Insulation specialist Actis has welcomed the £39 billion affordable housing investment announced in this week’s government spending review – but reiterates that offsite construction and training more builders will be key to the delivery of such homes over the coming decade.
Actis is a long-time champion of tackling the housing crisis while at the same time ensuring that quality and thermal efficiency are of the highest possible standard.
This involves embracing technologies and products which speed up the build process while investing in training the next generation of construction professionals says Mark Cooper, UK and Ireland sales director of Actis, whose Hybrid insulation system and two-in-one Eolis HC are popular choices for timber framers and housing developers.
“This is described as the biggest cash injection into social housing in 50 years, which is excellent news,” he said.
“But with an inadequately-sized construction workforce it’s important that homes which are quicker to build but don’t compromise on quality or thermal efficiency are part of the housing mix. This needs to be in tandem with encouraging more young people to enter the construction industry.
“The government’s spring promise of £625 million to train 60,000 construction workers goes a considerable way towards helping with this, but with Checkatrade telling us that the UK needs another 1.3 million skilled workers and 350,000 apprentices to meet housing and net zero targets we must do more to increase the pool of building professionals at all levels.”
Offsite-constructed homes can be built up to 30% more quickly than those of traditional brick and block, enabling developers to deliver homes at a faster rate and using fewer man hours per unit.
“Many elements, including insulation, take place offsite, in the factory. Our insulation systems take between 25 and 50% less time to install than traditional alternatives, which all helps to speed up the process,” said Mark.
“The site crew ‘just’ has to erect everything in the right order with a typical build time of between seven and 12 days, depending on the size of house. “Additionally, quality is far better controlled, and these timber frame homes can be thermally superb, cutting carbon emissions and saving money and resources.”
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