Industry News

Big names line up to defend timber buildings against proposed fire-safety 'ban'

21st April 2020

Glenn Howells Architects, AHMM, dRMM, Waugh Thistleton and developer Urban Splash are lobbying the government not to ban structural timber under proposed rule changes on fire safety In response to the Grenfell tragedy, the government...

Modelling the Future for Real

20th April 2020

Launched at Offsite Expo 2019, the Construction Futures Research Centre (CFRC) is part of the School of Architecture and Built Environment at the University of Wolverhampton and is part of a new wave of centres of excellence...

Taking future construction skills offsite

17th April 2020

The Offsite Ready programme aims to build the UK’s capacity in the skills that will be vital to the future of construction. Douglas Morrison, director of operations and future skills at the Construction Scotland Innovation Centre, explains...

Bespoke Shower Floor Requirements for Urgent Covid-19 response buildings

17th April 2020

Leading UK based shower floor manufacturer On The Level, were chosen by The Darwin Group to produce bespoke shower floors for a COVID-19 Emergency Contingency Ward for Wrightington, Wigan & Leigh NHS Trust. The facility which...

Customised homes from Swan’s NU Living

17th April 2020

Thirty houses delivered from Swan’s factory to Beechwood Village in Basildon. Beechwood Village in Basildon is the first development to receive modular houses from Swan Housing Association’s factory in Warrington. Its first...

NG BAILEY JOINS PARTNERS TO DELIVER NIGHTINGALE HOSPITAL

16th April 2020

NG Bailey is continuing to play its part supporting national efforts to combat the COVID-19 epidemic as part of the team that has transformed Harrogate Convention Centre into an NHS Nightingale hospital to serve Yorkshire and Humberside. ...

Improving productivity and quality through DfMA

16th April 2020

The construction industry is facing a number of potentially existential challenges that need to be addressed urgently and offsite has the potential to make a significant contribution. But there is concern in some quarters about the aesthetic and...

Lean and Green the Future of the Built Environment

15th April 2020

As the UK grapples with climate change and the urgent need for more sustainable construction approaches – many developers are in a state of confusion about how to meet the proposed Building Regulation changes to further reduce the combustible...

Skanska, Mace and BAM among firms on Platform Design programme

14th April 2020

New schools and hospitals are set to be built from a “kit of parts” within 10 years after the Construction Innovation Hub named the firms that would take forward its flagship Platform Design programme. Skanska, BAM, Kier, Vinci,...

High Score For Fire Tests

13th April 2020

As part of its ongoing review of modern methods of construction (MMC), the NHBC has accepted Fusion Building Systems light steel frame solutions for residential buildings up to and over 18m in height. Fusion Building Systems has recently...

Energy Efficient to the Core

10th April 2020

As part of the Inside Offsite factory tour programme, timber building specialists Kingspan invited delegates from across the built environment to its North Yorkshire manufacturing facility to showcase its innovative Kingspan TEK® Building System...

Green light for £65m Scottish factory of the future

9th April 2020

Plans to build a £65m advanced manufacturing facility in Refrewshire have been given the green light. The National Manufacturing Institute of Scotland will be built at the Netherton Campus in Paisley and is designed by architect...

Modular housing business collapses

8th April 2020

Ashley House announces intention to appoint administrator to subsidiary F1 Modular Modular housing start-up F1 Modular is to go into administration, according to its parent company. AIM-listed Ashley House told the stock...

Demonstrating Effectiveness

8th April 2020

Joe Mazzon, Research Engineer at BSRIA outlines some of the ways that thermal imaging can improve energy efficiency in building design. It is well known that buildings account for approximately 40% of the total energy we use. Based on...

Clarion inks deal to build Bristol flats

7th April 2020

Housing association giant signs up offsite construction specialist Mid Group The UK’s largest housing association Clarion has signed up offsite construction specialist Mid Group to build 152 units of affordable housing on...

Bristol Council to sign up L&G for modular homes deal

6th April 2020

The council plans to sell a 6.19-hectare disused allotment gardens site in the city’s Lockleaze area to the pensions and insurance giant. The land, which has been initially valued at an estimated £7m, will be used by L&G to...

Creating Impact in Times of Transformation

6th April 2020

With the construction sector set for profound change, Trudi Sully at the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC), predicts exciting times ahead with the Construction Innovation Hub set to change the way the industry thinks and performs. I...

Bringing a Brighter Future to Healthcare Construction

3rd April 2020

ESS Modular recently handed over a state-of-the art 3,300sqm, 40-bedroom ward extension at Clonmel Hospital. Using a precision manufacturing offsite process significantly reduced the time required on-site, with the new hospital facility delivered...

L&G’s Rosie Toogood - ‘Building a new industry’

3rd April 2020

The CEO of Legal & General Modular Homes on the challenges of changing construction’s old habits. “This really is a new industry. You cannot find someone who knows how to do all of this,” says Rosie Toogood, chief executive...

10,000 NEW MMC HOMES IN THE WEST MIDLANDS

2nd April 2020

The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) has signed an agreement within Urban Splash to build 10,000 new homes using Modern Methods of Construction The WMCA has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Urban Splash to...

NHBC launches free virtual training for house-building industry during Coronavirus lockdown

1st April 2020

NHBC, the leading warranty and insurance provider for new homes in the UK, has this week launched a series of free virtual training webinars to help support the sector during the Covid-19 outbreak. NHBC's specialist training team will...

New DfMA platform to support construction of schools and hospitals

1st April 2020

The new Construction Innovation Hub Platform programme will support the government’s ambition to drive innovation and build industrial capability and capacity in businesses throughout the UK to deliver more sustainable buildings in the near...

Structural Insulated Panel Systems: Delivering energy efficient buildings

31st March 2020

The dynamic and fast-moving pace of the structural timber sector delivers a vast array of buildings through innovative construction methods. Here, Andrew Carpenter, chief executive of the Structural Timber Association, discusses the benefits of...

How modular healthcare facilities could alleviate NHS pressures

30th March 2020

Modular buildings can be viewed as a cost-effective solution to improving and increasing NHS facilities, Alan Wilson, managing director of ModuleCo Healthcare explores further It’s no secret that NHS Trusts across the UK are struggling to find...

O’Rourke launches offsite benefits guide

27th March 2020

The Laing O’Rourke Centre for Construction Engineering and Technology at the University of Cambridge and CIRIA have launched a new report unveiling a new methodology for quantifying the benefits of offsite construction. Uptake of...

MMC Champion Visits Timber Frame Facility

25th March 2020

At the end of 2019 Mark Farmer accepted a new role as the independent champion for Modern Methods of Construction (MMC). His mission, to modernise housing delivery, has seen him become a major figure in the offsite sector. As part...

Barratt to build one in four homes using MMC by 2025

22nd March 2020

Britain's biggest house builder aims to build a quarter of its homes using modern methods of construction by 2025. Barratt has rolled out a series of new housing types to allow a switch to greater use...

Countryside to open second housing factory next year

21st March 2020

First modular plant is now operating two shifts to meet demand, housebuilder says. Countryside has confirmed plans to open a second factory in which to build modular homes as it continues to increase sales. In an update...

Helping to deliver long-lasting homes

19th March 2020

NHBC has a long track record of collaboration with house builders, developers and manufacturers on MMC systems; providing guidance, reviewing systems and sharing knowledge and research. In response to the increasing interest...

New mosaics on a roll from Marmox

19th March 2020

Marmox, synonymous with high-performance tiling preparation, waterproofing and insulating solutions for showers and wet rooms is launching a completely new innovative solution for tiling, Slicedstone mosaics on a roll. Architects and...

First Choice for Offsite Fixings

18th March 2020

World leading manufacturer BeA Fastening Systems Ltd have been in the fastening business for 50 plus years. Based out Woodmansey near Hull, BeA manufacture fixings and fastening for construction and industrial sectors right around the world....

Morgan Sindall goes modular for Derby school

18th March 2020

Derbyshire County Council has chosen Morgan Sindall Construction to build a new £5.3m primary school in Littleover, Derby. The school is being built to serve a new-build housing development, Highfields Estate Once complete,...

Light Gauge Steel Profiles: Problem-solving at its best with The Depot

17th March 2020

Part of the international Hadley Group, Hadley Steel Framing’s light gauge steel profiles have been installed in a nine-storey student accommodation in Exeter, called The Depot. The £40m development will provide accommodation for circa 600...

Secure Your Place at the Offsite Event of the Year

17th March 2020

Rarely does an event get such overwhelmingly positive feedback in its launch year but Offsite Expo 2019 certainly exceeded expectations. The commendations for this event were universal – visitors, sponsors, speakers and exhibitors all...

Housing Minster visits Modular Housing Factory in Leeds

16th March 2020

Efforts to establish a 'Construction Corridor' in the North of England were encouraged even further by a recent visit by the Housing Minister, Esther McVey, to the Legal and General Modular Housing Factory in Leeds, where modern methods of...

Crest Nicholson blames profit wobble on offsite focus

14th March 2020

Crest Nicholson said focusing too heavily on enhancing off-site manufacturing (OSM) has seen it lose ground to competitors in other areas of house building. The admission came as the housing giant unveiled a disappointing set...

First-ever modular homes lifted into place in Bolton

13th March 2020

The initial modular homes have been craned into place at a new affordable housing development in Bolton by offsite specialists, ilke Homes. The new modular homes are a first for the Bolton area and offer 22 affordable family homes....

Timber Frame Fire Safety In Use Guidance

11th March 2020

With an objective to enhance quality and drive product innovation through technical guidance and research, the Structural Timber Association (STA), as part of their continual development programme, has been collaborating with the Construction...

Modular housebuilder Top Hat posts £21m losses

11th March 2020

Goldman Sachs-backed modular housebuilder says it has continued support of US investment giant A business that is part of Top Hat, the modular homes start-up backed by Goldman Sachs to the tune of £75m last year, recorded operating losses of more...

Homebuilder installs first modular homes in Stoke-on-Trent

10th March 2020

Housebuilder St. Modwen Homes has installed two modular properties at its Victoria Park development in Stoke-on-Trent. This is the first time the housebuilder has delivered modular homes, which were manufactured offsite by...

McAvoy Receives Multi-Million Pound Boost From Private Equity Investment

9th March 2020

The McAvoy Group, one of the leading offsite manufacturers in the UK and Ireland, has secured multi-million-pound investment from London-based Blantyre Capital. The investment will...

World’s tallest modular building lights up Croydon skyline just 12 months after first module was installed

9th March 2020

Tide Construction switches lights on at 101 George Street in Croydon only 12 months after they installed the first module at the 44 storey scheme Delivered in half the time of a traditional building, thanks to efficiencies of manufacturing...

Ilke Homes delivers nine zero-carbon modular homes

8th March 2020

Offsite manufacturer, ilke Homes has delivered nine zero-carbon modular homes for SME developer Positive Homes All nine modular homes have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of 'A'. In the UK, only 1% of new builds are 'A'...

NHBC names MMC specialist

8th March 2020

Richard Smith will lead the warranty group's analysis of modern methods of construction. The National House-Building Council (NHBC) has named Richard Smith as the head of its innovation, standards and research operation....

Senior figures resign from offsite trade body

6th March 2020

Two senior members of Buildoffsite's governing forum have stepped down in 'year of transition'. Senior figures on the governing forum for the leading trade body for modern construction methods, Buildoffsite, have stepped down amid...

CSIC board expands to drive cultural change across Scottish construction

6th March 2020

Construction Scotland Innovation Centre (CSIC) has appointed 11 new members to its governance board, reflecting the increasing appetite for collaboration across the construction industry Six women were among the 11 new CSIC board...

How modular housing can launch a self-build boom

5th March 2020

Built & Spaces director Steve Wilkie discusses how modular housebuilding could be the answer to the UK’s self-build boom Our nation lags a long way behind the world when it comes to self-build homes – but modular...

Tyrone offsite building firm attracts multimillion investment

4th March 2020

Tyrone-based McAvoy Group, a family-owned business, has attracted a “multimillion pound” investment from London investment group, Blantyre Capital. McAvoy, which has been in business for more than 50 years and also has...

How to compress a three-year project into one

4th March 2020

A...

CSIC to Drive Offsite Construction with Launch of Training and Learning Programme

4th March 2020

Construction Scotland Innovation Centre (CSIC), together with an expert UK-wide network of project partners, is launching a major training programme to help grow best practice and skills in offsite construction. The Offsite Ready project, a...

Apex Airspace plans 10,000 affordable modular rooftop homes

4th March 2020

Developer working with six London councils to build homes on existing buildings. Rooftop housing developer Apex Airspace has revealed ambitious plans to build 10,000 affordable homes in the next decade, using modular construction...

Proctor & Matthews’ phase 2 of Urban Splash modular new town approved

3rd March 2020

Proctor & Matthews Architects and Shedkm’s second phase of Urban Splash’s modular new town in Cambridgeshire has won planning approval Recently, South Cambridgeshire District Council’s planning committee granted permission...

Government tells NHS to use offsite construction for £2.7bn building programme

3rd March 2020

Health minister says standardised components will help buildings’ adaptability The government wants modern methods of construction to be used in its ambitious hospital building programme over the next five years. Health...

180 modular homes proposed on disused site in Lockleaze

3rd March 2020

Bristol City Council is being asked to consider a proposal to dispose of disused land in Lockleaze to enable Legal & General Modular Homes to deliver over 180 new homes As well as providing much-needed homes, the proposed...

The houses that precast built

2nd March 2020

With gathering momentum behind offsite construction, precast concrete specialists are now delivering complete housing concepts. With a government drive for increased offsite manufacturing and standardised components, together...

Manufacture and design unite to deliver modular affordable housing

2nd March 2020

Architect Waugh Thistleton was chosen by Swan Housing Association to deliver a 100% affordable housing scheme in East London. Regenerating a brownfield site, the development is designed in three blocks to provide 65 much-needed homes for...

Bristol Housing Festival launches MMC architecture competition

2nd March 2020

The Bristol Housing Festival has launched an architecture competition, in partnership with Trinity College, to find a partner to design the college’s student accommodation The architecture competition will find the designer of the...

Collaboration crucial to increase offsite adoption

28th February 2020

“BY embracing new techniques in controlled factory environments offsite, or near-site, we can enhance pre-manufactured value, but by doing so, the conventional procurement and business models we currently use will need to change.” ...

Welsh government invests £45m in modular housing to create ‘next generation of social housing’

28th February 2020

The Welsh government has announced that it is making a £45m investment in modular housing, in an attempt to increase the delivery of social and affordable homes. Of the £45m investment, £25m will be made available...

Atkins unveils first MMC homes

27th February 2020

Consultant’s new housing arm built the houses for Lambeth council Atkins has unveiled the first homes developed by its modular housing arm Edaroth. The terrace of four two-bedroom social housing units was...

ESS Modular completes Ireland’s largest modular ward extension

27th February 2020

ESS Modular has just handed over a state of the art 3,300 sq m, 40-bed modular ward extension at South Tipperary General Hospital The new development is the largest modular ward extension in Ireland and consists of a two-storey...

Skanska and Ikea sign first UK offsite homes deals

26th February 2020

Skanska and Ikea’s offsite homes joint venture, BoKlok UK, has exchanged contracts on its first three developments. The first three sites, across the south and south west of England, are in Worthing, Bristol and Peacehaven. Together,...

Timber systems lead the way for offsite home solutions

26th February 2020

Stewart Dalgarno, director of product development at Stewart Milne Timber Systems, discusses how Advanced Industrialised Methods for the Construction of Homes (AIMCH) can overcome many challenges currently faced by housebuilders and developers...

L&G ditches structural timber in modular flats

26th February 2020

Insurer tests prototype of concrete and steel apartments in offsite homes factory. Insurance giant and modular housing pioneer Legal & General (L&G) will not use timber as a structural material for its planned modular...

Health minister pushes offsite use for new hospitals

25th February 2020

The government is encouraging the NHS to use modern construction methods in the construction of 40 new hospitals. That’s according to minister for care Caroline Dinenage who was speaking last week in a Commons debate on innovation in...

Housebuilders ‘unwilling to invest in skills and MMC’

25th February 2020

The UK’s largest housebuilding firms have been criticised for a failure to invest in innovation and training. Lord Richard Best, co-chair of the all-party parliamentary group on housing and care for older people, criticised the...

Project Etopia poaches Berkeley Group executive

24th February 2020

James Pikett appointed director of development at start-up modular builder. Project Etopia has appointed Berkeley Group veteran James Pikett to be the firm's first development director. The modular housing start-up, which...

Crest Nicholson confirms it is dropping offsite manufacturing target

24th February 2020

Housebuilder will wait for more action from government, says chief executive Peter Truscott Crest Nicholson has affirmed reports that new chief executive Peter Truscott is casting aside its target to build 15% of homes using offsite...

Kier secures £10.7m modular contract at DMS Whittington

24th February 2020

Kier has been awarded the contract to design and construct a new £10.7m headquarters at DMS Whittington by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) The DMS Whittington headquarters project will start on site in summer 2020...

L&G’s modular factory to deliver North’s ‘much needed’ homes

22nd February 2020

Housing minister Esther McVey visited the site as part of the government's drive to "get Britain building". A modular factory in Leeds has set itself targets of delivering 3,500 homes a year once fully operational, in a latest...

Velux Offering Full Value-Added Service For Offsite Manufacturers

21st February 2020

With the relaunch of VELUX into the housebuilder and off-site manufacturers market, the revitalised VELUX service and support package delivers value for money, quality guarantee, assured reliability, and peace of mind for Construction...

Offsite construction is the best route to zero-carbon building

21st February 2020

Offsite construction represents an opportunity to deliver on new targets for carbon reduction, writes Wayne Gales. Making homes in a factory sounds clinical and cold but it should be warmly welcomed. The reason being is that...

Swan latest modular firm to ditch CLT for high-rise apartments

20th February 2020

Housing association says combustibles ban prompted decision to move to steel system for offsite homes. One of the leading exponents of modular housebuilding based on cross-laminated timber technology is to move to using...

NHBC accepts Fusion Building Systems

20th February 2020

As part of its ongoing review of Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), the NHBC has accepted Fusion Building Systems light steel frame solutions for residential buildings up to and over 18m in height. Fusion Building Systems has...

Winners named for £3bn offsite schools framework

15th February 2020

The Department for Education has named the firms it will use for its next-generation of offsite schools. The education department's programme will deliver around 30 schools a year with an estimated pipeline of up to £3bn over the next...

Birmingham Development Topped Off And Sold Out

11th February 2020

It's a double celebration for SevenCapital this week as the developer, alongside construction partners Colmore Tang and Creagh Concrete, marks the topping out of its St Martin's Place development - and announces it is now sold out one year ahead...

Construction manufacturer Horizon Offsite awarded NSAI agreement certification

10th February 2020

The Tipperary-headquartered company achieved the certification for its Horizon Offsite Steel Frame Building System. Managing director Ger Fahey received the certificate of accreditation from Minister for Trade, Business & Employment...

Ikea’s MMC spin-off BoKlok buys three UK sites

9th February 2020

The Scandinavian...

Mace unveils digital and offsite high-rise building system

9th February 2020

Mace has unveiled a new system for constructing high-rise buildings using digital technology and an offsite manufacturing approach, which it claims makes construction six times more productive than current industry performance. ...

Offsite agenda is key to the growth of regional economies

7th February 2020

After a tumultuous year, it's important that this attention to the industry strategy and its offsite agenda is sustained by the new government The recent announcement of £38.2m of funding for local authorities to invest in modern methods...

South Koreans buy stake in UK offsite specialist

5th February 2020

A South Korean construction group has bought a major stake in offsite volumetric specialist Elements Europe. Elements Europe has over 15 years' experience in the off-site manufacturing and construction sector delivering more than 20,000...

Chair appointed to Urban Splash’s modular business

4th February 2020

Joint venture between northern developer and Japan's Sekisui House brings in two senior directors. Developer Urban Splash has appointed the Pinnacle Group's director of housing as chair of its modular housing joint venture with Japanese...

Offsite - Its About The People

31st January 2020

With a 42% increase in the last nine months in people seeking to access learning about offsite through the Supply Chain School there is clearly a demand, but as Ian Heptonstall, Director at the School explains - is this enough? ...

Factory fitting made easier by new 3m wide airtightness membrane

31st January 2020

Protect Membranes, UK producer of construction and roofing membranes, has introduced a new 3m wide variant of its popular Protect BarriAir membrane, designed for ease of installation within a factory environment and to support the rapid rise in...

Focusing On The Future Of Construction Technologies

29th January 2020

To help the construction industry interrogate the practical potential of evolving technologies, tools, processes and materials, the Emerging Realities conference and exhibition will answer some of the challenging questions about the...

Catalyst For Change

29th January 2020

Futurebuild 2020, which takes place from 3-5 March at ExCeL London, will inspire professionals working across the offsite sector to come together to deliver a more sustainable built environment. A clear message to come from recent...

Mace unveils new offsite tower build system

29th January 2020

Latest system for Olympic Park homes builds on firm's "jump factory" approach. Construction giant Mace is launching a new form of offsite construction, which it claims can speed high-rise build by 25%, the firm announced...

2020 Vision

28th January 2020

Mark Farmer needs little introduction. His role in suggesting change and modernising the way the built environment is created has seen him become a major figure in the offsite sector. Gary Ramsay caught up with him to speak about the...

Farmer: low-cost obsession stalling offsite procurement

28th January 2020

The five government departments committed to a presumption in favour of offsite lack the intelligence to implement it in procurement, and need "re-educating", according to Mark Farmer, the government's modern methods of construction (MMC)...

Aquarian Cladding seals partnership with industry leaders to distribute MechSlip

28th January 2020

Specialist external cladding supplier Aquarian Cladding Systems has announced an agreement with Ash and Lacy and Ibstock Kevington to distribute MechSlip. The innovative brick cladding system will uniquely allow architects...

Spatial Initiative appointed to £3bn DfE schools framework championing modern methods of construction (MMC)

27th January 2020

Framework to deliver 30 modular schools per year for the next four years. 22nd January 2020: Spatial Initiative - the joint venture between Styles&Wood and ESS Modular - has been appointed to a new £3bn Department for Education...

Offsite Ready To Grow Globally

27th January 2020

Growth opportunities in the global modular and prefabricated buildings market look robust over the next six years with technology set to play a significant role, says Prathmesh Limaye, Senior Research Analyst at Frost &...

First modular homes craned into place at Victoria Park in Stoke-on-Trent

27th January 2020

Housebuilder St. Modwen Homes has installed two modular homes at the Victoria Park site in Stoke-on-Trent. The installation of the new modular homes, which were manufactured offsite by ilke Homes, marks the first time St. Modwen Homes...

Offsite construction safer, faster, greener and cheaper, survey claims

27th January 2020

Offsite construction is safer, faster, greener and cheaper than traditional methods, according to a survey by the Electrical Contractors Association (ECA) of businesses in the electrotechnical and engineering services industry. ...

Finding The Future Today

26th January 2020

The growth of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the housing sector is changing the way tenants engage with housing associations. What can it bring to a flourishing rental market? Henry Jinman, Commercial Director of EBI.AI...

Creagh Concrete targets £200m turnover

26th January 2020

Creagh Concrete is expecting turnover to grow to £200m over the next few years following a string of contract wins. The concrete products producer said turnover will rise to £110m for the year to March 31 2020 as staffing levels...

A Changing Vertical Landscape

26th January 2020

Tide Construction and Vision Modular Systems, take a look back on 2019 and show how modular construction is reaching new heights. 2019 was a monumental year for our industry, seeing several decisive steps taken...

Learning To Change

25th January 2020

It is time for more offsite methodology and thinking to be introduced into architectural study, says Nigel Ostime, Delivery Director, Hawkins\Brown Architects, who is part of a new wave of industry specialists introducing...

Framing The Offsite Conversation

25th January 2020

The construction industry must find solutions to the escalating housing crisis that is reaching unsustainable levels. Fortunately offsite construction presents an opportunity for change. Steve Chesters, Southern Framing Sales Manager at Hadley...

Embedding Technological Thinking

24th January 2020

Professor Robert Hairstans from the Centre for Offsite Construction + Innovative Structures at Edinburgh Napier University, outlines a new strategic partnership to digitally enable a sustainable built environment. From tall timber...

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