A report called ‘Prefabricated Volumetric Building Systems Market Report – UK 2018-2022’ has unveiled an increased demand for portable buildings. Since 2016, where there was an evident dip in market value (possibly due to the EU referendum), the demand has shown a significant improvement with a 6% increase in 2017.
The ground has been broken on a new £300 million state-of-the-art physics laboratory and shared facilities hub at the University of Cambridge. Bouygues UK was joined by members of the university to celebrate the beginning of construction. “This is a great step in the development of physics research and learning at
Planning consent for the design of a new high quality residential scheme in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets has been secured by FBM Architects. The new development for Gateway Housing Association will provide 32 homes across the site located near Medway Conservation Area in Bow. FBM Architects’ carefully thought
Insulation work is to be delivered on a renovation project at Coventry University by Western Thermal Limited. The former BT building in Mile Lane is being refurbished into a new cutting-edge learning hub for its students and faculty. The learning hub will make room for up to 3,000 students and faculties, with features
Energy Assets Utilities is playing a key role in ensuring that the 2,200 new homes planned for a major development in Wallyford, Scotland, will be at the leading edge of the digital revolution sweeping across the residential new build sector. With people’s increasing reliance on digital connectivity to support devices
Planning permission to develop a new multi million pound Engineering building at the University of the West of England (UWE) Bristol has been granted to AHR. The plans were approved by the South Gloucestershire Council and a 8,500 sqm building that will accommodate up to 1,600 people will be built
The building physics business will now be run as a completely separate entity, with its 12 strong team being known simply as Yonder and moving to Leeds from Harrogate before the end of this year after an amicable separation. The building physics experts of Yonder work with leading construction professionals,
A report called ‘Prefabricated Volumetric Building Systems Market Report – UK 2018-2022’ has unveiled an increased demand for portable buildings. Since 2016, where there was an evident dip in market value (possibly due to the EU referendum), the demand has shown a significant improvement with a 6% increase in 2017. This market value includes factory made, fully assembled, three-dimensional modules. Due to an increased demand for onsite accommodation on major infrastructure projects, such as The Thameslink Railway Construction Programme, volumetric construction has grown. It is also partly down to a spike in demand in other sectors such as portable offices and the education sector seeing request for flexibility and affordability. Temporary Accommodation The biggest market for portable buildings seems to be temporary accommodation on industrial sites and construction, including event hire. Education and healthcare are also key areas of use. The uses for these structures vary, with operating theatres and wards being the largest temporary application in the healthcare sector. In the education sector, modular structures are widely used as semi-permanent portable buildings for school classrooms, and in many cases, these buildings end up being permanent solutions. Major, permanent builds include blocks for sixth forms, specialist subject blocks, whole nurseries and extra sports facilitates for storage and more. House-building and Construction Many established construction and house-building companies have begun to adapt their semi-permanent work structures into off-site housing in recent years. With many big ‘players’ in the industry getting on board, it’s not hard to see the emerging trend. Well known names such as Berkeley Homes and Barratt homes, to name just two, are new market entrants amongst others. Over the next few years there are numerous factors that are likely to underpin steady growth in this sector. These include an increase in the number of public sector procurement frameworks – several which are specific to off-site construction, as well as the increased use of BIM (Building Information Modelling). More importantly there is now a strong likelihood of growth in the use of off-site construction methods and portable buildings to help meet the chronic housing shortage. It may be a viable solution in dealing with the lack of traditional construction skills within the industry. Off-site Manufacturing Techniques In the Housing White Paper of 2017, the government supported the use of off-site manufacturing techniques. This meant they backed the main benefits of high-quality, reliability, productivity, energy efficiency and required fewer people on site. The £2 billion Accelerated Construction Programme and the £3 billion Home Building Fund both supported this opinion. This includes those using modular construction and portable buildings. A higher demand for site accommodation on major infrastructure projects is most likely to be sustained through 2022 and beyond. Due to the implementation of the government’s Roads Investment Strategy and the continuation of Smart Motorways amongst other new developments, the need for portable buildings to be used as offices is forecast to grow at a rate of 3-5% per year. It wouldn’t be surprising that this growth is likely to continue with further innovations and plans. Excel Modular Buildings has more than 40 years of experience in the supply of Modular Buildings, Portable Cabins, Anti-vandal Units and Containers.
The ground has been broken on a new £300 million state-of-the-art physics laboratory and shared facilities hub at the University of Cambridge. Bouygues UK was joined by members of the university to celebrate the beginning of construction. “This is a great step in the development of physics research and learning at the University of Cambridge. We look forward to moving in to our new facilities and opening our doors to the wider research community and the public to increase understanding and foster discovery,” commented Professor Andy Parker, Head of Department of Physics at the University of Cambridge. The development will provide a purpose-built centre for world-leading physics research, bringing together all of the Cavendish Laboratory’s research groups under one roof. Located at the West Cambridge campus off Madingley Road, the flagship building of the development will be named the Ray Dolby Centre to recognise a £75 million gift from the estate of sound pioneer Ray Dolby. It will house a range of laboratories, offices, clean rooms, workshops and multiple lecture theatres. “Bouygues UK and our sister company Bouygues Energies & Services have been involved from the start on this exciting scheme, working alongside the University of Cambridge’s existing project team to develop proposals for a new world-class laboratory. It is exciting to break ground on this project that will see us bringing innovation, a collaborative approach and our technical expertise to create a new home for major academic research,” said Fabienne Viala, Chairman of Bouygues UK and UK Country Manager for Bouygues Construction. The new facility is expected to be completed in 2022.
Planning consent for the design of a new high quality residential scheme in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets has been secured by FBM Architects. The new development for Gateway Housing Association will provide 32 homes across the site located near Medway Conservation Area in Bow. FBM Architects’ carefully thought out design complements the urban and historic setting, whilst providing homes for contemporary living. The new scheme, its height defined by the strong parapet line, offers a continuous three-storey frontage along Norman Grove and Saxon Road, relating to the character of the Medway Conservation Area and the locally listed Saxon Lea Court. A generous space between the two buildings on the eastern part of the development ensures a soft transition in height from three to four storeys, and creating the entrance to the new apartments. The building line is set back from the street, re-establishing a typical scale for the Victorian streets in the immediate neighbourhood, while successfully solving the issue of overlooking between the existing and proposed houses on Norman Grove. Ordered fenestration patterns with tall, generous window proportions further underpin the scheme’s connection with Victorian architectural legacy. The inclusion of arched entrances to individual dwellings introduces an intimate, human-scale character that echoes this distinctive feature of the surrounding streets which contain arched openings to windows and front doors. Full height windows and doors further reinforce the connection between the external and internal spaces. A buff/brown coloured brickwork provides a contextual, robust appearance that unifies the scheme. The ground floor apartments benefit from private terraces facing onto the central courtyard. The upper floor apartments have private amenity space in the form of deep balconies that act as an extension of the adjacent rooms. The central courtyard provides landscaped open space and includes a playground while a wide green strip of front gardens on Norman Grove and Saxon Road ties Regency Court to its neighbouring context. The scheme is fully car-free, given the excellent proximity to local transport links and supportive of local policy that encourages sustainable modes of transport. Dedicated cycle storage is provided within the courtyard that is accessible to all residents.
Insulation work is to be delivered on a renovation project at Coventry University by Western Thermal Limited. The former BT building in Mile Lane is being refurbished into a new cutting-edge learning hub for its students and faculty. The learning hub will make room for up to 3,000 students and faculties, with features including teaching rooms, IT suites, engineering and science labs, as well a café and extensive breakout areas for more social learning. “We are delighted to be working with Coventry University on what promises to be an exciting project. The university has a long and proud tradition of delivering first-class education and experiences to its students and local community, and we are happy to play a small part in helping them in uplifting their service to the students and the wider academic community,” said Phil Jones, Executive Director – Operations at Western Thermal about the prestigious project. Thermal insulation will be provided to the pipework and ductwork services from Western Thermal under a £180,000 contract. “Western Thermal Limited is a leader in the sector and continues to find ways to emphasise its expertise and experience through a number of exciting, high quality projects. It is our specialism which has enabled this company to deliver successful results on a consistent basis and has made us out a stand our performer in the market,” said Phil. “The project is certainly an exciting one and we are confident that it will prove to be a success. We are aware of the expectations placed on us and are know that our thermal insulation and pipework will contribute to providing the new campus with high quality heating and ventilation,” he added. The scheme will be delivered by Wilmott Dixon, which will work alongside NG Bailey to complete the work. Building work is expected to be complete in February 2019, with the facility opening the following month.
Energy Assets Utilities is playing a key role in ensuring that the 2,200 new homes planned for a major development in Wallyford, Scotland, will be at the leading edge of the digital revolution sweeping across the residential new build sector. With people’s increasing reliance on digital connectivity to support devices ranging from smart TVs, games consoles, and tablets to home security and energy control systems, superfast broadband is becoming a ‘must-have’ for home owners…and developers are responding. At Wallyford, Energy Assets Utilities has been responsible for laying the conventional gas, electricity, and water infrastructure up to the spine road running through the site, but is also leading on the roll-out of fibre-to-the-home. “The first few homes are now benefiting from superfast connectivity, with many hundreds more to follow to support lifestyles increasingly reliant on digital technology…and to connect to who knows what as we enter the era of the ‘Internet of Things’,” said Craig Topley, Energy Assets Group Managing Director (Construction). The Wallyford scheme is the largest multi-utility network design and construction project ever undertaken by EAU, with services now available not only for residential homes but also for a new primary school, currently being built, and potentially some commercial units. It’s all part of East Lothian Developments’ plans for a new community at St Clements Well, which stretches to the south, east and west of Wallyford. The construction project illustrates Energy Assets Utilities’s growing position as a leading provider of gas, electricity, water – and increasingly fibre cable – networks for residential and commercial schemes across Britain.
Planning permission to develop a new multi million pound Engineering building at the University of the West of England (UWE) Bristol has been granted to AHR. The plans were approved by the South Gloucestershire Council and a 8,500 sqm building that will accommodate up to 1,600 people will be built at the University’s main Frenchay Campus. “We are delighted to have received planning permission for this exciting project at UWE Bristol. The building’s expansive use of natural light, combining circulation with social learning spaces will promote openness and encourage an inclusive educational experience for a diverse range of student engineers. We are looking forward to delivering upon the University’s vision for 21st century, problem-based engineering,” said Gary Overton, AHR Director. The low energy, naturally ventilated building, created by AHR in collaboration with engineers Hydrock, provides long-term flexibility for the University, while also being designed to BREEAM Excellent standard. One of the biggest challenges faced by AHR for this building was to accommodate the large number of workshops requiring ground floor access. The issue was overcame by stepping the floors back around a central atrium, which provides natural ventilation and consistent north light, delivered through a vast 1,000 sqm saw tooth roof supported on a glulam timber structure. The central project spaces follow a vertical hierarchy, from heavy workshops and ‘making’ space on the ground floor, up to laboratories and ‘design’ space, and culminating in individual ‘touchdown’ space for quiet study at the top of the atrium. This project for UWE Bristol is not the first one for AHR, as the company had previously been involved in several projects across the University’s Frenchay Campus, Glenside Campus and Bower Ashton Campus.
The building physics business will now be run as a completely separate entity, with its 12 strong team being known simply as Yonder and moving to Leeds from Harrogate before the end of this year after an amicable separation. The building physics experts of Yonder work with leading construction professionals, including project managers, architects and contractors, throughout the UK. It will deliver a great amount of sustainability among other benefits to their buildings, including reduced consumption costs, less running expenses – through factors such as minimised energy consumption – better indoor environments and lower carbon emissions. The Yonder team: contributes to buildings’ passive design – their use of natural sources like the sun for heating, cooling, ventilation and lighting; leads on their active design, involving deploying non-natural elements, such as boilers and electric lighting, for these purposes; and defines constructions’ ideal renewable energy sources. Rob Gill, Managing Director at Yonder who founded the business four years ago, explained the reasons for the separation: “Building physics engineering is a specialist discipline in its own right and independence will allow us to concentrate fully on our field of expertise. Mechanical and electrical engineering is concerned with building services, whereas we focus on the whole construction. “Separating will enable us to ensure passive design is rightfully prominent in a project, which maximises benefits for clients. It will also allow us to invest in our own specialism and deliver unbeatable customer care and service.” The building physics team at Yonder has advised on hundreds of constructions in both the private and public sectors throughout the UK. These have included commercial, distribution, education, healthcare, industrial, leisure and retail buildings. A number of these developments have earned prestigious accolades, including Leeds’ First Direct Arena, which won the Royal Institution of British Architects’ Yorkshire Award last year after Yonder was the project’s energy assessor for client BAM Construction.
