Volumetric Modular - Issue 02

DEDICATED TO THE DEVELOPMENT AND APPLICATION OF VOLUMETRIC MODULAR SYSTEMS

JUN/JUL 2022

ISSUE 2

VOLUMETRIC

MODULAR TAKING MODULAR DESIGN TO THE NEXT LEVEL

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THE FUTURE OF SUSTAINABLE LIVING How can volumetric modular technology deliver energy efficient, zero carbon homes?

MAKE MODULAR A new voice for industry change and market collaboration

PLATFORM APPROACH Anne Daw, Head of MMC Delivery at HLM Architects on transformational construction

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COVER STORY

06 ESS Modular - Taking Modular Design to the Next Level Paul Tierney CEO and Ronan Smyth, Managing Director of ESS Modular share some thoughts on MMC developments with global construction specialist ISG having recently acquired a majority stake in the business, providing ESS with a solid platform to deliver its ambitious growth plans.

08 | Market Moves News and project developments from the volumetric modular and wider construction sector that you may have missed including: Algeco, Beattie Passive, ilke Homes, Vision Modular Systems and more.

22 | Designed to Perform – Built to Last With house prices and rent costs increasing, how can MODULHAUS™, a new concept in volumetric modular interim homes help ease the pressure for keyworkers?

24 | The Future of Sustainable Living Debansu Das, Business Development Director for ZED PODS, explains how energy efficiency and volumetric modular technology is delivering zero carbon housebuilding.

28 | Modular – the sustainable option Modular housing is crucial to tackling the energy bill crisis and poor health. Rosie Toogood, CEO of Legal & General Modular Homes, explains why.

30 | Collective Change Steve Cole, Head of Make Modular, outlines why the new organisation is required and where it sits in a constantly evolving construction and homebuilding environment.

32 | Combining Low Carbon Technologies Civic Living at Houlton showcases how heating via air source heat pumps and volumetric modular construction combine to provide low carbon housing.

38 | Effecting Building Change Delivered by a consortium of seven companies, including offsite experts, manufacturers, and building consultants, Seismic has entered a second phase of modular investigation.

40 | Maximising Material Efficiency Richard Hipkiss, Development Director of the Modular and Portable Building Association highlights the need to reduce landfill waste and improve material optimisation.

44 | A Kit of Parts Approach As Chris Mortensen, Co-Founder of Modulous, points out, we need a data-first product-led approach to deliver sustainable homes at scale and pace.

50 | A Launchpad for Construction Change Anne Daw, Associate and Head of MMC Delivery at HLM Architects, highlights the transformational potential of the platform approach for construction.

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INTRODUCTION

PULLING VOLUMETRIC MODULAR INTO FOCUS Welcome to the latest edition of Volumetric Modular magazine. Alongside various industry news and views this issue picks out some key developments affecting this developing arm of the offsite construction world.

The offsite sector is a fast moving and dynamic part of the construction industry and although recent weeks have been clouded by the failures of Caledonian Modular – now bought out of administration and part of the JRL Group – and the unexpected demise of House by Urban Splash, volumetric modular technology still offers an unrivalled energy efficient, low carbon and productive way to revitalise the built environment.

modular sector is good. House by Urban Splash had just celebrated delivering its 1000th module to its development at Port Loop, Birmingham. But for housebuilders of all shapes and sizes, there are many opportunities out there with the benefits of volumetric design becoming better understood – even the volume housebuilders are not immune to the benefits of modular design.

The reasons for the problems at Caledonian and House by Urban Splash (not to be confused with the wider and separate Urban Splash business) are not for debate here but the wider health of the volumetric

Earlier in the year, FTSE 250 housebuilder Bellway chose ilke Homes for its first foray into modular homes with a partnership set to deliver 40 factory-built homes to Tattenhoe Park, a site in Milton Keynes.

An interesting aspect of the Homes England-backed scheme is that it will be collecting granular data on the performance of the ‘precisionengineered homes’ as part of Homes England continued backing of offsite manufacture. 40 units may be a drop in the housing ocean but as illustrated in the infographic below – the potential for expansion is huge.

See inside this magazine for several examples of how the UK’s housing footprint is benefiting from volumetric modular technology alongside education, healthcare plus how the advent of data-driven digital tools is proving exactly what offsite can do.

Courtesy Make Modular

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COVER STORY ESS MODULAR

MAKING MMC MAINSTREAM As an industry leader in modern methods of construction (MMC) in the UK and Ireland, ESS Modular has seen significant growth in the business over the last 18 months. Paul Tierney CEO and Ronan Smyth, Managing Director of ESS Modular share some thoughts on MMC and the future of the construction industry. dedicated MMC frameworks for education and healthcare projects, with the Department for Education (DfE) alone investing £3billion in school frameworks in the UK. For public sector projects there is a focus on maximising the pre-manufactured value (PMV) of the building which allows the Government to see tangible benefits around how quickly buildings become operational.

Q: Can MMC and traditional construction co-exist?

1 In the last year the group turnover has grown from €60 to €95million and staff numbers have increased from 150 to 280 in Ireland and the UK. Most recently, the company announced a significant development, when global construction specialist ISG acquired a majority stake in the business, providing ESS with a solid platform from which to deliver an ambitious growth plan.

Q: For those who may not be familiar, can you explain what MMC means?

MMC amalgamates a range of advanced approaches to construction, including offsite, near-site and onsite premanufactured elements and technology applications. In an MMC environment, we use the latest technology to design out any inefficiencies and then manufacture in a controlled factory environment.

Here, we can control the programme and the quality, reduce waste

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and mitigate the risks inherent in the traditional environment. Our manufacturing process operates on a flow line basis where all sequences of works are carried out in controlled manner, resulting in faster project times and higher quality. Once ready, we move the finished product to site and assemble it to form the completed building. Our approach allows for significant time savings in that we can deliver completed buildings up to 50% quicker. It also allows for greater cost certainty, precision, and quality control.

Q: Do you think MMC has been fully embraced by the wider construction industry?

MMC has grown hugely in the last 10 years as clients begin to recognise its major advantages. We have seen a big shift to adopt, embrace and actively pursue MMC. In the UK, the Government have indicated a preference for MMC through the establishment of a number of

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In a word, yes! In 2020, the annual turnover in construction from the EU-27 countries amounted to almost €1.7trillion and is set to continue to rise, mostly driven by Government spending on planned infrastructure projects. The fact is that the industry, as a whole, genuinely can’t build fast enough. While the industry is looking for ways to build faster, more cost effectively and more sustainably, there is no one size fits all answer.

Our projects are focused around driving high levels of pre-manufactured value, but we still use a network of traditional subcontractors in our controlled factory environment, as opposed to transient labour moving between sites. We strongly believe that we need to stop looking at MMC as a separate industry, rather we should see it as a natural evolution of the construction industry.

Q: Do you think that the recent investment from ISG will help facilitate that?

Without a doubt it will. ISG is a leading global construction specialist and their investment in ESS makes a statement to the industry around the serious

COVER STORY ESS MODULAR need for Tier One contractors to develop their service lines to include MMC. Over the last 30 years, we’ve always been focused on development and growth, developing our service lines and investing in MMC technologies to find a better way to meet our customer’s needs. ISG have been on the same trajectory, so the investment plays into both of our strategic agendas. For us it has provided a solid platform for our continued growth.

For ISG, it is the opportunity to fasttrack their journey in developing and implementing leading-edge built solutions.

Since the announcement, our focus has been on creating a strategic plan for growth and mapping out the key touchpoints along the way.

We’ve recently secured our third manufacturing facility in Warrington and once that’s up and at capacity, we’ll be looking to develop a further facility in the southern region of the UK. We’re also investing heavily in automation technologies in our two existing production facilities in County Laois and Dublin.

We have also been concentrating on creating the right support infrastructure to facilitate growth, recruiting a record number of 130 staff members in the last 18 months.

We’ve enhanced our manufacturing, IT, marketing, design, people, and procurement teams, recruiting talented individuals, all driven by the same purpose, to find the better way of doing things.

Q: Mark Farmer’s report ‘Modernise or Die’ cited declining workforces as one of the main threats to construction – how is ESS navigating that?

MMC has very definite advantages when it comes to recruitment which opens opportunities to a different range of candidates. In terms of production facilities, we offer a fixed place of work, with flexible working patterns, and a reduced amount of travel to sites. This lends itself well to a more diverse workforce, for example women, who tend to be primary care givers for dependents.

Fixed production facilities also support economic growth in the areas immediately surrounding our factories.

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3 We concentrate our recruitment in the communities surrounding our production facilities and we promote our vacancies to local communities.

MMC is more reliant upon digital technologies, which also attracts more diverse entrants to the industry and challenges the traditional perceptions of construction.

Our recruitment strategy is driven by an underlying ethos of ‘recruit for attitude, not for skill’ so our talent development programme is well established, as we bring people in at entry level, and mould them into our future leaders. Our industry never stands still, and it gives our people a challenging and stimulating work environment, so our attrition levels are really low.

Q: After a very positive start to 2022, what challenges are you facing in the short/medium/long term?

There are challenges which we experience in the same way as traditional contractors. Hyper-inflation of costs is a very real issue, with the ONS reporting (June 2021) a clear trend of rising costs. Add to these, soaring costs in labour, building materials and transport, with the highest inflation seen on imported materials.

This causes problems for anyone operating on public sector contracts, due to strict procurement terms and conditions – in April, the Irish

Government announced the Office of Government Procurement was examining whether help could be provided to firms working on public projects to deal with soaring costs. The industry cannot simply just swallow the cost, nor can we move the costs onto our supply chain partners so it’s good to see that conversations are taking place, so we can overcome this.

The restrictions around movements of materials and labour, initiated by Brexit, were further exacerbated by the pandemic, but we have been working to mitigate them, by building supply chain frameworks, and providing our trusted partners with visibility of order book, to help facilitate continuity of supply. We are also developing a standardised design product, which will give us more stability around supply chains and continuity of supply.

Despite the above we remain optimistic; increased public sector spending in MMC is really shining a light on the benefits of our industry and we’re being approached by an increasing number of private sectors clients who are looking at alternative methods of delivery.

For more information visit: www.essmodular.com Images: 01-04. Using MMC is a key way to improve the built environment and provide a more productive and streamlined construction industry

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MARKET MOVES

GLOBAL AWARD FOR VISION MODULAR Vision Modular Systems recently won the prestigious ‘Excellence in Innovation’ award at this year’s Awards of Distinction at the World of Modular Conference 2022 in San Antonio, Texas.

1 The company, which has seen sustained year-on-year growth and is responsible for some of the world’s most ground-breaking modular buildings, was represented by its Founder and Chairman John Fleming, who received the award in front of over 1,000 attendees from across the globe, following an earlier presentation by the Chairman to the audience.

In its 39th year, the World of Modular Convention and Awards is organised by the Modular Building Institute (MBI), the USA’s largest trade association serving the modular construction industry. The body has been instrumental in removing legislative barriers for the sector while also working with universities and research institutions across the world to advance modern methods of construction (MMC).

Vision Modular Systems with its development and contracting company Tide Construction, specialises in delivering volumetric modular schemes, such as 101 George Street for Greystar in Croydon, London that is currently the world’s tallest modular building.

Together Vision Modular Systems and Tide Construction have led the way in modernising construction in the UK.

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2 In recent years, the two companies have delivered over 6.5million sq ft of precision-manufactured developments and has invested considerably in research, development and testing to continually advance their system.

Recognising the built environment’s huge carbon footprint, Vision Modular Systems’ accredited methods have also been instrumental in decarbonising construction by providing a greener alternative to regenerating communities and delivering highquality modular assets for institutional investors.

The approaches deployed by the company make it possible to achieve quantifiable savings on energy and waste, helping Vision Modular Systems adhere to its own stringent ESG criteria. Buildings are currently responsible for 39% of global carbon emissions, but Vision Modular Systems’ volumetric-led approach reduces a project’s embodied carbon levels by up to 45%, which has been independently verified by some of the UK’s leading universities.

Picking up the Award, John Fleming said: “This award recognises Vision Modular’s sector-leading position in the UK, where we have a strong track record of revolutionising the

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way in which housing is delivered.

Years of significant growth, in terms of our pipeline and financial strength, is demonstrated through our longstanding partnerships with some of the world’s biggest institutional purchasers and has established modular as a mainstream method of delivery. It is an honour to receive such a high-profile accolade from the Modular Building Institute; an organisation that has been actively shaping the future for modular construction across the globe, and I would like to thank all those involved.”

Michael Hough, Director And Founder, MJH Structural Engineers, said: “The Modular Building Institute has recognised the achievement of Vision Modular Systems and MJH Structural Engineers by inviting us to receive the inaugural ‘Excellence in Innovation Award’ at the World of Modular conference. The MBI has recognised Vision Modular Systems as world leaders and for bringing modular construction into the realm of skyscrapers.”

John McMullen, Director of the Modular Building Institute, added: “MBI introduced its Excellence in Innovation Award this year and I can’t think of a better inaugural project than 101 George Street. Michael and John did great work here that truly shows the potential of modular construction.

On behalf of the industry, thank you and congratulations.”

For more information visit: www.visionmodular.com www.tideconstruction.co.uk www.mjhse.com Images: 01. John Fleming receiving the ‘Excellence in Innovation’ Award at World of Modular 2022 02. Vision Modular alongside its partners have become leaders in volumetric modular delivery

MARKET MOVES

ALGECO SECURES PLACE ON ESPO MODULAR FRAMEWORK Algeco UK, formerly Elliott Group Ltd, has secured inclusion onto the ESPO Modular Buildings framework (953) for Lot 1A – Modular Buildings Education (Hire) and Lot 2A – Modular Buildings Healthcare (Hire). services to the public sector for over 40 years. It is jointly owned by its six member authorities: Leicestershire County Council, Lincolnshire County Council, Cambridgeshire County Council, Norfolk County Council, Warwickshire County Council, and Peterborough City Council.

Being 100% owned by the public sector means that any surplus the organisation makes after recovering costs is returned to the public purse.

The framework is for the design, manufacture, supply, delivery, installation, commissioning and maintenance of standard modular buildings such as: site offices, changing rooms, portable cabins, toilet blocks and drying rooms and many more options as well as bespoke buildings.

It provides customers with a standard ‘off-the-shelf’ solution, for which it will be possible to have a call-off price list as well as bespoke designs tailored to clients’ requirements. The framework commenced 1st February 2022 and will end on 30th January 2024. There is an option to extend for up to a further 24 months. It is available for use by any public body in the UK. Algeco modular buildings for the education sector help customers relieve the pressure of growing student numbers with short, medium and long-term accommodation solutions. The modular classrooms for hire create a high-quality, comfortable learning environment that enables students to thrive, while offering maximum versatility and minimum disruption. Algeco modular buildings for the healthcare sector cover offices, GP surgeries and temporary wards

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through to laboratories. The hire accommodation provides flexible and quick-to-deploy solutions to increase patient and administrative capacity.

“We are delighted to secure a place on the ESPO framework for Lots 1A and 2A”, said Ricky Barford, Sales Director, Algeco Modular Hire. “It provides customers with an efficient, easy and reliable route for procuring high quality modular buildings. The ESPO tendering process ensures that only suppliers that offer competitive prices and excellent service levels, amongst other requirements, gain a place on the framework. That means much of the front-end sourcing and supplier evaluation has already been completed for customers.”

Algeco has unveiled its new website.

The new website is the latest customer facing initiative of Elliott, Procomm and Carter’s unification under a single brand, which took place at the end of March 2022. Chris Coxon, Head of Marketing at Algeco, said: “The design of our new website reflects the latest updated branding of the Algeco business globally. At the same time, it brings together three UK businesses under a single, consistent brand, allowing customers to quickly browse a much wider product range on a single platform, to give us a stronger online presence.

The new brand represents Algeco UK’s collaborative approach to finding solutions for customers, developing both its products and people to deliver leading quality service and ensuring the futures of customers, their end users and our organisation are sustainable.

Algeco UK Ltd is part of the Modulaire Group, a leader in European modular services and infrastructure.

Algeco operates 23 site locations throughout the country servicing its portable, modular building and offsite construction hire and sales activities.

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

The Eastern Shires Purchasing Organisation (ESPO) is a public sector owned professional buying organisation (PBO), specialising in providing a wide range of goods and

Images: 01. As well as providing educational, healthcare, catering and accommodation units, ESPO's Modular Buildings framework (953) also covers a range of other standard modular buildings

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MARKET MOVES

TEDI-LONDON A MODULAR BLUEPRINT Premier Modular has delivered a £2.6million contract to provide a bespoke, sustainable higher education facility at Canada Water in London. building. All the feedback has been so positive – from other higher education providers to property developers, staff, students, and the local community.

It flows really well and has been designed with disability and inclusion in mind. It encourages interaction and collaboration, and has a strong community feel – exactly what we wanted. We all just love it!”

Andrew Tindale, Associate at Hawkins\ Brown, added: “This project has been a huge success and we love the finished building. It has really brought a brownfield site to life and has created significant social value and a sense of community. This is a welcoming, safe, and inspiring learning environment that TEDI-London and its students can be genuinely proud of.”

1 Occupied by The Engineering and Design Institute London (TEDILondon), the building is the first phase of an innovative new modular campus for research and development. The new facility was designed and built in just nine months in time for the first cohort of students. Premier’s modular solution allowed its rapid and sustainable construction, whilst minimising disruption to the local area.

Designed by architects Hawkins\ Brown, the building will be in use for the next seven years to allow British Land to work with TEDI-London to develop a permanent home for its students within the Canada Water masterplan. Minimising impact on the environment was therefore a key part of the project brief.

David Walters, Programme Director at British Land, said: “We are using modular construction in a really different way on this campus. It is enabling our tenants to grow with us, only taking the space they need

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at any one time, with the knowledge that we can respond rapidly to expand the building when they need to add more space. This is achieved with the least possible disruption, and an architectural quality that enhances the surroundings enormously.”

“This project successfully demonstrates excellent design, a highly efficient building system, and outstanding collaboration at every stage. The partnership between Premier and Hawkins\Brown continues to work exceptionally well and has definitely added value to the project. We can utilise all the benefits of offsite – speed, less impact on the environment, ease of expansion, and less disruption – whilst creating a high-quality education facility which looks fantastic. The first cohort of students was able to occupy the building after just nine months, which is an impressive achievement.”

Sarah Whittaker-Gilbey, Head of Facilities, Health and Safety at TEDILondon added: “This is a wonderful

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“It has been a pleasure working alongside Premier and main contractor Galldris to design and deliver the building and landscape within the budget and time constraints. We believe this working relationship was critical to the project’s success. Both Hawkins\Brown and Premier have also been working as industry partners to the Institute, contributing to the curriculum by setting and participating in an engineering challenge.”

Other environmental features include low energy LED lighting with PIR sensors, highly efficient heating and cooling using air source heat pumps and mechanical heat recovery ventilation, and Siberian larch cladding which can be re-used or recycled when the building is dismantled.

The modules were engineered to create a large double span exhibition, events, and cafeteria space. There are four large ‘makerspaces’ for practical learning, viewing galleries, smaller conference-style meeting and teaching rooms, a full-height glazed entrance, offices and student common room.

MARKET MOVES David Harris, Managing Director of Premier Modular, said: “This use of modular construction brought a number of important environmental benefits to the project. As with all our buildings, this scheme was manufactured by Premier generating zero waste to landfill. When the Institute relocates to its permanent home, the modular structure can then be dismantled for sustainable re-use or recycling. The lightweight nature of the Premier steel-framed offsite system also meant the campus building could be sited on the existing concrete base of a disused carpark, avoiding the need for intrusive deep pile foundations.”

One corner of the building was extended to three storeys to add visual interest and to create a large roof terrace for social interaction and with views over the Rotherhithe peninsula.

Services in the ceiling are exposed to allow students to understand the complexities of the building as part of their learning experience.

2 The Canada Water masterplan is a 53-acre regeneration scheme which is owned in a 50:50 joint venture by leading UK property company, British Land and AustralianSuper, Australia’s biggest profit-to-member pension fund. The masterplan will deliver a new town centre for London including around 3,000 homes, alongside a mix of commercial, retail and community space.

For more information visit: www.premiermodular.co.uk Images: 01-02. TEDI-London is a new engineering higher education enterprise founded by three global universities – Arizona State University, King’s College London, and UNSW Sydney.

MARKET MOVES

LEXICON LOOKS TO PRODUCT DATA TEMPLATES With interoperability between offsite systems and products a potential stumbling block causing project failure and timescale delays, a new project could provide some helpful answers.

1 Developed by the Construction Innovation Hub (the Hub), in partnership with the Construction Products Association (CPA), the LEXiCON project is seeking to standardise construction product information and support manufacturers in sharing product information freely across the industry.

Detailed in a new report, the first phase of LEXiCON sets out a methodology for the creation and ongoing management of ‘Product Data Templates’. By creating a consistent approach across the building industry, LEXiCON will make it easier for people to upload, categorise and compare data between products.

The project is funded by the UK Research and Innovation’s (UKRI) Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund and has strong support from the industry.

The Hub’s programme director, Keith Waller commented: “The Government’s Construction Playbook

has called for the sector to harmonise, rationalise and digitise to improve its safety, sustainability and productivity.

Meanwhile, as the construction industry moves towards platform and digital design and planning solutions, there is a clear need for standardised approaches to ensure product information is accessible, auditable and traceable. LEXiCON can help achieve this. We need an industry founded upon clear, accurate data that is collected consistently by everyone.

This will also make it easier for building owners and occupiers to trace back the products and materials used within the built environment.”

LEXiCON’s next phase is to showcase a proof-of-concept demonstration of how software can support industry development and distribution of Product Data Templates.

The proposed Product Data Templates will be designed so that they are machine-readable. The long-term ambition is to utilise machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) to help specifiers and designers select products which meet their requirements quickly and accurately.

As well as reducing errors, software could highlight any potential cost and carbon savings that might otherwise have been missed.

“The potential impact of LEXiCON cuts through a broad cross-section of the industry,” added Keith. “It will

THE CONSTRUCTION INNOVATION HUB Backed by Government, founding partners BRE, Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) and the Centre for Digital Built Britain (CDBB) are collaborating with the Transforming Construction Challenge partners, along with over 300 organisations, industry bodies, policy-makers, practitioners, and academics to develop solutions that will keep driving the transformation of the construction sector forward. The aim of which is to create a market with the capability and capacity needed to protect the future of the UK’s construction sector whilst meeting the increasingly complex needs of our infrastructure.

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support environmental and costsaving innovation at the design stage, improve traditional processes of product selection to reduce defects down the line and help to improve building safety and accountability throughout a building’s life cycle. We look forward to engaging with industry as we begin phase two to ensure the outputs of the project maximise benefits for the wider construction sector.”

In the new methodology report’s Foreword, Dame Judith Hackitt urges the entire construction products industry and those others working in the built environment to “embrace and contribute to the consensus processes necessary to create trustworthy and reliable digital structured product information.”

CPA CEO, Peter Caplehorn added: “With the Building Safety Act having recently achieved royal assent, we are ever more conscious of the necessity for consensus driven, informed structured product information being made available and accessible in digital form. Whether that be for buildings or the many other assets that make up the built environment, LEXiCON represents the vehicle that can link up construction products to the supply chain to achieve a more productive, effective and safer industry.” LEXiCON complements the Code for Construction Product Information and BSI Identify.

For more information on the Hub and to download LEXiCON’s methodology report visit: www.constructioninnovationhub.org.uk Images: 01. The report LEXiCON Methodology: Creating relevant authorities and achieving consensus

MARKET MOVES

MODULAR: AN INDUSTRY CONTINUES TO ACCELERATE DMDmodular is currently involved with the two modular PBSA schemes in Edinburgh and continues to grow in the UK.

1 Ewelina Wozniak-Szpakiewicz, CEO of DMDmodular, shares her views on how the offsite market is developing globally.

Last year we saw dynamic growth in the worldwide modular construction industry. One of the fastest growing markets for DMD, is the UK along with the USA. The UK market for modular buildings is estimated to have increased to around 8% of total construction output. As for the USA market, modular broadly is estimated to make up 5% of the total construction industry but is consistently growing.

This progress illustrates a world transitioning the way it builds and thinks about the built environment.

When looking at the hospitality, homebuilding and PBSA sector, there is evidence of that change, driven by modular construction technology.

The benefits of offsite construction (speed, quality, cost, scale, waste and safety) are well established. Modular undoubtedly has the potential to generate greater output per hour, boosting productivity across the construction supply chain. Recent challenges like COVID-19 proved that modular construction’s factory environment is resilient. Production requires less people that can more easily be socially distanced and unlike a building site, can be scheduled to work around the clock. This advantage has been never before a more pertinent consideration, facing the necessity of national lockdowns all over the world.

2 If you own rental apartments, hotels, or student accommodation, the sooner you are in business, the sooner your revenue stream begins. In some cases, your expedited arrival may capture a market demand ahead of a competitor. PBSA construction schemes are extremely time sensitive.

It is critically important for student accommodations to achieve practical completion in time for the identified academic year. Otherwise investors could stand to lose an entire year’s income and have an idle and empty development.

Poland - The EU's Biggest Success Story Okay, while I may be biased, the country has become one of the hottest manufacturing environments in Europe. Poland's economy continues to perform strongly. It is set to be among the three fastest-growing economies in the EU this year.

Production and export data reveals Poland is a major producer and supplier to the automotive industry.

The Polish window industry has the leading manufacturing position in the EU. Another economic backbone is the furniture industry, developing extremely fast-fourth position in the world as an exporter, and sixth as the world's largest producer.

Great Manufacturing Environment + Growing Modular Market = DMDmodular There is a connection between our modular business and the furniture industry which applies high levels of

3 automation in its production process along with efficiency and quality control. DMDmodular is lucky that its parent organization, BRW S.A., is one of the largest and most innovative manufacturing furniture companies in Europe - established in 1991, with 17 production plants across Europe.

DMDmodular offers unique volumetric modular solutions with a focus on international markets including the UK, Netherlands, Denmark, Austria and France. The company is currently involved in two PBSA schemes in Edinburgh, student accommodation in Copenhagen, multifamily housing in Reykjavik and recreation houses for the Dutch market. In 2022 the company received the international award in Green Building Category for the coliving modular solution provided to Paris.

Due to flexibility, high-quality standards, expertise as well as a stable supply chain related to the Polish production heritage, DMDmodular seems to be a perfect collaborator for the UK modular delivery market and headquartered in an ideal location.

For more information visit: www.dmdmodular.com Images: 01. DMD factory, Poland 02. On-site assembling, Edinburgh, Scotland 03. Student unit, Bristol, England

JUN/JUL 2022 | WWW.VOLUMETRICMAGAZINE.CO.UK

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MARKET MOVES

ILKE HOMES FORGES AHEAD IN SUSSEX Places for People and ilke Homes will be providing a range of new volumetric modular living at Burgess Hill and once again shows how technologically driven home manufacture can provide successful new communities.

1 The two companies entered a strategic partnership in 2019, which remains the largest deal to date for Britain’s modular housing sector and are working together to set a new standard for development on the 19.3-acre site.

The development, which will be named Abbeville Park, includes a range of apartments and a mix of two, three and four-bedroom properties.

The houses will provide much-needed affordable homes for rent and for sale through shared ownership.

219 of the 307 homes will be manufactured offsite at ilke Homes’ factory, where the company harnesses artificial intelligence, robotics and digital design to create homes that are high-quality and energy-efficient, helping to keep residents’ bills down at a time when household costs are increasing. Alongside the modular construction, three traditionally-built wheelchair accessible homes will be constructed, together with a further 86 apartments.

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Thanks to precision-engineering techniques, the partnership - which starts on-site in summer 2022 - expects the development to be completed by 2025. This is half the time it would take if built using traditional methods. ilke Homes will be developing the site as part of its full turnkey offering.

This means ilke Homes is responsible for identifying and securing the land, gaining planning permissions, manufacturing the homes and developing the site.

An increasing number of local authorities and housing associations are turning to modern methods of construction (MMC) - which include modular housing - as a means of speeding up the delivery of muchneeded housing - as evidenced in a recent report from the House of Lords’ Built Environment Committee.

"Places for People is delighted to continue its partnership with ilke Homes,” says Places for People’s Group Development Director, Adrian Bohr.

WWW.VOLUMETRICMAGAZINE.CO.UK | JUN/JUL 2022

“The development will deliver houses built using traditional construction methods and modular houses through modern methods of construction. The delivery of this new neighbourhood at Burgess Hill forms an integral part of Places for People’s strategy to deliver high quality affordable homes which provide choice and meet people’s needs. Working alongside partners such as ilke Homes allows us to combine expertise and supports our aim of creating well-designed, sustainable mixed-tenure communities.

“Abbeville Park will be developed as part of our strategic partnership with Homes England. This key partnership plays a pivotal role in the delivery of affordable housing, enabling us to further increase the provision of affordable homes across mixed-tenure neighbourhoods. It is a testament of how well such collaborations work and how we can swiftly increase the creation of places in which everyone can live.”

MARKET MOVES Places for People has a Strategic Partnership with Homes England. In 2018, the company was one of the first organisations to be awarded a grant from the Government’s national housing agency and will deliver circa 6,000 affordable homes over the next 10 years through this partnership.

Places for People created £165million in social value in 2021 and the organisation’s award-winning placemaking, property investment, development and management companies are active throughout the UK. They own or manage more than 219,000 homes, operate over 100 leisure facilities, employ over 9,000 colleagues, have assets of £4.8billion, and will deliver circa 6,000 affordable homes over the next 10 years through its partnership with Homes England.

Homes England has also been championing modular housing as a solution to speeding up the delivery of affordable housing across the UK. In 2020, the Government’s national housing agency announced that housing associations looking to sign

STRIKINGLY VERSATILE

deals under the new £11.5billion Affordable Housing Programme will have to commit to using offsite construction to deliver at least a quarter of their pipelines.

Tom Heathcote, Executive Director of Development at ilke Homes, added: “This latest milestone demonstrates the strength of our long-standing relationship with Places for People.

The Burgess Hill scheme is the latest of our sites to achieve planning consent ready for a site start in the early Summer. The size of the opportunity marks a significant achievement for our modular housing offering, and points to yet another proof-of-concept moment for the business.

“The new development will deliver a well-designed, sustainable, mix-tenure community that will provide residents with precision built quality homes, open space and strong links to the town centre. We are very excited to deliver this brownfield regeneration scheme in partnership with Places for People and look forward to collaborating on future projects.”

2 For more information visit: www.ilkehomes.co.uk Images: 01. Burgess Hill will be a flagship development 02. ilke Homes are increasingly becoming a partner of choice for local authorities looking to scale up the delivery of energy-efficient, affordable housing

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MARKET MOVES

MEANWHILE HOUSING A SUSTAINABLE STEP FORWARD Beattie Passive, the first company in the UK to be certified for a complete build system by the Passivhaus Institut in Germany, is championing its modular ‘meanwhile housing’ schemes as a ‘ready-made’ solution to the UK’s social housing shortage. timber frame, Beattie Passive homes maximise airtightness and minimise thermal bridging to reduce energy consumption by up to 95%.

Photovoltaic panels (PVs) can be added to cover the remaining percentage and achieve a net zero equilibrium in terms of energy consumption and carbon emissions.

By definition, a building certified to the Passivhaus Plus standard, such as the new Ferry Road housing development in Cardiff, will produce as much energy from renewable sources as its occupants consume.

1 ‘Meanwhile housing’ is the term used to describe the interim use of vacant space for temporary homes while planning applications are being deliberated. Planning permission for permanent housing is a notoriously difficult and convoluted process and it can take a long time for approval to be granted. In the ‘meantime’ temporary homes can be constructed to relieve pressure on the housing sector and provide a safe sanctuary for vulnerable people, such as the homeless, refugees and displaced families.

The Home Office recently disclosed that the UK Government is currently spending £4.7million every day on hotel accommodation to house

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refugees, migrants and asylumseekers. At the current rate, it could cost up to £1.7billion a year.

Meanwhile housing is a subject that touches upon some of the hottest topics in construction today, including volumetric and modular housing, offsite manufacturing and carbon neutrality. Unlike traditional housing developments, which can take years to complete, modular housing can be delivered comparatively swiftly and at greater scale, using offsite manufacturing techniques.

Designed using the Passivhaus Planning Package (PHPP) and constructed around a sustainable

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Last year, 29,000 social homes were sold or demolished and less than 7,000 were built. In England, there are now 1.4 million fewer households in social housing than there were in 1980 and social housebuilding is at its lowest rate in decades. Furthermore, the quality of UK housing stock varies dramatically – the latest English Housing Survey figures indicate that 4% of social rented properties suffer from damp.

Ron Beattie, Managing Director at Beattie Passive, sees his company’s meanwhile housing developments are proven to provide tenants with a superior standard of accommodation and, in turn, a better quality of life with improved outcomes. “We’ve completed a series of meanwhile housing projects for housing associations and local authorities in recent years, from relatively modest Net Zero schemes through to the UK’s first ever large-scale Passivhaus Plus development in Cardiff.

“It’s no secret that the UK is in the midst of a housing crisis and urgent action is needed. We’ve shown that we can accelerate the delivery of social housing by using offsite

MARKET MOVES

2 manufacturing techniques and modern methods of construction. We build our modular homes at our factory before transporting them directly to site. It’s extremely efficient. By doing it this way, we have more control and we’re not at the mercy of the UK’s weather.

“We’ve been committed to Passivhaus from the start because the benefits are so compelling. Yes, we can build

rapidly and at scale, but it’s the Passivhaus principles that raise living standards for tenants, lowers their energy bills and cuts their carbon emissions. It ticks all the boxes.

The energy efficiency is absolutely remarkable. With concerns about climate change intensifying and rates of fuel poverty rising at an unprecedented rate, Passivhaus really does sell itself, but not enough people

know about it. We’re here to raise awareness and make Passivhaus more accessible to everyone.”

For more information visit: www.beattiepassive.com Images: 01. Ferry Road project 02. Low carbon modular manufacture can provide much-needed ‘meanwhile housing’

Helping businesses embrace modular construction Collinson Construction is a specialist in modular construction, offering a full turnkey solution for the education, sports and leisure, industrial, and commercial sectors.

Our modular buildings can achieve: Precision engineering in a controlled off-site environment Reduced site deliveries Less time required on site Minimal site waste Outstanding energy efficiency

Part of

MARKET MOVES

ALL ABOARD AT LEEDS TRANSPORT HUB Specialist offsite contractor M-AR has created an environmentally friendly terminus building for the first fully solar-powered park and ride facility in the UK and forms a major part of the city’s sustainable transport strategy.

The Stourton Park and Ride site, situated to the south of Leeds, is the third Park and Ride facility to open in the city. A key aspect of this project, which was delivered by BAM Nuttall for Leeds City Council, was the need to minimise its overall environmental impact in terms of construction, lifespan and ongoing operations.

BAM Nuttall and M-AR worked together to create an efficient offsite hybrid build solution to meet the exacting brief, while minimising the impact of the build itself. Having previously constructed the terminus buildings for both existing Park and Ride facilities in Leeds at Elland Road and Temple Green.

The completed project comprises eight modules which were manufactured offsite before being installed and finished on site. Together the modules create a fully heated, safe and secure terminus hub building with seating and ticket machines, WCs, changing place room, a staff office, retail area and a secure ticket window.

The modules were designed to complement the other elements of the project, which were built on-site using a traditional steel frame construction to securely house the high-tech electrical equipment including the Tesla batteries needed to support the solar panels.

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Another key part of the build was the green roof which was designed to increase biodiversity by creating a habitat for wildlife to thrive.

M-AR worked with a specialist roofing contractor to determine the design details to make sure the factory-assembled modules could accommodate the green roof. More than 11,000 trees and 9,000 shrubs were also planted around the site to create an attractive environment for people using the facilities and help minimise the overall impact of the project on the environment.

Sabby Khaira, Programme Executive, Leeds City Council commented: “Sustainability was a key driving force behind this project, so as well as the ultimate goal of improving the air quality in Leeds, we wanted to make sure that the project was undertaken as sustainably as possible. It was a pleasure to deal with the M-AR team who worked collaboratively with our partners to deliver this exciting, innovative project using offsite technology to meet the sustainability criteria.”

Ryan Geldard, Operations Director at M-AR added: “The main driving force was sustainability, so our aim was to reduce the environmental impact of the modules we provided, looking at the way they’re constructed, delivered and installed as well as how they perform over time and at the end of their lifecycle. The Stourton Park and Ride is a key part of Leeds’ sustainable transport network and we’re proud to have played our part in making Leeds a greener city.”

M-AR is investing in a greener future by putting a comprehensive strategy into action as it works towards achieving net zero across the business.

Earlier this year M-AR recertified its ISO certifications for the way it operates as a business, including ISO 45001

WWW.VOLUMETRICMAGAZINE.CO.UK | JUN/JUL 2022

which is billed as being the world's first global health and safety management system concerning the health, safety and wellbeing of staff. Where possible, M-AR also teams up with local community organisations and charities located around its construction sites to make a positive change whether that’s planting trees or donating food for an event.

Mark Fox, Manufacturing Director at M-AR said: “Offsite by its very nature already offers significant benefits in terms of sustainability, especially when compared to alternative construction methods, but that doesn’t mean that we’re resting on our laurels as we know more can be done to reduce our overall environmental impact. It’s not going to be a quick process but we’re in it for the long-haul, and as part of our strategy we’ll be constantly collecting data so we can see how we can make improvements to keep us on track as we progress.

“Our commitment to, and investment in, achieving net zero is about making sustainability a key part of our whole design and build process. While our clients in the housing, education and commercial sectors alike are increasingly keen to understand the green credentials of a project, we believe this should not be about box ticking. As a construction company we’re building homes, schools and public buildings for the future, and taking care of our environment for that future is a vital part of that process.”

The Stourton Park and Ride project has been shortlisted in the ‘Public Sector Project’ category at this year’s national RICS UK Awards.

For more information visit: www.m-ar.co.uk

MARKET MOVES

MTX ANNOUNCE LATEST HEALTHCARE WIN Modular healthcare specialist, MTX, has announced its latest project win, with the multi-million-pound Dame Clare Marx Building at Colchester Hospital. include six theatres, space for up to 72 beds and all the necessary ancillary spaces, including a main reception and waiting area.

Dame Clare Marx picked up the first spade-full of earth and dug in on Wednesday 11 May 2022 as work began on the orthopaedic care centre due to open in 2024. With long patient wait times and growing demands and pressures placed on the NHS, there was a need for further operating facilities at the hospital. The threestorey modular building will house the new orthopaedic centre for the East Suffolk and North Essex area. Once complete, the brand-new facility will

David Hartley, Managing Director at MTX, said: “As all the recent news has suggested, waiting times are a real pressure point for the NHS. This has only been exacerbated with the pandemic, and more than ever, it’s shone a light on the benefits of modular solutions – particularly the quicker speed of delivery. We’re excited to be working with the team on this new project and can’t wait to see it come to life and provide the end users with a real tangible benefit.”

This follows on from MTX collaborating with one of the UK’s leading providers of healthcare solutions, B. Braun Medical Ltd. B. Braun Aseptic Consulting Services (BBACS). The cooperation of the two brands is the first

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of its kind, combining more than 190 years of experience, bringing together the expert user knowledge in Aseptic Operations of B. Braun, and the highspecification construction expertise of MTX. Paul Bradley, General Manager, BBACS added: “We’re excited to be co-operating with MTX to deliver modern cleanroom solutions for the NHS and healthcare clients. As a supplier of compounding solutions and consumables, we have a realworld perspective of the requirements of aseptic compounding operations, and by linking with MTX and providing our Aseptic transformation knowledge, we’re confident we’ll be able to deliver an exceptional service and unmatched expertise.”

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

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KEYWORKER ACCOMMODATION

DESIGNED TO PERFORM – BUILT TO LAST With house prices and rent costs increasing, how can MODULHAUS™, a new concept in volumetric modular interim homes help ease the pressure for keyworkers?

1 MODULHAUS™ was launched at a time of crisis and great need with the pandemic having far reaching implications and the NHS struggling to cope with accommodation requirements. VOLUMETRIC™ – the team behind this achievement – have now expanded their factory facilities to keep up with demand and have launched a new market-leading dual occupancy module with an expanded configuration.

Focusing on ergonomics and style, a fully furnished set up and commissioned new two-person module has been designed to meet the specific needs of the public sector and provide a low cost, high quality residential solution for keyworkers that are struggling to find accommodation close to their working environment.

The new two-person MODULHAUS™ unit has been an exciting addition to the product portfolio and showcases the new and improved interior that VOLUMETRIC™ has worked on in collaboration with the IKEA design team. The specification has been re-evaluated with internal fittings and kitchen units upgraded to create an efficient and stylish living space. Full ovens now come as standard, along with upgraded internal doors and fan lights to increase natural light throughout.

With housing prices on the increase and rents on the rise coupled with

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2 exponential growth in energy costs – for many keyworkers owning or renting a home is extremely challenging. One of the biggest obstacles currently facing the NHS as defined in their long-term plan, is the gap in workforce numbers as recruitment and retention declines. Based on current trends, the total shortfall of healthcare staff by 2030 could reach 250,000. Much of this can be attributed to a lack of accommodation in areas of greatest need.

The needs of keyworkers are changing. Adaptable and secure, MODULHAUS™ can be installed on NHS and Local Authority sites to create on-the-spot overnight accommodation.

Stackable accommodation modules make the most of unused space and can be located above car parks. The fully non-combustible structure with Secured by Design doors and windows together with double-lined external walls – create a home from home living space that performs from fit to finish.

NHS Estate Managers are turning to MODULHAUS™ as a rapid, reliable, and highly cost-efficient interim housing solution. The VOLUMETRIC™ team works closely with project designers and site managers to ensure full potential is reached for any space.

Looking towards the future needs of NHS Estates, VOLUMETRIC™ can provide a long-term solution to fit many unique requirements.

WWW.VOLUMETRICMAGAZINE.CO.UK | JUN/JUL 2022

Arriving 100% complete ready for simple site connection and commissioning – design features include ergonomic internal fully fitted living space with furnishings, bedrooms, shower-rooms and kitchens complete with white goods. Modules are provided on a turnkey basis, fully equipped for immediate occupation.

Available in a range of claddings and colour combinations, MODULHAUS™ sits on six low-impact foundation pads to minimise groundworks and requires only electric, water and waste connections via an innovative ‘plug and play’ solution in conjunction with a modular Energy Centre that facilitates low-energy living.

Walls are double-lined with noncombustible (high impact) boards to provide fire and acoustic performance, whilst encapsulating insulation to meet energy efficiency requirements with exceptional U-values (as low as 0.09W/m²K) and airtightness to work with the integral mechanical ventilation and heat recovery (MVHR) system.

The future-proof energy strategy for MODULHAUS™ is designed to exceed the Future Homes Standard with Environment B and A rating and emissions as low as 229.5Kg CO2/year.

Fully furnished, set up and commissioned, the new two-person MODULHAUS™ unit is now on display at the Shrewsbury HQ. The display unit offers an opportunity to see the home ready for occupancy, complete with finishing touches like soft furnishings, photographs and electrical goods.

For more information and to see examples of projects visit: www.volumetric.co.uk

Images: 01-02. MODULHAUS™ is meeting the challenge of providing fast, reliable keyworker accommodation

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ZERO CARBON HOMES

THE FUTURE OF SUSTAINABLE LIVING Debansu Das, Business Development Director for ZEDPODS, explains how energy efficiency and volumetric modular technology is delivering zero carbon housebuilding.

1 Living in an ever-uncertain world has become the new normal. Currently we are facing up to the word ‘crisis’ on a far too regular basis. The ‘cost of living’ crisis, due to sharp rise of energy prices, has been added onto the health and well-being crisis, just at the point we are getting out of the pandemic and looking to find our BREXIT feet.

Energy efficiency therefore has become far more relevant in today’s world. The built sector needs to play its part – all newbuilds should focus on increased building energy efficiency, with on-site renewable energy and less embodied carbon emissions. Net zero not only benefits the planet and helps abate climate change but they reduce ongoing costs for the occupants. It is therefore no surprise that more and

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more social landlords are embracing offsite-led developments to build affordable, good quality, energyefficient modular homes for their tenants.

Sustainability is at the heart of our design and construction works. We have designed and developed a factory built modular construction system that can be used to assemble buildings and is designed with an approach to holistically reduce carbon emissions and energy use.

Our Approach to Zero Carbon We are a modular housebuilder as well as a leading modular architect practice with decades of experience of zero carbon homes within the team.

We follow a strategy of enhancing the building fabric, maximising the

WWW.VOLUMETRICMAGAZINE.CO.UK | JUN/JUL 2022

number energy efficiency measures used and applying low carbon and renewable technologies. Using BIM software, we design out carbon from building fabric, material choice, passive solar design and M&E. The steel framed volumetric modular construction system has been designed with a ‘fabric first’ approach to reduce operational carbon emissions by minimising thermal losses by conduction and infiltration.

Firstly, we reduce how much heat is transferred from inside to outside (the largest loss of energy in buildings) by specifying thick insulation build-ups, insulated floor slabs and thermally efficient triple glazed windows and doors. We also use mechanical ventilation that recovers more than 80% of the heat from expelled air

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ZERO CARBON HOMES

meaning that there is a constant supply of fresh air circulating without the natural heat loss of other ventilation methods.

Our strategy is to reduce the amount of energy used by occupants. During the design of our projects, we utilise simulation software to ensure that adequate daylight factors are created inside the spaces, reduce artificial lighting and increase solar gains.

We use on-site renewable technologies to meet energy demands – for hot water and heating demand via MVHR unit and a solar assisted heat pump. Our units have no gas connections and so the remainder of their energy is met by roof mounted photovoltaic panels. This offset the remaining carbon emissions resulting in a zero carbon scheme with a negative dwelling emission rate.

Zero Carbon Keyworker Accommodation Our first zero carbon residential project was 10 new studio apartments for an NHS Foundation Trust on a hospital site. The self-contained units were required to be in operation as fast as possible so that the nurses and junior doctors can stay near to the hospital without having to take long commute home. This keyworker accommodation was designed, built offsite and delivered to the hospital site in just 13 weeks only despite numerous COVID-19 related challenges.

Using our innovative grid-based design and steel framed volumetric modules, we completed the apartments in the factory while the ground was prepared at the same time. These homes were built with SAP-A rated energy-efficient performance standards that exceed

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2

3

the building regulations. The modular building has been named ‘Captain Sir Tom Moore House’ in honour of the famous fundraiser who lived locally.

Building zero carbon homes is a large part of the story but not all. We encourage zero carbon transport and discourage car ownership on our schemes. We provide electric vehicle points on our schemes and focus on regenerating brownfield sites with great public transport links and local amenities to support a wider low carbon lifestyle. For example, Hope Rise doesn’t have any car park spaces for the residents, as it is an urban site with great public transport links and local amenities, complying with the sustainable transport strategy of the local council.

Zero Carbon Social Housing Our award-winning social housing scheme ‘Hope Rise’ for Bristol City Council is a UK-first project of using ‘air-rights’ over car parks to increase the supply of land and tackle the affordability of new homes. These homes are built on a raised steel platform over an existing councilowed public car park at Chalks Rd. It comprises of nine apartments constructed of cross laminated timber (CLT) and two homes constructed of steel. It is quite rare in modular sector to combine the two materials in the same project. 100% of original car parking spaces have been retained.

According to one Hope Rise Resident: “I have lived in a ZEDPODS home for over a month now and I still have to stop to appreciate how nice of a house I have at such a young age. I was nervous about moving in so close to Christmas because of winter and most people I know when they first move in it’s always cold. However, the homes are really warm and don’t take long to heat up.”

An end of year energy usage analysis has shown 104% of the annual energy requirement was being generated onsite by the PV array, making this ZEDPODS development a zero carbon in operation. Hope Rise was the only residential newbuild modular scheme which was showcased at COP26 summit last year at Built Better Now, a virtual pavilion for the Built Environment, along with 16 other leading sustainable projects across the world.

WWW.VOLUMETRICMAGAZINE.CO.UK | JUN/JUL 2022

Going Forward The biggest challenge is the perception about what is possible and commercially viable. We work with local authorities to push the agenda and demonstrate what will fit with their cost models to show you can delivery zero carbon affordable homes.

Perception is also that homes must be brick and block and not modular/ low embodied carbon materials. We work hard with warranty providers, BOPAS, lenders and insurers to demonstrate durability and longevity so that the full delivery chain understands what is possible now and why it works now. Overcoming these entrenched opinions and structural and systemic barriers is key to deliver net zero now.

As the sector grows and develops, more zero carbon homes will be built by in the UK. For more information visit: www.zedpods.com

Images: 01. The Burnt Ash Lane project of 25-units above a public car park for London Borough of Bromley will save 900 tonnes of carbon over 30 years when compared with traditional construction 02-03. Hope Rise, Bristol. Courtesy ZEDPODS

PRODUCT INNOVATION

MODULAR CONSTRUCTION & FIRE BEHAVIOUR Dorjan Dauti, PhD, Structural and Research Engineer at Efectis, sheds some light from a numerical modelling perspective on modular design. is the overall behaviour of the modular structure in the event of a fire including the impact of the module’s displacement on the connections between modules.

Over the last few decades modular construction has been primarily used for small residential construction projects, nowadays bigger and taller modular projects are rising such as hotels, offices, high-rise residential buildings etc.

Fire safety professionals are therefore driven by this increasing popularity into tackling the fire safety issues linked with modular construction.

One of the main issues of concerns

The high temperature behaviour of modular construction is rather complex. Fire testing alone is often not enough in evaluating the fire resistance of the overall system due to size and loading limitations in fire laboratories and 3D modelling studies are often necessary for the fire safety assessment.

The main challenge is the performance of connections, which are used for fixing the modules to each other and transferring the horizontal loads back to the stabilising elements of the building. Differential heating, expansion structural elements and It’s All of About BIM second order effects (deformations

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We believe that finite element simulations are indispensable for understanding these complex phenomena and evaluating the impact of fire on the resistance of the structural elements that compose the modular building. While modular construction is paving its way as a construction method for tall buildings, we are prompted by the challenge of evaluating the fire resistance of such type of construction.

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causing initial loads to induce further stresses into the structure) are some of the main phenomena, which can lead to failure of connections and consequently compromise the fire resistance of the building.

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ZERO CARBON HOMES

MODULAR – THE SUSTAINABLE OPTION Modular housing is crucial to tackling the energy bill crisis and poor health. Rosie Toogood, CEO of Legal & General Modular Homes, explains why.

1 The energy bill crisis is no secret.

The UK’s energy price cap was recently reviewed and has risen by a shocking 54%, meaning a steep rise in household bills this spring.

This crisis goes further than just homeowners being out of pocket.

According to ‘The Business of Health Equity: The Marmot Review for Industry’ the UK has a major problem with poor quality, poorly insulated housing that is damaging to health and contributes to excess winter deaths each year. The review, which was launched by Legal & General in partnership with The UCL Institute of Health Equity earlier this month, finds that reducing health inequalities is a key part of levelling up and that the UK’s housing correlates directly with health outcomes. Better housing drives better health.

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With rocketing energy bills and the need for more high-quality, affordable and sustainable homes, modular offers a significant opportunity to create climate-friendly homes to support people throughout their different life stages.

As we drive towards net zero, modular housing provides us with an immediate advantage as we can deliver net zero regulated carbon homes, with all sites being gas-free. Our homes are already achieving a minimum of Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) A by design, and we are delivering our first net zero homes. Currently fewer than 2% of newbuild homes in the UK achieve this high standard. In addition, they include design features and technologies such as sustainable building fabric, air-source heat pumps, solar-photovoltaic cells, while our

WWW.VOLUMETRICMAGAZINE.CO.UK | JUN/JUL 2022

manufacturing process ensures that they are built consistently to a design that will save significant amounts of energy once in use and throughout the lifetime of the home. Materials are responsibly sourced, with low levels of embodied carbon specified wherever possible. Meanwhile, landscaping on site supports biodiversity.

Using precision engineering, lean manufacturing techniques, such as value stream mapping and continuous improvement, along with quality assurance, our modular approach also uses fewer materials than traditional building methods and generates far less waste.

This approach means our modular homes are better for the environment and significantly reduced energy bills for residents.

ZERO CARBON HOMES To put this into perspective our modular homes are 60% more efficient to run for the homeowner than a Building Regulation compliant newbuild home and our apartments are up to 30% cheaper to heat and run than the average apartment. If you also look at the cost in use and the amount of carbon used over the lifetime of the property, the results are impressive.

Using one of our homes over a 100year period would result in about 85 tonnes of carbon over that period. A similar newbuild home would emit about 213 tonnes. That’s 40% less carbon than a Building Regulation compliant newbuild home. This is important as we need to be building homes that will last and maintain their quality and sustainability credentials for decades and centuries to come.

These reduced costs for residents provide a clear advantage in the wake of the rocketing cost of living.

However, the poorer parts of the UK have historically suffered with lower quality housing, even resulting in winter deaths and other illnesses.

More energy efficient and well insulated homes also contribute to a healthier and happier, ‘levelled up’ society. During the Government’s ‘Levelling Up Health’ launch last year, stark analysis revealed that 40,000 fewer people would have died during the pandemic if the most deprived areas in the UK had the same health record as the most prosperous.

Areas which have suffered most from austerity and cuts to public services have also clearly seen a correlated fall in Healthy Life Expectancy.

In the UK, the rich-poor gap in Healthy Life Expectancy is almost twenty years, with those in the most deprived areas not only having shorter lives but also spending nearly a third of their lives in poor health. One major factor in all this is that these areas do not have good quality, affordable housing, this is a major problem in the UK. By using modern manufacturing techniques, we can ensure that our modular solution provides consistently high-quality, wellinsulated, energy efficient homes, that are also affordable. Affordable does not have to mean low quality. By using modern methods of construction, we have the opportunity to make sure that we are building homes correctly now and into the future. Not only will this save its residents thousands of pounds but it can also stop deaths caused by damp and cold housing.

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3 We are all living in testing times. With rising energy bills, a lack of good quality affordable housing and only a decade to prevent catastrophic climate change we need to act now.

conditions. We have an opportunity to use modern methods of construction to build back better for good. Let’s not waste it.

Modular offers a significant opportunity to ensure we stimulate the UK economy after COVID-19, addressing the housing shortage and transforming the housing market by building high-quality sustainable homes in beautiful communities where people want to live. The UK has to be a net-zero carbon economy by 2050 and residents can’t afford to sustain rising bills or accept living in poor

www.legalandgeneral.com/modular-homes/

For more information visit:

Images: 01. Rosie Toogood, CEO of Legal & General Modular Homes 02-03. By using modern manufacturing techniques, the modular solution provides consistently high-quality, well-insulated, energy efficient homes

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INDUSTRY COLLABORATION

COLLECTIVE CHANGE Steve Cole, Head of Make Modular, outlines why the new organisation is required and where it sits in a constantly evolving construction and homebuilding environment. and think tanks are making great progress on that front. Our recent joint workshops with DLUHC on warranties, standardisation and data are just one example of this.

1 For as long as I’ve worked in housing, modular has been the coming thing, the innovation which will save the housing industry from low productivity, an ageing workforce, massive carbon footprint and poor build quality.

But somehow, it has never quite happened, even though everyone in the industry knows that:

• The UK needs more homes, and fast • It needs homes which are green to build • It needs homes which use less energy • It needs homes to be great quality and good value • And it needs new people to build them.

The modular sector is at a tipping point as it moves from an innovator to early adopter market. If we’re going to finally move UK housing out of perpetual crisis mode, our sector has the key role to play. Make Modular, the new trade body, has been formed to support the sector in making that transition. Everyone in the sector knows modular means greener, better, faster housing delivery. The tricky bit is ensuring those outside the sector ‘get it’.

Launched in parliament in December 2021, Make Modular was founded by Ilke Homes, TopHat, Urban Splash, Laing O’Rourke, L&G Modular, Vision

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Modular Systems, and the trade body for the manufacturing sector Make UK. Most trade bodies, very reasonably, are focused on stability and incremental growth. With ‘what we have we hold’ being, very reasonably, the dominant mentality. Make Modular was set up for exactly the opposite reason. The intent is for the new trade body to act as the voice for the volumetric modular housing sector ensuring that Government and stakeholders understand what the sector has to offer the country and the support it needs to transform our housing market.

Make UK, under whose umbrella Make UK Modular, sits has an excellent reputation for producing evidencebased policy work which means it regularly engages with the most senior levels of government and business. We intend to take the same approach, and indeed make use of the expert economists and public affairs specialists within the wider organisation.

Over the last five months we’ve focused on building our relationship with Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), Homes England and wider political stakeholders. We want to be the first port of call for Government on all things modular and with regular meetings with civil servants, MPs,

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Unlike the social housing or housebuilding sectors there is currently only limited data available on the volumetric modular sector.

This means we are an industry with a limited overview of ourselves. We don’t really know how many modular homes are being built, what standard they are being built to, and what is being invested in the sector. This is a gap we aim to fill.

Our recent work on the sector’s capacity gap is one example of this.

We now know that the UK has seen nearly £1billion of investment in modular factories, prototyping and systems in the last five years. We also know that there is sufficient capacity in place today to deliver more than 20,000 modular homes a year by 2024. The sector is at a crucial point in its development. Government must capitalise on this investment and capacity – it won’t have this opportunity again.

Our membership already covers around 70% of the modular homes delivered in this country but we want to ensure we can speak confidently and accurately to Government on behalf of the entire sector. I’m confident that with the right evidence base, strategy, and the modular sector pulling together we can ensure the Government delivers the best possible environment for modular industry to deliver the transformation the nation’s housing so badly needs.

For more information visit: www.makeuk.org Images: 01. Steve Cole and ilke Homes’ Dave Sheridan at the Make Modular launch

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INDUSTRY COLLABORATION

COMBINING LOW CARBON TECHNOLOGIES As the drive to provide low carbon housing intensifies, housebuilders are seeking sustainable products as well as sustainable construction practices.

Civic Living at Houlton showcases low carbon heating via air source heat pumps and volumetric modular construction.

1 Based in Rugby, the 38-plot development has been delivered

by TopHat for Urban&Civic, the UK’s leading master developer.

Situated on the larger 6,200 home Houlton development that will be developed over the next 15 or so years to include new schools, local centres, health provisions and supporting infrastructure for the growing town. With a clear focus on sustainability, TopHat needed a heating solution that would mirror the sustainable objectives of the project, providing future residents with a solution that would exceed the current environmental legislation and performance requirements, but would also be compliant with 2030 net zero targets.

Support from the Get-Go When it came to the specification of the heating system, TopHat enlisted the support of Vaillant early on at the project’s concept stages, which meant Vaillant’s team were able to provide the project’s developers with presales consultancy support. From the outset,

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Vaillant’s design services team were clear on the designs of the properties and could deliver a solution that not only complemented the aesthetics of the development, but also contributed to the overall goal of sustainable living.

With this in mind, Vaillant’s aroTHERM plus, an air-to-water heat pump, was specified to meet the heating and hot water demands for each of the 38 properties.

Work on the homes was carried out at TopHat’s manufacturing site in Derby.

This meant that at the design and planning stages, upmost precision was needed to ensure everything was manufactured to the exact specification needed and delivered to site to ensure construction schedules were met.

Adam Tilford, Sustainability Manager at TopHat said: “When it comes to selecting a partner to work with, first and foremost we’re looking for companies that have products that fit with our own. This is particularly important as a modular housing

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business, where tolerances are much tighter than with traditional construction methods, as it’s vital that components arrive on site ready to be built.

“For the Civic Living project, Vaillant’s design services team was on hand to support the project’s developers from the onset. Using the individual housing designs of each housing type on site, Vaillant’s team was able to provide in-depth heat loss calculations which were used to provide fully indemnified heating designs. These were really important, as they gave added peace of mind to both us and also the project’s installation team.”

Adhering to British Standard EN12831, the heat loss calculations provided by Vaillant were then used to determine the size of the heat pump required for each property. And to further deliver optimal comfort for the future residents, the heat loss calculations were also used to ascertain the size of the radiators needed in each room.

INDUSTRY COLLABORATION

2 A Sustainable System By working closely with the project’s designers, Vaillant’s award-winning aroTHERM plus heat pump was selected in conjunction with a Vaillant uniTOWER, an indoor unit, containing an integrated hot water cylinder and hydraulic components, to meet the domestic hot water and heating needs for each property on-site. Using the natural refrigerant R290, Vaillant’s aroTHERM plus has a global warming potential of just 3, while its ErP rating of A+++, making it the perfect solution for each of the properties on Civic Living development. In addition to the heat pumps, Vaillant’s sensoCOMFORT wireless controls were also specified, to ensure residents could further maximise the energy efficiency of their heating system.

its impact on useable garden space wherever possible.

Yet while TopHat’s primary focus for Civic Living project was to deliver sustainable living, it was also important that this didn’t come at the cost of aesthetic appeal for the residents.

One of the main considerations to overcome here was the location of the heat pump itself, which needed to carefully balance the clearances required as part of the current building regulations, but also make sure the heat pump was located in a position that was aesthetically pleasing to the building around it. To overcome this challenge, TopHat specified the installation of a pre-insulated underground duct which offered increased flexibility in the positioning of the aroTHERM plus. This meant each unit was able to be positioned in the rear of the property, minimising

On-site support Following the specification of the heating system, Vaillant’s team worked closely alongside the project’s installer, Sub Modular Ltd, to provide support throughout the project, which included in-depth product training for the installation team at Vaillant’s Centre of Excellence in Belper. Ryan Mountney, Managing Director at Sub Modular Ltd, led the installation, he said: “The installation process for modular projects is slightly more complex than traditional construction methods. TopHat specified the use of an underground duct which is preinsulated that meant some of our work needed to be carried out in tandem with the groundworkers to ensure our work was completed to schedule.”

Adam Tilford added: “The focus for this project was to deliver residents a sustainable product and from the outset we knew we wanted to use the most efficient heating system to support this vision. The Vaillant aroTHERM plus provided the perfect solution. Not only is it playing a significant part in ensuring this project is meeting current building regulations, but the use of the aroTHERM plus heat pump, together with other sustainable technologies, has meant we’ve been able to reduce carbon emissions from the properties on site by more than 35-40% than current building regulations require us to.”

3 To complement the modular construction of the project, a Vaillant uniTOWER was installed within each property during the manufacturing process, with the final connection with the aroTHERM plus was made on site.

Steve Cipriano, Commercial Director at Vaillant said: “With the race towards net zero in full swing, TopHat is a shining example of a business which is not only looking at the ways it can reduce emissions through its products, but it’s also playing a significant part in reducing emissions from the construction process too, via its modular approach to building.

“Civic Living project is a forwardthinking development, so it was great to be able to work in close collaboration with TopHat on this from the project’s initial concept stages.

This meant not only could we provide full support to the team from design through to installation and beyond, but in doing so we’ve been able to deliver each property on site a heating solution which meets 2030 net zero targets today.”

For more information visit: www.vaillant.co.uk www.tophat.io Images: 01-03. Air source heat pump technology plus volumetric modular design can provide massive carbon benefits and reduce residents heating costs dramatically.

Courtesy Vaillant

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HEALTHCARE

LOOKING GOOD: FEELING BETTER Foleshill Health Centre is the UK’s first Passivhaus primary care healthcare building, breaking new ground in the NHS drive towards zero carbon by 2040. traditional capital cost and NHS’s imposition of an exacting cap of 1% annual energy price inflation, unlike traditional health centres Foleshill is now set to provide financial return within 25-years alongside significant carbon emissions reduction.

1 The Foleshill Health Centre breaks sets ultra-low carbon performance levels and originally was conceived as a traditional built health centre. However, the project team decided to build a proof-of-concept modular Passivhaus facility that performs as a ‘beacon’ for future healthcare estates. Gaining conditional approval to proceed from NHS England and Coventry & Warwickshire Clinical Commissioning Group amid the pandemic in July 2020, offsite volumetric modular construction, was chosen as a key solution to time, some cost challenges and Passivhaus’s construction quality demands for airtightness.

The modular construction, completed in May 2021, achieved better than required performance for Passivhaus as well as BREEAM Excellent and shaved months off the site works programme in comparison to a benchmark traditional health centre.

As its critical lifecycle cost analysis shows, despite its slightly higher than

Offsite technology as a fundamental underpinning building choice, enabled early contractor involvement and eased the procurement process.

Design was based on design for manufacture and assembly (DfMA) engineered standard modules by Portakabin, and took advantage of standardisation, repeatability and most efficient procurement and manufacturing process.

The building’s 14 module superstructure uses Portakabin’s largest module size, so waste and deliveries were minimised. Just seven weeks offsite construction work (over 50% of total construction work) led to only 36 weeks programme on-site.

Simultaneous offsite manufacturing and on-site substructure construction enabled the 14 modules to be offloaded and positioned in two days and the building was watertight in 10 days. As a major element of the project’s delivery, these factors contributed time and costpredictability, economies of scale and materials, quality and accuracy of construction. The increased installation speed and certainty from offsite technology contributed hugely to

REVITALISING NHS PROPERTY Community Health Partnerships (CHP) is wholly-owned by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and is a key member of the NHS family. CHP aims to improve community-based health and social care services, by working to improve the NHS estate. In 2013 CHP were given the major challenge of taking on the role of Head Tenant from the former Primary Care Trusts (PCT) and building on the capability needed to manage this unique portfolio of over 300 properties from scratch. With a diverse workforce and regional offices in Manchester, London and Birmingham, CHP properties comprise 5% of the NHS property portfolio.

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design confidence that a complex Passivhaus design model would be delivered. NHS England’s approval for the project requires the building is subjected to three years post-occupancy measurement and monitoring to evaluate and prove its Passivhaus and BREEAM Excellent credentials. Developer Community Health Partnerships (CHP) have no doubt that the use of offsite volumetric modular construction has played a key part in a building as good as its claims.

By using an existing NHS modular framework, Portakabin was able to come on board much earlier and contribute their offsite expertise and cost certainty, which often avoided the industry approach of design team concepts vs constructor’s reality. The integrated offsite-led team enabled much tighter cost and design control and avoided on-site confrontation and clashes.

The final airtightness testing in May 2021 has shown that the building performs better than the Passivhaus requirement, at 0.525AC/h@50Pa, below the Passivhaus limit of 0.6AC/h@ 50Pa. To continue proving the concepts, the postoccupancy monitoring will measure all performance aspects, evidence compliance with NHS HTMs and demonstrate compliance with the many design performance models.

Foleshill has shown itself to be an unparalleled offsite healthcare project and proves the many benefits of using a volumetric modular solution.

For more information visit: www. communityhealthpartnerships.co.uk Images: 01. Foleshill Health Centre is setting new standards in volumetric modular and Passivhaus design

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OFFSITE AWARDS 2022

REWARDING THE BEST OF VOLUMETRIC MODULAR TECHNOLOGY Following the unprecedented success of the 2021 event, the Offsite Construction Awards returns later this year and will take place at Offsite Expo – the UK’s largest offsite technology event in the construction calendar.

Pictured (L-R) Jackie Maginnis (MPBA), Michael Gibbs (Bond Bryan) & Cally Beaton (Awards Host)

Taking centre stage at OFFSITE EXPO on the evening of 20 September 2022, the OFFSITE AWARDS will be a major coming together of the industry where over 500 guests will gather to celebrate ground-breaking achievements and the pioneers who are developing radical new offsite technologies, innovative product developments and landmark projects using factory-based methods.

Best Use of Volumetric Technology This category will reward the exemplar use of volumetric technology in a

project across any UK construction sector. Including pre-installed service modular units, kitchen pods, bathroom pods and volumetric washrooms, the entrant will have shown the use of volumetric technology as a major factor in delivering quality, factorycontrolled, robust and sustainable offsite manufacture.

Special attention will be given to prefabricated unit design, the level of activity taken offsite, the integration with onsite activities and performance levels and the project should clearly

demonstrate how cost-predictability, economy, accuracy, transportability, speed of installation to form complete buildings, and principles of lean manufacture have been achieved.

Additional categories rewarding the use of volumetric modular technology include (but are not limited to); Education Project of the Year, Healthcare Project of the Year, Commercial Project of the Year, Retail/ Leisure Project of the Year, Private Housing Project of the Year, Social Housing Project of the Year.

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE The winners of the 2022 Offsite Awards will be announced on 20 September 2022 at Offsite Expo.

Many of the sponsorship packages have already been snapped up by savvy companies wanting to take advantage of the opportunity to promote their company and maximise industry exposure.

For more information on how to get involved in the Offsite Construction Awards, please contact Rhian Morris on rhian.morris@radar-communications.co.uk

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OFFSITE AWARDS 2022

2022

20.09.22 CBS ARENA - COVENTRY

Previous Offsite Awards winners of the Best Use of Volumetric Technology category include:

2022 CATEGORY SPONSOR

mpba

modular & portable building association

2016

Vision Modular Systems - Chapter Living Lewisham

2015

Urban Splash – house

2018

Vision Modular Systems & Tide Construction: Apex House

2017

2019

Vision Modular Systems - Juxon & Sail Street

Ilke Homes - Gateshead Innovation Village

2021

Bond Bryan Architects -

Springhead Primary School

2020

Tide Construction & Vision Modular Systems 101 George Street

JUN/JUL 2022 | WWW.VOLUMETRICMAGAZINE.CO.UK

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SEISMIC

EFFECTING BUILDING CHANGE Delivered by a consortium of seven companies, including offsite experts, manufacturers, and building consultants, Seismic has entered a second phase of modular investigation. work as possible. This approach improves quality, with repeatable, standard components manufactured consistently in a controlled, safe environment.

1 Seismic is the culmination of a fouryear project, delivered in two phases.

Phase one focused on the design of a standardised, lightweight steel frame and connector block. Completed in 2020, the natural next step was to look at the design and construction of core components that would work with the frame, starting with wall, floor, ceiling and roof cassettes, with the ambition to create an ‘all-in-one’ standardised solution for clients that would be suitable for a range of sectors.

In practice, this would allow clients to commission a project that uses the Seismic platform, working directly with the relevant manufacturer to specify the building that they wanted.

Modules would be configured to achieve the desired floor space and then, depending on the performance levels desired, the client would select the appropriate floor, ceiling, roof and wall cassettes. For example, the client could choose a thicker wall option to up the thermal mass or want to use more sustainable components within the build, such as the Vitromite floor option made from recycled glass.

There are a range of aesthetic options too, with multiple cladding alternatives, internal fit out choices, and both flat and pitched roof solutions.

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Martin Harvey, Head of Design and Technical Services at McAvoy, said: “The advantages of a platformbased approach are huge, with reduced delivery programmes, consistent quality, and more cost certainty for clients. And, whatever their requirements, the relevant components can be ordered and installed to the frame. The platform approach also comes with many benefits for the manufacturer, reduced design time due as testing and analysis is already complete, reduced procurement due to the ability to hold stock and reduced build times due to efficiencies in the repetitive manufacture process.”

Work led by the MTC focused on the factory set up to determine the most efficient layouts and equipment for delivering modules at a higher volume, alongside analysis in areas such as quality assurance, future workforce requirements and opportunities for continuous improvement.

This process, focusing on the design of the modules and the factory capability, has resulted in a new standard for a smoother manufacturing process, with the Seismic team removing as much waste and unnecessary

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A wider package of work led by Specific, part of Swansea University, assessed the carbon impacts of Seismic, looking at the whole process including design, materials, manufacturing, component performance and logistics. The analysis showed that a standard Seismic module comprises 581.3 kgCO2e per m2, well below Construction 2025’s target of 1,300 kgCO2e per m2. And, because Seismic can be reused, either by relocating modules to other sites or by refurbishing individual components and cassettes, it adds a 234 kgCO2e per m2 clawback. This brings Seismic well beyond even the lowest stretch targets being discussed in construction today.

To show people what has been achieved, the consortium has built a demonstrator building at the BRE Innovation Park in Watford.

“Addressing the prevalence of carbon within the built environment is at the heart of BRE’s agenda,” says Seya Tansill, Senior Technologist, Modern Construction at BRE. “We are thrilled that this project delivers a 70% reduction in carbon versus traditional construction methods. Seismic also highlights the value of collaboration within the industry, which is something we encourage and partake in to drive innovation and progress across the sector.

Find out more about Seismic and its partners at: www.seismicgroup.co Images: 01. The Seismic modules are low carbon and show the high-performance aspects of volumetric modular design

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WASTE REDUCTION

MAXIMISING MATERIAL EFFICIENCY As the UK looks to ‘build back better’ Richard Hipkiss, Development Director of the Modular and Portable Building Association (MPBA) highlights the need to reduce landfill waste and improve material optimisation.

1 According to the UK Green Building Council, approximately 400 million tonnes of materials are used by the UK construction industry annually. The Council’s vision for a sustainable built environment is one that eliminates waste and maximises resource efficiency. However, there is a great void between this vision and reality with Transparency Market Research predicting that annual construction waste could reach 2.2 billion tonnes per year globally by 2025. Reducing landfill waste therefore has to be a priority. Volumetric modular construction can provide a practical solution.

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Individual modules are produced in factory settings, maximising resource efficiency while also allowing better control over optimising material use.

The surplus materials are recycled or reused for future projects, reducing the construction waste that ends up in landfill. Materials are protected from moisture and extreme weather conditions, reducing the risk of disposal through water ingress and damage. While widely recognised that volumetric modular technology has the potential to reduce overall construction programmes, it is not often acknowledged that this approach can reduce up to 90% of

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waste generated when compared with traditional construction methods.

Resource efficiency is the maximisation of time, processes, materials and labour to function more effectively.

Volumetric modular technology can help deliver sustainability credentials in the entire construction value chain to improve resource and productivity efficiency. Modular builds are less susceptible to poorly specified manufacturers’ products as time can be taken upfront to validate the correct specification of materials.

Designs are digitally constructed and virtually tested before moving

WASTE REDUCTION onto the manufacturing phase. This process eliminates waste and achieves highly accurate and airtight building envelopes designed and built to higher sustainability requirements.

It is easier to control energy use in a factory setting than in an open construction site. On average 67% less energy is required to produce a modular building and up to 50% less time is spent onsite when compared to traditional methods, resulting in up to 90% fewer vehicle movements which is less disruptive for the local community and reduces carbon emissions.

2

Not only is the actual construction of the building ‘greener’ but volumetric manufactured buildings are also more energy efficient – reducing heating requirements and in-use carbon emissions for the lifetime of the building. This is a crucial factor in mitigating climate change. Research conducted by the World Green Building Council finds construction and buildings in use are responsible for 39% of all carbon emissions in the world. This is broken down into two elements with 11% being linked to the manufacture of materials and construction processes known as embodied carbon emissions and 28% associated with operational emissions caused by heating, cooling and lighting systems when a building is in use.

Modular technology brings a host of benefits to the construction industry, contributing to healthier, safer and more cost-efficient environments but often the sustainability gains are overlooked. The modular way limits the amount of concrete in the ground, which is a significant issue for traditional builders. Eco-friendly materials are often specified and each individual component can be selected specifically for its performance characteristics, tailoring every inch of a modular build.

Volumetric modular construction presents an opportunity to integrate

3 upstream with downstream construction practices and achieve sustainability gains throughout the entire process. In her report ‘Building a Safer Future’, Dame Judith Hackitt highlights the need for a systembased approach with a golden thread of information running through the lifecycle of each project. A smart modular construction regime can operationalise the collection and storage of components' lifecycle information. Allowing the sector to build the capabilities needed to support the maintenance, recovery and

reuse of modular components – further supporting the UK Green Building Council’s vision for a more sustainable built environment that eliminates waste and maximises resource efficiency.

As the construction sector develops and adapts to meet changing government strategies, I firmly believe the upward trajectory of modular will continue and although currently not making the headlines, climate change is a major crisis, and we need to act now to help mitigate the impact for future generations to come.

For more information visit: www.mpba.biz

MPBA The Modular and Portable Building Association leads best practice protocols, the development of standards and is represented on many government committees for the benefit of members. The association collaborates with specialist technical advisors to enhance innovation in the design and manufacture of volumetric modular buildings.

Images: 01-02. King’s College Hospital.

Courtesy Premier Modular 03. Premier Modular generates zero waste in their manufacturing processes.

Courtesy Premier Modular

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INTERNATIONAL

EMBRACING THE MODULAR CIRCULAR ECONOMY Finlandia Hall, Helsinki's most famous and architecturally unique venue for conferences and other events, is now flanked by a timber volumetric modular construction known as Little Finlandia.

1 Little Finlandia has been designed by architects Jaakko Torvinen, Havu Järvelä and Elli Wendelin in collaboration with Professor Pekka Heikkinen and Architects NRT Oy and Arkitekturum Oy. It will provide temporary facilities during the renovation of Finlandia Hall and is a joint project of the City of Helsinki, Finlandia Hall, Aalto University and FM-Haus, with the timber elements supplied by Metsä Wood.

The structural design of Little Finlandia was based on the possibility of reusing the building. Once the renovation of Finlandia Hall has been completed, it can be moved to other locations. Little Finlandia complies with the principles of sustainability and the circular economy and is made of volumetric modular and reusable timber units.

Prefabricated at FM-Haus’s factory, the floor and roof structures feature Metsä Wood’s Kerto LVL RIPA technology.

“Thanks to RIPA technology, we didn’t need as much Kerto LVL for the wooden elements. This matches our ecological values, as it means a reduced volume of material,” says Juhani Sjöman, Managing Director of FM-Haus. “Modular construction has also made a big difference in the speed of construction. In the case of Little Finlandia, modular construction cut the on-site construction time to a third of the usual duration.”

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2 Constructed from timber volumetric modules, the units were prefabricated

by FM-Haus at its element factory in Jokioinen, 120km north of Helsinki.

The buildings constructed by FM-Haus are easily adaptable and modifiable while offering the properties and fulfilling the criteria of permanent buildings. FM-Haus wants its buildings to serve people with flexibility for as long as possible. Another major goal is to put a stop to single-use construction. Metsä Wood and FMHaus share the same goal: they aim to be as sustainable and environmentally friendly in the construction value chain as possible.

The load-bearing structures of the modules used in Little Finlandia are built with several Kerto LVL products, including Kerto LVL S-beams, as well as Kerto LVL Q- and Kerto-Kate panels. Each of these products offers superior usability and properties for their purpose. Although lightweight, the products are very strong and rigid. Kerto LVL is structural laminated veneer lumber used in all types of construction projects, from new buildings to renovation and repair and is produced from 3mm thick rotary-peeled strength graded softwood veneers that are then adhesive bonded then cut to size as beams or panels.

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3 Little Finlandia also meets stringent standards for fire resistance. The Kerto LVL structures used in the building have a fire resistance of 60 minutes.

The building also features three fire compartments, bordered by fire dampers that withstand fire for 30 minutes. The ventilation engine room and the intermediate floors were constructed to ensure a fire resistance of 30 minutes. The timber panels used in the modules have a high fire- and char resistance, and they have been treated with a certified fire retardant to ensure they satisfy the fire safety requirements of European design standards.

“To ensure that the building meets the requirements for adaptability, transport and reuse, it must be constructed from durable and premium-quality materials. The elements, made of Kerto LVL products, ensure a long-lasting building that withstands heavy use,” says Lassi Moisio, from Metsä Wood.

The renovation of Finlandia Hall is to be completed in late 2024 and will serve its current purpose for at least three years before being relocated as temporary facilities for schools and day care centres.

For more information visit: www.metsagroup.com Images: 01-03. The timber volumetric modular structure enables material circularity and the building will be moved and repurposed

PRODUCT INNOVATION

THE POWER OF FASTENING BeA Fastening Systems Ltd is part of the successful global group BeA GmBH and have been in the fastening business for 50 years in the UK, manufacturing fixings and fastening for construction and industrial sectors across the world.

1 In recent years in the UK, BeA has seen increasing demand from many offsite and structural timber manufacturers, with a focus on housebuilding. The

offsite industry has some unique and specific construction challenges – the type and quality standards of fixings are very often bespoke to this sector.

By working closely with some of the major manufacturers, BeA has actively developed specific fixings, fasteners, tools and manufacturing automation to satisfy this fast-growing sector.

Staplers and nailers remain the core products from BeA, more recently our range of automatic solutions for larger scale manufacturing have seen increasing demand from offsite and timber manufacturing.

Fully Automatic AUTOTEC for Offsite Manufacturing BeA have semi-automatic and fully automated fastening solutions capable of reducing costs and further

improving production efficiencies.

Autotec is BeA’s fully automatic system with a full range of framing nail guns, coil nail guns and staplers.

A Complete Service BeA also offer our customers an excellent service. This includes professional advice from our experts and field sales advisors, fast and ontime delivery and both internal and mobile technical support tailored to our customers needs when it comes to maintenance and repair.

For more information email us at: sales@uk.bea-group.com Images: 01. BeA Autotec Stapler with cassette

Setting the standards for offsite fastening BeA your partner for offsite timber and light gauge steel frame construction

Across Europe and worldwide, BeA’s fastening technology, tools and consumables are the trusted choice for some of the biggest and best known names in offsite timber and light gauge steel frame manufacturing.

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THE POWER OF FASTENING

DIGITAL TOOLS

A KIT OF PARTS APPROACH As Chris Mortensen, Co-Founder of Modulous, points out, we need a data-first product-led approach to deliver sustainable homes at scale and pace.

To tackle the housing shortage whilst avoiding adding to the retrofit bill, we need to ensure that most – and preferably all - of the 300,000 homes the government is targeting to be delivered per year are designed and delivered to meet the UK’s Carbon Budget and the UK’s commitment to be net zero by 2050. This obviously means they should be energy efficient and low carbon, but it’s also important to take a holistic view and deliver healthy homes that maximise occupier wellbeing through comfort, security, and lack of harmful construction materials.

Maximising efficiencies and shortening build times is essential as the construction industry continues to deal with increased materials prices, labour shortages and supply chain delays at the same time as being placed under pressure to deliver more homes. With the Farmer report predicting around 62,000 construction workers will retire each year between 2016 and 2026, the time is now to adopt innovative methods and become product-led.

1 The UK has the oldest housing stock in Europe. Over 52% of homes in England were built before 1965, whilst nearly 20% were built before 1919. A lack of fabric efficiency and insulation has led to 60% of the UK’s housing stock - some 13.3 million homes – being EPC rated D or below. With the increased need for sustainable homes to achieve the government’s net-zero ambitions, there will be increased calls for a massive retrofit programme which could cost up to £525billion.

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Yet it’s not just the retrofitting of old homes that should be high on the government’s agenda. More homes are clearly needed to meet the ever-growing demand from the UK population. Supply and demand mismatches have led to the average house price rising by £27,000 in the year to February 2022, with the average house price now standing at £277,000.

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The treating of a house as a product – albeit the most expensive product you’ll buy in your life – can help to deliver better homes thanks to the tighter quality control that is possible in a factory setting. Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) continues to build momentum as developers, councils and government recognise the pivotal role it can play in delivering homes faster than traditional methods of construction. This has resulted in Homes England informing its strategic partners that they must commit to increasing their use of MMC if they wish to obtain funding for development sites.

But there is room for MMC to become even more efficient. At Modulous, we’ve combined the digital with the physical to enable the design

DIGITAL TOOLS

2 and construction of modular homes more affordably and efficiently than through traditional or typical MMC means. We realised that we needed to base our designs on a known Kit of Parts to ensure that we can effectively and accurately generate designs, quantify costs, calculate build times, and leverage the supply chain through our software. Plus, by taking control of the physical elements of the build, we can better influence the overall environmental performance of projects.

To build homes more efficiently and faster than we are currently, it is necessary to rationalise, standardise, and utilise the power of digital design to boost scale. By collating data from multiple sources – including local planning regulations – into one easily accessible tool, it becomes possible to

test-run multiple planning compliant scenarios at a development site and reduce the entire site assessment process from months to minutes.

We can also use data to accurately calculate the specific components and assemblies required to deliver a scheme, which drives down material wastage and improves cost certainty.

Given that construction, demolition and excavation accounts for almost two thirds of total UK waste, it is becoming increasingly urgent to reduce the amount being sent to landfill.

It would be wrong to look at the housing and climate crises as solely UK phenomena and as such it is vital to create a model that is globally scalable.

We’ve looked to tackle this through our asset-light approach, which enables

MODULOUS Modulous was founded in 2018 by a team of industry experts spanning design, engineering, finance, manufacturing, and construction, who set out to transform the way residential buildings are designed and delivered. Modulous is creating a connected digital and physical product suite that enables the delivery of quality affordable and sustainable homes globally. The Modulous design software is connected to a proprietary set of sub-assemblies – its ‘kit of parts’ – that the company developed to meet or exceed local building standards.

us to partner with the supply chain to produce our highly engineered Kit of Parts. This removes the need for capital-intensive dedicated factories and is more responsive to fluctuating demand. Transferring the model to other markets simply involves adjusting the Kit of Parts to suit local codes and expectations and forming new partnerships as needed to deliver it – something we are already doing in the USA. Data-driven technologies, productisation, and a holistic approach to sustainability offer the construction ecosystem the potential for a step change in the way housing is delivered in the UK and across the world. We are committed to addressing the twin crises of homelessness and climate and are confident that maturing ConTech solutions such as ours provide the blueprint.

For more information visit: www.modulous.com Images: 01. Chris Mortensen, Co-Founder, Modulous 02. Digital tools and reliable data are driving change across the offsite sector

JUN/JUL 2022 | WWW.VOLUMETRICMAGAZINE.CO.UK

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CRANES & LIFTING

RAISING THE QUALITY BAR Vision Modular Systems (VMS) – one of the UK’s best-known providers of offsite manufactured volumetric modular residential buildings – has seen many efficiency gains in its lifting operations thanks to experts at Britlift. supplied them with something totally new,” says Liam Botting, Managing Director of Britlift. “Telescopic spreaders were not at all standard for this type of application but are now much more commonplace because of Britlift. In fact, this has made us the go-to supplier within the offsite sector.

1 VMS wanted to improve lifting operation by reducing the weight of its lifting frame, thereby minimising downtime and improving overall flexibility. To do so, the company turned to Britlift to provide a better solution.

Krzysztof Wylezek, General Manager of Vision Modular Systems UK Ltd, says: “We chose Britlift because they have a young, proactive team and were able to create a solution that perfectly meets our needs. This has become a standard product for us, using Britlift spreader beams within our lifting frame configuration.”

2 Britlift designed, manufactured and supplied lifting beams, telescopic spreader beams and adjustable chain sling sets, providing VMS with the capability to lift all types of modules, including on its pioneering 44-storey modular building in Croydon. Britlift’s engineering capability also reduced rigging weight by over 50%, to around two tonnes. This enables quicker adjustment during the installation of different sized modules, reduces the overall rigging weight on the crane hook, and improves manual handling.

“VMS recognised that they had to save rigging weight, so we designed and

EXPERT ADVICE & PARTNERSHIPS Based in Dorset, UK, Britlift works with a global client base, providing an end-to-end lifting equipment engineering service including design engineering, manufacture, certification, and testing. Alongside this Britlift offer lifting equipment consultancy services such as lifting tool design, bespoke lifting lugs/connections, rigging design, design only services, project witnessing/ verification and more. The company manufactures a wide range of lifting beams and frames and can design a lifting solution to suit any lifting scenario, challenge, environment, restriction or project standards. Its Traditional Modular spreader beam is also available in a variety of standard sizes.

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“Since then, we have won repeat orders from VMS and also provided additional services such as engineered rigging drawings to lift every module in their project. This involved over 40 different drawings created by our in-house technical team. VMS has a strong focus on safety and takes lifting very seriously. Working with Britlift, they have demonstrated that investment in best practice can deliver efficiency gains as well as enhance site safety during lifting operations.

“VMS has continued to come to Britlift for more equipment and more service lead support, as well as lifting and rigging advice and general lifting safety guidance. This is where Britlift can add real value beyond simply supplying equipment. Because of the experience and expertise in our engineering team we can truly support our clients. With a team of degree-qualified mechanical and structural engineers, and a Technical Director who is a registered member of IEng and member of IStructE and MIET, Britlift can also offer a specialist engineering consultancy service solely focused on lifting.”

For more information visit: www.britlift.com

Images: 01-02. Reliable lifting expertise and using the right equipment is essential to project efficiency and health and safety

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EDUCATION

TRIPLE MODULAR WIN FOR ESSEX The ‘better, greener, faster’ approach to developing new public buildings has been used to great effect to create three new volumetric modular school buildings for Essex County Council.

This even included taking one of the head teachers on a visit to the modular factory to explain the design and the process. We’re delighted that the schools have now been delivered and that they’re having a really positive impact on the growing communities in which they’re based.”

1 Morgan Sindall Construction’s Essex business delivered the school buildings located at: Colne Community School & College in Brightlingsea, Colchester; Clacton County High School in Clacton-on-Sea; and Sweyne Park School in Rayleigh.

The comprehensive upgrades were awarded to Morgan Sindall Construction by the council under the ECF2 Framework and amount to £9.5million.

The modular units, manufactured by Eco Modular Buildings, were used throughout each project to ensure that the work was delivered quickly, efficiently and to a high standard while minimising disruption to the live school sites. The offsite approach that Morgan Sindall Construction implemented was a key part of these school buildings being able to achieve net zero carbon in operation, which was a first for the county.

At Clacton County High School in Clacton-on-Sea, a £3.5million expansion project involved the construction of a brand-new standalone teaching block, creating 10 general teaching classrooms, a plant room, and a four-court sports hall.

A brand new £4million teaching block was handed over at Colne Community School & College in Brightlingsea,

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Colchester includes eight general teaching classrooms, two resistant material technology rooms, two food technology rooms, a seminar room and a plant room.

A £2million standalone teaching block was built at The Sweyne Park School in Rayleigh to provide an extra 150 places for children of high school age. This block included six general teaching rooms, a WC, and staff rooms as well as special provisions and classroom enhancements to support suitable education for hearing impaired pupils.

Peter Whitmore, Managing Director for Morgan Sindall Construction’s East region, said: “With the government’s net zero target shining a spotlight on the importance of low carbon developments, these projects are a great showcase of how to design, construct and manage building projects with significantly reduced levels of carbon emissions. Thanks to the success of this approach, Essex County Council has been able to meet its impressive net zero in operation goal.

“We worked closely with a number of key stakeholders, including Essex County Council and the school’s staff, to ensure that the new buildings would be ideal for the task at hand.

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Stuart Beales, Sales and Marketing Director at Eco Modular Buildings, added: “These projects are a great example of what can be achieved when sustainable, modular technologies are used together in a clever, joined up manner. Thanks to this approach, the school’s all have a number of energy efficient, carbonreducing advantages built into the very fabric of the classrooms and corridors.

“These advantages range from solar panels, air source heat pumps and low energy ventilation to metering systems that gather data on energy usage in order to continually improve how the school operates. When combined with the superior insulation and airtightness levels we’ve achieved and the reliability of the offsite manufacturing methods, this will all enable the schools to generate as much power as they will require."

Cllr Tony Ball, Essex County Council Cabinet Member for Education Excellence, Lifelong Learning and Employability, said: “Using the modern methods of construction approach on these three projects has enabled us to successfully deliver new teaching space for schools whilst at the same time helping us deliver on our ambitions to tackle climate change and work towards making Essex carbon neutral."

For more information visit: www.morgansindall.com Images: 01. Sweyne Park School, Rayleigh

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CLOSING COLUMN

A LAUNCHPAD FOR CONSTRUCTION CHANGE Anne Daw, Associate and Head of MMC Delivery at HLM Architects, highlights the transformational potential of the platform approach for construction.

1 The government has long championed the use of innovative methodologies to drive much-needed improvements in the construction industry, including MMC and the adoption of a new model – the Platform approach to Design for Manufacture and Assembly (P-DfMA). This feeds into the Construction Playbook, which promotes the use of platform approaches in how hospitals, schools, and infrastructure are procured and delivered to meet ambitious targets.

Platforms can accelerate industry transformation by boosting quality, speed, outcomes and performance.

The recently published Product Platform Rulebook is a very positive step forward. It outlines a set of open-access rules and principles to create a common set of standards and processes for the industry to collectively develop product platforms and drive efficiencies, as well as societal and environmental benefits.

It mandates that platforms must be deployable, configurable, and open – comprising repeatable, standardised assets with interoperable components.

By harmonising repeatable features into a ‘kit of parts’ accessible to all, organisations can share knowledge,

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components and processes across a wide range of solutions and sectors, bringing economies of scale. This approach replicates what we’ve seen in other industries, such as aerospace and manufacturing, and can work to overcome challenges in the fragmented construction industry including lack of standardisation, productivity, quality and predictability.

The platform approach will not only optimise the fabrication and installation elements of construction but will also free up architects to be creative and focus on designing highquality projects tailored to specific needs while automatically meeting all technical, sector-specific requirements.

What the Product Platform Rulebook delivers is a set of common guidelines to bring clarity on how platforms can be successfully adopted at scale. Platforms can bring significant advantages, such as improved cost efficiencies through standardisation of solutions, faster delivery of projects, and safer conditions for workers on-site. They can also reduce the huge waste seen in the construction industry, which contributes 11% of all carbon emissions globally. We have no choice but to look at new options and accelerate innovation – it’s the only way for the built environment to reach net zero. Without embracing new models such as the platform approach, we will miss crucial environmental targets.

Recent innovations include the Seismic II Product Platform Construction System, a volumetric platform suitable to multiple asset types, from offices and residential to hospitals and schools. It facilitates reliable and predictable assembly of configurable components, resulting in less disruption and work on-site and more flexibility to reconfigure modular buildings. Another stand-out example is Laing O’Rourke’s p-DfMA platform – the Product Based Building

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Solutions (PBBS) Demonstrator, which offers cutting-edge reconfigurability, modularity and offsite manufacturing capabilities, and is already being leveraged for a new net zero school.

The Rulebook marks a key evolution for MMC, which lends itself well to the platform approach given its focus on agility, visibility of data, quality control and standardisation underpinned by using platforms to enable continuous improvement. Implementing MMC methodology successfully requires collaboration throughout the entire supply chain, which is one of the Rulebook’s key tenets.

MMC has already been harnessing the power of standardisation and offsite construction – however, its impact has been limited by a lack of common interfaces and detailing based on specific products and closed source IP, making it difficult to change components without undertaking a wider re-design. An industry-wide platform approach significantly streamlines and simplifies the process, with key connections and details decided upfront. The platform approach allows the advantages of MMC, which have been spoken about for years – such as using 67% less energy than traditional construction and being significantly faster – to fully materialise within the wider construction industry. The Rulebook sets the right framework for a more consistent, collaborative approach that embraces innovation, to support the sector in its transformation and enable it to meet future demand.

For more information visit: www.hlmarchitects.com Images: 01. Anne Daw, Associate and Head of MMC Delivery, HLM Architects

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