRY EXCELLENCE

With a legacy of championing innovation and collaboration in the built environment, Futurebuild celebrates its 18th year shaping a more sustainable and resilient construction industry 5-7 March at London’s ExCeL and will have plenty to interest the offsite sector.

1 Futurebuild 2024 will be no different, with the overarching theme ‘Take a Stand for Change’, to encourage industry leaders and professionals to engage in collective action for the pursuit of positive change.

Increasing the inspiration The Futurebuild conference, curated

by The Edge and sponsored by Soprema and One Click LCA, is a highly respected gathering of influential innovators and collaborators tackling the industry’s problems head on with the aim to ‘collaborate for a just transition’. It stems from the industry-wide need for a clear delivery programme with non-negotiable dates to build confidence amongst clients and investors. The three daily themes for the conference are: Pathways to change, Levers for change and Sharing visons for change. Featuring a line-up of the who’s who of the built and natural environment, guests for 2024 include: Smith Mordak, Chief

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Executive, UKGBC, Muyiwa Oki, President, RIBA and Sara Edmonds, Co-director, National Retrofit Hub plus many more.

The conference will cover a multitude of topics, reaching every corner of the industry. Key seminars include: Net zero housing: the qualityaffordability conundrum, chaired

by Catherine Adams, Director of Building Systems and Net Zero at the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities; Water – one of our most critical infrastructure challenges, chaired by Catherine Wenger, UK, India, Middle East and Africa Water Business Lead at Arup, and The Role of Education in Climate Awareness, chaired by Django Perks, from Teach the Future.

Scaling up high-quality retrofit Futurebuild has partnered with The National Retrofit Academy to launch The National Retrofit Conference,

which will take place alongside Futurebuild 2024. Sponsored by Sustainable Building Services UK (Ltd) and curated by The Retrofit Academy, the National Retrofit Conference will bring together visionaries and industry leaders to focus on a crucial mission – decarbonising our existing housing stock.

The three day conference will focus on Skills, Innovation and Policy and provide the practical solutions that attendees can take away to drive their retrofit programmes forward, with a line-up of speakers that includes thought leaders from inside and outside of the sector. Seminars across the three days include: Leadership on Retrofit from Local Authorities, Cities and Regions, chaired by David Pierpoint, Chief Executive at The Retrofit Academy; Retrofit Design at Scale, chaired by Loreana Pardon, Head of Sustainability at ECD Architects and Engaging on Retrofit;

WWW.OFFSITEMAGAZINE.CO.UK | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024

FUTUREBUILD 2024 Getting Communication Right, chaired

by Sara Edmonds, Co-Director at National Retrofit Hub. More than just a conference As well as the two conferences, Futurebuild the industry’s largest exhibition, featuring over 400 innovative brands and six stages that will host 500+ industry-leading speakers across sections FutureX Innovation, Buildings, Energy, Materials, Sustainable Infrastructure and Digital. Each section contains its own seminar stage, addressing the biggest challenges facing the built environment and spotlighting the latest trends. The knowledge programme has been made possible with the help and support of our event sponsors and partners, including ASBP, Good Homes Alliance, 540 World, Passivhaus Trust and the Finishes and Interiors Sector (FIS).

Embracing innovation As the industry platform for innovation, Futurebuild has continued to partner with game-changing brands. Follow our Innovation Trail to meet our Innovation Partners: Advantage Austria, NexGen, MKc Training Services Ltd, Bauder, the Concrete Centre, Tepeo, Sugastune UK Ltd, SDS Limited, Qvantum, Mixergy Limited, LKAB Minerals Limited, Glen Dimplex Heating and Ventilation, Curv360 Limited, Aico, 540 World and Kensa.

The FutureX Innovation section is an exciting zone that showcases start-ups and SME’s innovative ideas and technologies that will make net zero possible. It contains The Big Innovation Pitch, a visitor highlight, which sees the people and companies with the newest and brightest ideas for decarbonising the industry take part in an exciting Dragon’s Den style presentation battle, all in front of a live audience.

On Tuesday 5 March, Carbon Trust, Innovate UK and DESNZ will be taking over the Future X Innovation stage for a whole day of content titled: FutureX Heat Takeover – innovation to decarbonise heat works for everyone.

As three of the UK’s biggest drivers on innovation they have carefully

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curated a seminar programme for the day including: Design Matters!

Improving the survey, design, and installation process of low-carbon heating technologies, chaired by Becky Lane, CEO at Furbnow: Working Smarter, Not Harder – How smart and flexible heating systems can improve performance and the customer experience, and Up-front Costs to Retrofit: How to deal with the elephant in the room.

Institute of British Architects (RIBA) pop-up bookshop returns for another year, where you can browse carefully selected titles, meet the authors and chat with them about the newest industry developments. There is a Futurebuild bar, sponsored by Natural Building Systems, where you can take part in interactive design challenges, workshops and discussions, all whilst enjoying a drink.

During the FutureX Heat Takeover, the organisations will be showcasing a range of projects funded through the government’s £1billion Net Zero Innovation Portfolio (NZIP) such as the Heat Pump Ready programme, Green Home Finance Accelerator and more. The section will be hosting an innovation café, allowing visitors to network and engage with industry experts.

As well as an invigorating line up of knowledge building seminars, there are several fringe events and exhibits that are a must visit. The Royal

Futurebuild 2024, where we ask industry leaders, visionaries, and enthusiasts to come together to foster an exchange of ideas, embrace innovation, and collaboratively craft the blueprint for a bright and more sustainable tomorrow.

For more information, to register and view the full programme visit: www.futurebuild.co.uk Images: 01-04. Futurebuild 2024 will once again showcase sustainability products and people from across the built environment

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024 | WWW.OFFSITEMAGAZINE.CO.UK

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CASE STUDY

PRECAST CONCRETE

PRECAST ENSURES PARKING WITH EASE

1 The number one priority in the design of any high-rise structure is the safety of the user. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the construction of a multi-storey car park (MSCP).

In recent years, there have been a series of high-profile fires, the most recent of which occurred in October 2023 at Luton Airport. The fire which broke out on level 3 of the terminal carpark caused significant damage not only to the parked cars, but also the structure itself.

A partial collapse of the carpark deck will result in the MSCP having to be fully demolished. The concerning extent of the damage to the steel frame structure, has since given many structural engineers and designers more cause to consider precast

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concrete not only for key elements such as floors, lift shafts and stair flights, but also for the frame itself.

Precast concrete products are the preferred choice in many applications where fire protection is key to the build.

Precast concrete firewalls, up to fourhour fire rated, are typically installed as fire protection walls for power substation transformers and precast concrete buildings that house power generation equipment. Recognising the proven fire resilience and durability of precast concrete, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Fire Service has recently replaced a multi-level steel frame live fire training facility with a precast concrete building.

Peace of mind in a fire In 2022, MPA Precast carried out a full-scale fire test on a set of concrete façade panels which passed all the requirements of BS 8414-2:2020.

In conjunction with Ulster University, FP McCann has also undertaken fire tests on its structural wall panels where temperatures in excess of 600 degrees Celsius resulted in only minor cosmetic damage to the panels leaving them structurally sound.

In the case of MSCP, the fire resilience of precast concrete is just one of the many benefits. By its open nature, a MSCP is exposed to the elements and is also subject to fuel and oil spills from vehicles. Its anti-corrosion properties means that unlike steel frames, no special coatings are required. Where fire sprinkler and M&E systems are specified, precast concrete MSCP’s are designed with pathways for installation.

Fast, safe and efficient construction is a major advantage when utilising offsite precast concrete, with build times reduced by as much as 40%.

WWW.OFFSITEMAGAZINE.CO.UK | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024

PRECAST CONCRETE

2 Offsite precast concrete continues to gain recognition and developers and contractors alike are turning to this structural system particularly in the case of MSCP’s.

The Mountpark Wakefield Hub site is home to a MSCP where FP McCann supplied and installed 1,210 individual precast concrete items. The precast concrete superstructure consists of columns, beams, parapet walls, ramp sections and precast stairs. Topping off the car park is 3,800sq m of FP McCann’s prestressed hollowcore floor planks 400mm and 200mm deep, finished with a 100mm layer structural screed. Main contractor on the project, global construction specialist ISG, has recently completed the work.

FP McCann has also recently completed the supply and installation of a five-level precast concrete MSCP at North Manchester General Hospital.

If a location ever exemplified the need for safe accessible parking facilities it is a hospital. The 1,000 space MSCP has been built to provide

3 much improved parking facilities. The MSCP is part of a £25million enabling works package being delivered by national construction and regeneration specialist Morgan Sindall. In this project the largest single span of hollowcore flooring is 15.6m long.

In the case of both projects, installation was undertaken by the company’s specialist precast concrete fixing team. For designers looking to learn lessons from fires like the one at Luton Airport, precast concrete offers an offsite solution which provides the programme efficiency benefits but also

4 the peace of mind for users and clients which only concrete can provide.

For more information and further details on the tests undertaken at Ulster University visit: www.mpaprecast.org Images: 01. MSCP for a Distribution Hub in Poole, Dorset 02-04. North Manchester General Hospital MSCP

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024 | WWW.OFFSITEMAGAZINE.CO.UK

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LIGHT STEEL FRAME

SPEARHEADING A NEW ERA OF INFINITE POSSIBILITIES

Joint Managing Director of Frameclad, Nik Teagle stresses the importance of early engagement and why skilled people, advanced manufacturing machinery and digital tools combine to prove that offsite is a premium approach.

1 Utilising light steel frame as the principle structural component in a building creates many opportunities providing the build system is selected early in the design process. Employing the manufacturers team early ensures that their knowledge and expertise in the use of the system permeates through the architectural process.

With a 12-strong in-house design and engineering team we have many talents at our disposal to make projects run smoothly.

One question I’m often asked, particularly by architects, is what type of buildings can be developed in light steel frame – what are its design and engineering capabilities? A small question with infinite possibilities.

That’s the thing, the design scope of light steel is only limited by the imagination. We’ve engineered loadbearing systems for up to nine

2 storeys and have the capabilities to go beyond this, our non-combustible infill systems can be used in structures above 18m in line with Building Regulations and have designed and manufactured low rise residential schemes and even agricultural and commercial buildings.

We have a bank of case studies spanning many years which clearly demonstrates the adaptability of light steel and we can manufacture panelised or modular solutions to meet briefs and budgets.

Decisive, quick with the ability to make swift decisions, it is also our attitude that sets us apart. We are willing to go that extra mile and offer our expert support working as an intrinsic part of a team. We are looking to form long-lasting relationships and our investment in skilled people, advanced manufacturing machinery and Tekla

FRAMECLAD Frameclad supply a complete range of loadbearing and non-loadbearing light steel framing systems and sections to the construction industry across the UK. Backed by ISO and BOPAS Accreditation to design at full scope, NHBC SCI, Infill and CE Certification, Frameclad has also invested in a growing suite of fire test and performance data to offer assurances to main contractors, architects, engineers and public sector clients.

3 software, produces one of the largest ranges of steel sections available in the UK today from a single manufacturer.

Building safety Housebuilders and developers have many key drivers, some to meet construction client’s briefs and budgets, others to adhere to regulatory requirements but safety is always top of the list. We can develop bespoke light steel framing systems which are better for the environment and the bank balance without compromising on quality, safety or performance.

From April 2024 the Building Safety Act will be fully in force, we have an in-depth knowledge of these new regulations, which although created to enhance the safety performance of high-rise buildings, have implications across all developments in England. So, get us in early, let’s have a discussion and then we can bring our design, engineering and manufacturing expertise to the fore, even at concept or initial tendering stages.

Images: 01-03. Frameclad engineer, design and produce bespoke sections and fabrications for clients exacting requirements

For more information visit: www.frameclad.com

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Find out more

Precast Foundations Designed & manufactured in-house Low carbon concrete Category 3 MMC Premanufactured Components

Where Stability Meets Efficiency roger-bullivant.co.uk

MMC Supply chain partner of choice for Hot Rolled Steel Fabrications DETAILING

MANUFACTURING

DELIVERY DOWNLOAD OUR BROCHURE

Charles Walsh Mobile (+353) 85 8152440 Office (+353) 62 71102

www.odwyersteel.ie

Email cwalsh@odwyersteel.ie

ENVIRONMENT

HEALTH & SAFETY

QUALITY

ISO 9001:2015 MANUFACTURING MEMBER

I.S. EN ISO 14001:2015

I.S. ISO 45001:2018

NSAI Certified

NSAI Certified

NSAI Certified

SUPPLY CHAIN MEMBER

AFFILIATE MEMBER

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY 2024 If you are interested in learning more about offsite construction and the associated manufacturing processes then the following industry events may be of interest: 19 & 20 March

Modular Matters

Coventry Building Society Arena

www.modularmatters.co.uk

With a wider and more diverse programme than ever, Modular Matters brings together volumetric modular innovators and change-leaders to separate the facts from fiction and determine the actions needed to make radical transformative change.

16 April

Structural Timber Conference

30 Euston Square, London

www.structuraltimberconference.co.uk

Celebrating the success and leading the conversations shaping the future of timber. In a world of increasing focus on circularity and sustainability, the 2024 conference asks ‘what’s important right now?’ for the structural timber sector.

14 May

Focus on Framing

FOCUS ON

FRAMING

22 & 23 May

ThinkTank, Birmingham

www.focusonframing.co.uk

Delivered by the Light Steel Frame Association (LSFA), this seminar offers a deep dive look at the systems and technological advances improving design platforms, building safety and sustainability performance using light steel framing.

MMC Ireland National Conference

The Lyrath Estate, Kilkenny

https://bit.ly/3HYoR2z

One of the latest and most well-received additions to the offsite industry calendar, MMC Ireland National Conference offers fresh perspective and insight into the trends, technologies and engineering innovation driving the Irish offsite construction market.

25 June

Tall Building Conference

Central London

www.tallbuildingsconference.co.uk

Bringing together highly influential experts from across the sector, Tall Buildings Conference 2024 will focus on the progress of building safety, structural performance and the design advances bringing iconic high-rise builds to the UK skyline.

25 June Tall Buildings Awards

17 & 18 September 2020 Tall Buildings Awards

Tall Buildings Awards 2020

17 September 2020 Tall Buildings Awards

2024 Tall Buildings Awards 2020

Tall

02 Buildings October Awards 2020

Tall Building Awards

Co-located with Tall Buildings Conference

www.tallbuildingsawards.co.uk

Recognising extraordinary contributions in the advancement of the superstructures that are shaping our urban landscapes, the Tall Buildings Awards celebrate architectural ingenuity, engineering prowess and the innovations that are transforming the digital design and construction arena.

ENTRY DEADLINE: 15.03.24 Offsite Expo

Coventry Building Society Arena

www.offsite-expo.co.uk

OFFSITE EXPO brings together those who are driving change in the construction sector – the event will play host to the leading UK and international offsite manufacturers and component suppliers over two days in September 2024.

Offsite Awards

Co-located with Offsite Expo

www.offsiteawards.co.uk

Recognising the iconic projects from across the offsite sector, the Offsite Awards showcase the people and businesses pioneering the new technology, building methods, systems and designs raising the standards of safety, sustainability, social and financial value in construction.

ENTRY DEADLINE: 31.05.24 Structural Timber Awards

National Conference Centre, Birmingham

www.structuraltimberawards.co.uk

Now in its tenth year, the Structural Timber Awards promises to be bigger, better and more inspiring than ever. The 2024 awards will reward the companies instigating change, delivering outstanding projects and raising awareness of the efficiency, reliability and sustainability of structural timber.

ENTRY DEADLINE: 21.06.24 04 December

Construction Productivity Conference

Central London

www.constructionproductivity.co.uk

Bringing together a host of industry leaders to discuss strategy, opportunity, and the future of productivity in the built environment. Delegates will have the opportunity to learn about new practices from those at the forefront of construction productivity.

FULL SPEAKER PROGRAMME LIVE! 19 - 20 MARCH 2024

COVENTRY BUILDING SOCIETY ARENA

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Book your tickets today:

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RAISE YOUR COMPANY PROFILE THROUGH DIRECT INTERACTION WITH YOUR KEY TARGET AUDIENCE ALLOWING YOU TO GENERATE HIGHLY-QUALIFIED LEADS

OFFSITE EXPO is aimed at construction professionals all with a specific interest in offsite technology. Exhibitors will have access to over 5,000 relevant visitors across two days – plus exclusive access to the OFFSITE CONNECT BUYERS & SPECIFIERS FORUM where you can schedule meetings with some of the UK’s top Buyers and Specifiers.

Part of OFFSITE CONSTRUCTION WEEK, OFFSITE EXPO has a range of exhibition and sponsorship packages available. These have been designed to be flexible and offer a wide range of promotional opportunities to suit any marketing aims, resources and budget.

CONTACT Email julie.williams@radar-communications.co.uk or call 01743 290 001

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT: WWW.OFFSITE-EXPO.CO.UK

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