House market: Modular homes could be the future of the British construction industry

THE Government has this week called for a more innovative approach to solving Britain’s housing shortage and is backing modern methods of construction such as modular homes to speed up housing delivery.

It also wants councils to set their own design quality standards and use virtual reality technology to win round communities and end “not in my backyard” attitudes.

It certainly looks like factory-built modular homes could be the future for the British construction industry, which is experiencing a slow but steady growth.

Newly launched ILKE Homes aims to deliver 2,000 precision-engineered modular houses and low-rise flats to the UK market every year after recently setting up a factory in Harrogate, Yorkshire.

Its modular homes can be built in half the time of brick-built houses and are capable of achieving zero carbon emissions.
Two ILKE homes being used as show homes at the Dominion development in Doncaster are available for £160,000 each (keepmoat.com), the same price as the traditionally built homes on the same site, being developed by Keepmoat Homes.

Builders Keepmoat created ILKE with the modular manufacturing firm Elliott and it is expected that ILKE’s Harrogate factory will grow from a staff of 150 to 800 over the next 12 months.

ILKE Homes hopes to work closely with housing associations and CEO Bjorn Conway says: “Our mission at ILKE Homes is to address the UK’s chronic shortfall in affordable housing, creating consistently high-quality, energy-efficient modular homes at scale, to the people that need them most.
“The homes at Dominion are examples of affordable and private market properties that can be delivered for our partners like Keepmoat Homes. Using precision engineering and inspiring design, we look forward to working with our partners to create homes for families across the UK.”

Meanwhile, the UK’s largest modular private residential development, Aspire, has been given planning permission in Slough and follows £600million Heart Of Slough regeneration investment.

The Berkshire commuter town will have its London rail connection boosted by Crossrail from next year and the Click Properties development of 238 new apartments, including 50 affordable homes, will be completed by mid-2019.

Building starts in October and, thanks to off-site building methods, installation of the modular units will take just 10 weeks.
“Slough is undergoing a renaissance, making it a fantastic place to live and work,” says Click Properties CEO Aaron Emmett.
“Our apartments will provide high-spec housing for a growing population, helping to meet the increased demand for homes.”

The studio, one, two and three-bedroom apartments plus penthouses will be available in 50 different specifications and will have the option to be fully smart homes.

Award-winning architect Richard Hywel Evans has also created a prototype home for the modular housing brand nHouse, which it is hoping to sell to developers and housing associations or individuals who want to build their own homes.

The company has a new factory in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, where there’s a show home to display how the high-tech, sustainable buildings can work.

Starting from £200,000, they have a minimum of four modules that would be built at the factory and connected on site within just a few days.

Founders Richard Hywel Evans and Nick Fulford presented early concepts for the design at the four-day global real estate event, MIPIM in Cannes last year and Hywel Evans says: “We had strong interest in our product which gave us the confidence to move on to the next level.”

Original link - Express