MMC 52pp M10 WEB

article
Are pods the future of construction?
The UK construction industry is worth an estimated £100 billion to the UK economy each year. But tighter restrictions, increasing
build costs and a lack of skilled labour are threatening the sector’s future growth. Thankfully, from hardship comes great
opportunity and the sector has seen several innovative solutions come to the fore in recent years. This is particularly true when it
comes to prefabrication and offsite construction products.
Pods are one such innovation that is
proving to be invaluable to the
industry. They can now be found
everywhere - spanning a diverse range of
build projects, new and retrofit, in both the
public and private sectors. And with
increased backing from Government, (for
housing in particular) we can expect them to
become even more prevalent over coming
years.
Why offsite?
So why are offsite solutions becoming more
popular, and why does the Government seem
so keen to back them? The answer to this is
two-fold; they can allow large volume to be
delivered at a level of quality that is
consistent, and they also reduce lead times,
meaning we can ultimately build faster when
utilising offsite solutions such as pods.
Currently the demand being placed on the
construction industry continues to rise, but
the number of projects completing on time
and to budget continues to fall. This is not
just due to tighter regulations and labour
shortages, but other factors like the weather
and delays in the supply of materials.
Factor in housing shortages, an aging
population, an increase in speciality housing
needs, a lack of suitable student
accommodation and an uptick in the number
of build to let homes, and it’s clear to see why
prefabricated solutions are being more widely
used.
Pre-fab pod solutions
Modern pod solutions are proving to be a
popular alternative method of construction
due to them being able to be designed,
manufactured and pre-assembled offsite, and
then easily dropped into place for ease and
speed in new build projects, without having to
compromise on quality.
Specialist manufacturers design and build
tailored pods, to perfectly meet client
specifications and these are simply delivered
whole ready for installation and fitments or
re-assembled onsite quickly and easily for
refurbishment. Installation does not require
skilled labour, significantly reducing time and
costs.
Bathrooms, showers and wetrooms are
notoriously complex parts of a building to
deliver and require a wide range of skilled
labour, from designers and plumbers to
electricians and tilers. Pre-fab pod solutions,
on the other hand, can be completely bespoke
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Nov 2018 M10
and designed to fit into any space – whether a
Grade II listed manor house, an office block, a
refurbishment or a new-build. This greatly
reduces costs, time, and the skill and labour
involved in fitting.
Sectional pods are perfect for anywhere that
space is considered an issue, and designs can
be completed from concept to delivery much
quicker than when utilising more traditional
building practices. A whole host of factors
that can slow down the build, such as late
delivery of materials, several contractors
having to work together in confined spaces or
work not being able to be completed until the
work of other tradespeople has been
completed, simply do not apply when opting
to use pods.
Pods promote health and
wellbeing
Health and safety is of course one of the
highest priorities for contractors, and moving
construction offsite into the better regulated
environment of a factory has been proven
time and time again to significantly decrease
the risk of accident. Purpose built
construction lines have been designed
specifically for pod manufacture which
almost entirely eliminate risk, and are
unquestionably the safer environment in
which to work.
When pods are manufactured offsite, the onsite
assembling process is far quicker and
quieter with fewer people required, thereby
reducing labour costs. Not only is this cleaner
and safer, but it keeps disruption to a
minimum – there are less materials and
vehicles on site, making the site more
efficient, less impactful on the surrounding
environment and easier to manage.
Environmentally-friendly
Pod solutions also deliver on quality and
efficiency. A traditional building site can be a
source of wasted materials because of
finishing, fixing and snagging errors.
Prefabricated pods eliminate this; bespoke
and resourceful design keeps wastage to a
minimum, and their longevity (most come
with a min 25-year guarantee) means they are
a green alternative to traditional build
materials.
Often pod materials can be recyclable,
reducing the carbon footprint of the build and
providing a sustainable, quality assured
building solution, for the future. The best
quality pods are designed so that they do not
even require sealant, yet are still 100% water
tight and the materials used greatly reduce
bacteria growth and therefore maintenance
costs.
Government-backed
The Government continue to recognise the
benefits of offsite construction. They have
pledged to support building long term
collaborations with the industry, exploiting
digital technologies such as the adoption of
offsite construction techniques on a wide
scale.
In addition, they have commented that they
would “adopt a presumption in favour of
offsite construction by 2019 across suitable
capital programmes”, a true testament to the
rising popularity of offsite modular
construction.
The future is offsite
As more projects are completed and success
stories spread until they are too prevalent to
ignore, decision-makers within the industry
will recognise that change is good and
modular design can also be a commercially
viable alternative to traditional methods.
Sleek designs and high specifications mean
they can be used from high-end projects such
as hotels, right down to student
accommodation, and still deliver a solid ROI.
Indeed, the high specification, unrivalled
quality, offsite checks and lower maintenance
can extend the longevity of the bathroom
environment way beyond those offered by
traditional builds which often require ongoing
maintenance.
There isn’t anywhere deemed out of reach for
a pod to be fitted. From sky-high city centre
apartments to rugged rural surroundings,
installations no longer need to be considered
a logistical nightmare due to their location.
From oil rigs to research centres in
Antarctica, pods have been appearing in the
unlikeliest of places.
However, despite such overwhelming
positivity surrounding pods and offsite
construction overall, it still sadly accounts for
less than 10% of total construction output at
present. It is still early days, however a
change is coming and as an industry we need
to ride the crest of that change to success.
The Government is on board, a growing
number of construction managers are on
board – are you?