With such a high housebuilding target, housebuilders are under pressure to fi nd ways that enable them to build homes quickly, cost effectively and profi tably – within prescriptive building and environmental regulations to meet the highest standards. In short, offsite construction overcomes these challenges in three specifi c ways.
It guarantees quality through precision engineering, modern and automated factory processes and robust ISO procedures to ensure the highest quality products are manufactured and transported to sites, ‘just in time’ ready to erect. Performance standards are guaranteed to meet a varied range from current building regs to BREAAM excellent.
With timber systems arriving on site, ready to erect by experienced erect teams, there is an opportunity to reduce site labour and supervision. The systems are erected effi ciently and ready to hand over to followon trades seamlessly. A typical four-bedroom detached home can be erected wind and water tight within three to fi ve days.
Waste is reduced also giving further cost savings in addition to pre lim savings. With early client engagement, projects can be valued engineered to design out cost in each phase of the project from manufacture through to construction.
Our factory in Witney is one of the most advanced facilities of its kind. Here, designers, technical teams and project management work in partnership with clients from the initial design concept and development through to manufacture, delivery and construction.
In response to rising enquiries from housebuilders on how timber systems work and how they* can contribute to meeting market demand, Stewart Milne Timber Systems offer a range of workshops, seminars and factory tours to industry professionals. The events are created to encourage housebuilders and their quantity surveyors, construction teams, technical and fi nance to understand the merits of timber systems and more importantly to understand how to drive the real benefi ts to the bottom line.
It enables potential clients to get a fi rsthand look at the latest developments in offsite construction and how they can meet market demands. The automated facility in Witney Oxfordshire has recently opened a Centre of Excellence, a combination of learning and training that is available for clients and those with an interest in offsite manufacture or timber systems.
One example of a very successful offsite manufacture product is our Sigma II Build System which has been used in a number of our private and affordable housing projects as well as several BREAAM commercial projects.
The Sigma II Build System is a fabric fi rst solution that delivers an affordable, reliable and simple to install build system, promoting a "fi t-and-forget" approach.
Designed as a fl exible build system, Sigma II is tailored to maintain value and performance for each project while integrating it with the project’s design elements to achieve the architectural vision. It also offers the option of having more elements constructed offsite such as pre-fi tted windows and doors, as well as insulated prewrapped fl oor cassettes.
An example of this was the UK’s fi rst Eco town at Bicester, where as a partner with A2 Dominion and working with Wilmott Dixon, we delivered homes to meet Level 5 of the Code for Sustainable Homes.
Our role in the project was to provide the Sigma II Build System for 94 of the fi rst 393 homes as part of the "Exemplar" phase of the project. It is an inspiring project to be part of, as it is a forward-thinking model of modern living, and fi ts so well with the government’s vision of a sustainable future.
The use of off-site construction brought a number of benefi ts to the NW Bicester project. It meant reduced costs on preliminary site preparation, as well as reducing health and safety risks, avoiding weather interruptions and limiting defects.
Initial infrastructure work began in late April 2014, while the fi rst homes were completed and ready for residents last year. We expect to see more projects like these in future, and indeed we’re in discussions with key stakeholders in industry and government about how modern construction methods and cutting-edge technology can help to create more high quality homes, in less time, with exceptional environmental performance.
