Latest innovations and products in the offsite sections of the construction industry.

Structural steel fixing goes nut-free

The new TDBL nonut® self-threading screw from SFS, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of high performance fasteners, enables a secure connection of pre-drilled supporting steel structures without any nuts or washers.

Compared with the standard method of using nuts, bolts and washers, the precision-engineered TDBL nonut® fastener is a quicker, more efficient and more secure way of fixing together supporting steel structures of various thickness and hardness subject to static load. The installer only needs one component instead of three, and one hand tool. Installation is one-handed and requires access from just one side.

The innovative design of the TDBL nonut®, with its thread-free zone and additional serration under the head, prevents the risk of over-driving in thin steel and ensures a lasting robust connection. European-manufactured to a high quality, the plated carbon steel, case hardened TDBL nonut® is available in eight variants according to length, diameter and clamping length with a hexagon head.

The quality and effectiveness of the TDBL nonut® has been well-established in Germany, as it is the only solution of its kind with the German national technical approval (“Allgemeine bauaufsichtliche Zulassung”). However, it has been widely used across mainland Europe and the rest of the world – and now gaining popularity in the UK – in diverse applications such as steel beams, stairways, railings, pylons, water tanks, grain silos, fall protection systems, rack constructions and solar parks.

TDBL nonut® fasteners were used recently in the construction of a three-storey structural mezzanine system of a 516,750 sq. ft. distribution centre near Ferrybridge for TK Maxx. The fasteners were mainly used in the columns and beam-to-column connections, with the product’s unique design enabling other design changes to be made to the structure of the mezzanine – these have complemented both structural performance and installation benefits.

Andy Stolworthy, Director of Product and Market Development, at SFS UK says “The traditional method of fixing steel structures together by using bolts with nuts and washers represents an unnecessarily awkward and time-consuming way of doing things. We’ve worked to overcome this by developing the TDBL nonut®, a technically superior fastener in one piece rather than three. It’s a risk-free alternative that is guaranteed to make steel structure assembly faster, and the customers get the peace of mind of knowing that it’s a product from a global-market leader renowned for quality.”

The TDBL nonut®, like all products from SFS, is backed with expert technical support that has been at the core of the company’s success in serving the construction and manufacturing industries. Operating from its UK HQ in Leeds, the company is part of the Swiss-based SFS Group which has annual sales in excess of £1.1bn and a history dating back to the 1920s serving customers in the construction, automotive, electronics, industrial and medical products markets.

Find out more about the TDBL nonut® and SFS at www.sfsintec.co.uk.
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New skills needed to harness true potential of offsite construction

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Offsite construction could revolutionise the construction industry and provide a solution to the UK housing shortage, but only if the sector develops the right skills.

Faster, Smarter, More Efficient: Building Skills for Offsite Construction shows that 42% of construction industry employers with over 100 staff expect to use offsite methods in five years’ time.

When asked about the use of offsite-specific construction materials and products, 100% said they expected the use of precast concrete panels to increase; 91% anticipated the use of precast concrete frame to rise.

At present however, offsite construction accounts for just 10% of industry output.

The report – which follows the recommendations set out in industry expert Mark Farmer’s government-backed review of UK construction – also reveals that nearly 50% of construction industry clients expect the use of offsite construction to increase over the next five years.

Offsite processes save time and money and can improve quality through pre-fabrication of components – from panels to fully fitted rooms.

Mark Farmer said “The urgency for modernisation has never been greater, set against an insidious backdrop of an ageing workforce and increasing concerns about the impact of Brexit.

“Any strategic shift towards pre-manufacturing and offsite construction creates an immediate requirement to define our future skills needs through collaboration between industry, educators, training providers and government.

“This is crucial to ensuring we can transition to a higher productivity, digitally enabled industry which inherently attracts more of the young talent we so desperately need. It should also set out clear opportunities for the existing construction workforce and indeed workers from other industries to reskill through a new family of career pathways.”

Steve Radley, Director of Policy at CITB, said “There is massive potential for offsite construction. The Government recently announced an additional £1.4bn of funding for affordable homes, with an increase in offsite construction set as an objective, representing a clear opportunity for growth in this area.

“The greatest potential currently lies within the housing and commercial sectors, where mass customisation can create the buildings we need more quickly and to higher standards. There are also opportunities to bring the benefits of offsite to large-scale infrastructure projects – some high profile examples include HS2 and Hinkley Point, which are already using offsite techniques.”

The report outlines six key skills areas related to offsite construction:

  1. digital design
  2. estimating/commercial
  3. offsite manufacturing
  4. logistics
  5. site management and integration
  6. onsite placement and assembly

Increasingly, workers will need the skills to move between offsite and onsite environments and so the training for these six areas must evolve to meet the changing demand.

Currently, significant barriers exist which prevent the delivery of training and skills to meet the needs of these crucial areas. These include:

  • Existing training does not include the required offsite content
  • Lack of awareness and suitability of available training and qualifications – companies are delivering their own ‘in-house’ training, which leads to non-standard approaches
  • A shortage of qualified training providers and assessors

Steve Radley concluded “Successful offsite management hinges on the effective integration of both onsite and offsite functions – and this requires a comprehensive understanding of both aspects.”

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Can modular housing solve the UK’s housing crisis?

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The UK is in the grips of a chronic housing crisis. Rising rent prices, falling wages and a severe labour skills shortage have left housing construction stagnant and properties financially out of reach. Productivity in the construction sector has stalled post-Brexit, and developer focus in recent years has shifted from creating accommodation that is affordable and simple to construct, to complex, luxury projects which often remain unoccupied. With the housing sector contributing to economic inequality in this country, an innovative solution to this crisis is desperately needed.

Modular housing is one solution that has the potential to ease the UK’s housing crisis. Such homes are cost-effective, scalable, sustainable, and efficient to build. However, legislative red tape, local authority dependence on short-term housing solutions, and reluctance by landowners to free up their land have hidebound modular housing’s potential, meaning that the contribution it could make to the easing the housing crisis has not yet been tested.

Currently, housing construction of any type in the UK is being strangled by a severe labour skills shortage. An ageing workforce and a Brexit-induced worker exodus is limiting construction activity, whilst increasing labour costs are making affordable housing financially unattractive for construction companies. Consequently, housing demand is not being met. This is particularly problematic given that the number of new households has exceeded the number of homes built every year since 2008, and estimates suggest there is a need for between 230,000-300,000 additional units per year – a level not reached since the 1970s.

Here, modular could have a significant impact by reinvigorating supply in an affordable and efficient model. Factory, rather than field-based, modular housing can take as little as three days to construct and requires only a semi-skilled workforce who take months, not years, to train. Modular houses also require fewer builders due to being semi mass-produced and standardised, making them appealing to construction companies with diminished workforces and restricted budgets.

The critical shortage of affordable housing in the UK is being exacerbated by legislative red-tape and landowner opposition. Across the country, luxury apartments are plentiful compared to low-cost developments, in part due to landowners who want to achieve the best possible land value, and traditional housebuilders who are perceived as offering the best price. At present off site construction development proposals are less competitive than traditional methods: construction costs are higher than traditional construction meaning a lower land offer for the land, [meaning housebuilders are] less likely to win a competitive bid for land unless the awarding body specifically states the desire to use off-site manufacturing as part of development. Clearly this position may change over time, particularly when site labour becomes more scarce or the demand for offsite manufacturing increases.

However, attitudes could be changing – Wolverhampton City Council is delivering 23,000 modular homes as part of a pilot scheme and a recent decision by the Greater London Authority’s assistant director of housing, to commission a common framework for ‘delivering precision manufactured homes at scale’, suggests that modular, standardised builds are now seen as an acceptable, even attractive, way to work around constrained local authority budgets.

There is, however, a long way to go, and even rising homelessness is currently failing to fuel demand for affordable accommodation. With demand far outstripping supply, local and national government now spend £2 million a day on temporary accommodation, often using the most expensive and least desirable forms of emergency housing, such as B&Bs and hotels, for the over-77,000 homeless households under local authority care. Contrastingly, modular houses can cost as little as £25,000 to build, and offer a permanent or semi-permanent alternative to emergency accommodation which is economically sustainable in the long-run. Some councils are already picking up on modular’s potential to provide stability for those in crisis – in Lewisham, plans for a 25-home modular social rent development are underway; and a collaboration between 16 London boroughs to provide modular housing for use by the homeless has been promised £11m by Sadiq Khan, after a £20,000 seed funding contribution from London Councils’ City Ambition programme kick-started the project.

Creativity, modernisation and efficiency are critical if the UK is ever to solve its housing crisis. The country’s population is unlikely to stop increasing, there is no real answer yet to the severe skills shortage in the country’s construction industry, and the threat of homelessness continues to grow. These are chronic problems for which a solution is needed, and fast. Modular housing could provide just that. Accessible, efficient and sustainable, today’s modular homes are not the prefabs of the past. Instead, they are slick and distinctive; environmentally friendly and architecturally evolved. With the government announcing plans, in March this year to build 100,000 modular homes by 2020, we may finally be waking up to the fact that, in a time of crisis, modular could prove to be just what the country needs.

Written by Ben O’Connor, Development Manager, Kajima

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Demonstrating the potential of offsite technology in the North West

The first North West regional event in the Explore Offsite series will take place on 12 September 2018 in Manchester at the University of Salford. The combined conference and exhibition will bring together a range of offsite technology supply chain specialists and industry leaders to discuss the uptake of offsite construction within the region.

Explore Offsite North West will focus on the key themes of offsite technology, supply chain resources and opportunities within the sector. Through informative case studies and presentations from industry pioneers, the event aims to attract construction clients, architects, engineers, specifiers, building product manufacturers and suppliers.

Offsite manufacture is a progressive step that helps to challenge outdated assumptions about the construction sector and encourage more young professionals into the industry. The sector will generate savings in the long term, but the overwhelming message has been, that companies at every level of the supply chain should invest in offsite manufacture and construction processes sooner rather than later, or risk being left behind.

A well-known figure in the North West – Tom Bloxham MBE, Chairman for Urban Splash, once sold fire extinguishers door to door. Following a meteoric rise to fame, Urban Splash has developed over a billion pounds of regeneration projects across the country. Tom was awarded an MBE for services to architecture and urban regeneration in 1999 at the age of 35.

In his presentation ‘Urban Splash Modular and why we bought the Factory’ – Tom explains the rationale behind acquiring SIG’s modular factory and assets. “Urban Splash is committed to expanding its offsite construction capacity and this purchase is a way to vertically integrate our business and give us control of the production of our houses,” said Tom. “It is a testament to our commitment to, and investment in, modular housing.”

Osco Homes is all about making a positive social impact, in her presentation Gwen Beeken, Managing Director – discusses how their successful affordable housing projects are employing a different workforce. A wholly owned subsidiary of Procure Plus, Osco Homes’ objective is to deliver affordable houses constructed offsite at a factory based in HM Prison Hindley, Greater Manchester. Within three years Osco Homes hope to reach an output of 1,000 homes a year. The model is for the prisoners to be trained and then supported into full time employment upon release. Of the 14 prisoners who are taking part in the scheme and have been recently released, nine gained full time employment and only one re-offended (7%) – the national average for re-offending within six months is a staggering 60%. This pioneering project uses fully offsite manufactured housing solutions – the aim of filling the skills gap in this way, makes it a truly innovative project. It is not just about building affordable homes but providing training and opportunities for people who may have taken a wrong turn in life but are keen to change.

EOS Offsite Solutions design, manufacture and bring fully tested solutions to market which drives specification in UK construction. Peter Burchill from EOS Offsite Solutions will be presenting ‘Lightening the Load for the Residential Sector’. As experts in load bearing light steel frame (LSF) panelised and preassembled systems – EOS Offsite Solutions design and manufacture innovative load bearing pre-assembled solutions for pod and modular specialists, together with systems for multi-rise developments. With continued investment and expansion of production facilities, underpinned by 14 years’ experience in the offsite sector – EOS are geared up and ready to increase market share in the offsite load bearing market.

EOS Offsite Solutions is part of Etex Building Performance which brings together the products and solutions of four dry construction materials companies – Siniat, Promat and EOS Facades.

These speakers will be joined by experts and academics in the field of offsite technology and applications. Tickets cost just £125 plus vat and include; entry into the conference and exhibition, lunch and refreshments. For more information about the event, speakers and to book your place go to: www.exploreoffsite.co.uk/2018-events/explore-offsite-north-west.

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Titon adds new powerful compact HRV 1.6 Q Plus unit to its range

Titon has extended its range of MVHR units with the introduction of the new, ultra-compact HRV 1.6 Q Plus. Designed specifically for the modular construction market, the new high-performance unit measures just 600mm wide, enabling it to fit into tight spaces for easy installation and access.

The new HRV 1.6 Q Plus combines low power consumption with a heat exchanger offering efficiencies up to 89%, which enhances SAP performance via Appendix Q. Furthermore, despite its compact size, the lightweight HRV 1.6 Q Plus can achieve excellent flow rates of up to 100 l/s or 359 m3/h, while the unit has also been independently tested by the BRE.

Other benefits of the new unit include an extremely low specific fan power (SFP) of 0.49 W/l/s, as well as intelligent frost protection, with a stepped reduction of supply rates preventing freezing. The HRV1.6 Q Plus also has a fully adjustable boost overrun timer and ‘Summer Mode’ facility built-in as standard.

The HRV 1.6 Q Plus Eco version is available in ‘Eco HMB’ and ‘Eco B’ models – each offering a 100% airflow diverting Summer Bypass, as recognised and listed in the UK Product Characteristics Database. There are additional intelligent humidity options available and units can be fitted with Titon’s auralite® status indicator, while Eco B models also have the option of the company’s auramode®, aurastat® and the new aura-tTM controllers.

Commenting on the product, Lee Caulfield, Sales Director, said: “We have developed the new HRV 1.6 Q Plus to provide a powerful yet compact unit that can be used when space becomes an issue. Suitable for larger apartments or small to medium-sized dwellings, the HRV 1.6 Q Plus offers high levels of efficiency and is ideal for modular construction.”

Available in the UK and Europe, the HRV 1.6 Q Plus range accepts 125mm ducting without the need for adapters, while also benefiting from independent fan adjustment and volt-free switching control. As with all Titon MVHR systems, the HRV 1.6 Q Plus is effective in reducing pollutants inside a property and improving indoor air quality (IAQ), in turn reducing the risk of Toxic Home Syndrome.

The HRV 1.6 Q Plus is supplied with ISO Course 55% filters as standard (G3), with ISO Course 60% (G4) available as an option upon request. Units in the UK also come complete with a 3-year guarantee period.

For more information about Titon and its range of ventilation systems, please visit: www.titon.co.uk

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Beattie Passive has launched their new Volumetric Modular flying factory in Norfolk

Richard Bacon, MP, formally opened the Volumetric Modular Flying Factory on Thursday 19th July 2018 at Scottow Enterprise Park, Norfolk.

Beattie Passive has launched their new innovation, Volumetric Modular Flying Factory. This cost effective factory set-up has been developed to deliver high quality Passivhaus homes across the UK. This includes their latest innovation, Pop-up Relocatable Homes designed to meet the need for affordable, high quality housing for the growing homelessness crisis.

Passivhaus Volumetric Flying Factories across the country

Beattie Passive’s Flying Factories enable Housing Associations and Developers to deliver their own Passivhaus standard housing with off-site manufacture and rapid on-site assembly. Beattie Passive provides all of the know-how, experience and support to help Housing Associations and Developers to set up and run Beattie Passive Flying Factory for onsite and volumetric delivery, providing them with the confidence and ability to manufacture Passivhaus on a large scale with their own local labour and ability to control their own costs.

Beattie Passive’s Passivhaus Housing presents a gamechanger to the market –  high quality, high performance housing that is built to last a lifetime.

  • Passivhaus Standard: Highest levels of technical performance combined with low running costs and the healthy, comfortable living environment of Passivhaus. As well as delivering the additional benefits of Beattie Passive including superior levels of sound and fire protection
  • Flexible delivery solutions: onsite or offsite delivery of Passivhaus, with the ability for Housing Associations and Local Authorities to set up their own Flying Factories to deliver Passivhaus housing with local labour and local supply chains
  • Relocatable / adaptable housing: High quality Passivhaus housing that meets temporary needs whilst also being suitable for long-term permanent housing. Houses can be installed in weeks and then relocated and altered as need and location changes
  • LABC and Premier 10-year Warranty

Beattie Passive

Simplifying Passivhaus: Beattie Passive have developed an award winning, innovative offsite timber frame build technology guaranteeing the performance of Passivhaus and ensures the delivery of a unique, low energy, high performance home. Our patented and certified system, is designed and manufactured in the UK, delivering homes of the future, today. We are experts in Passivhaus and deliver quality, choice and flexibility. Our Flying Factory and Volumetric Modular models provide Housing Associations, Developers with their own simple, fast, efficient construction solution delivering high quality, energy efficient homes for permanent and temporary housing.

For more information please visit www.beattiepassive.com, email Enquiries@beattiepassive.com or call 01953 857667.
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Shifting from traditional construction methods to offsite alternatives

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The UK construction industry is worth nearly £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.

But where there are challenges, opportunities can also be found, 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.

These “pod” solutions are being deployed across a wide range of new and refurbishment build projects, from hotels and leisure to education and research facilities. And with the backing of the Government, their usage is only set to increase further.

But why are offsite solutions becoming more popular, and why is the Government keen to back them? In short, they deliver quality at scale, and help projects of all sizes complete on time and to budget. 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.

Modern pod solutions are therefore becoming more popular as they can be designed, manufactured and pre-assembled off site, and then simply dropped into place for ease and speed in new build projects but still provide the high quality expected. 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.

When it comes to bathrooms and showers; these can be the most complex part of a build and require wet trades and a range of skilled labour, from designers to plumbers, electricians and tilers. Pre-fab pod solutions however, can be completely bespoke and designed to fit into any space – whether a Grade II listed manor house, an office block, a refurbishment or a new-build.

Sectional pods are ideal for limited spaces, and bespoke designs can be completed from concept to delivery much quicker than manual builds, where a whole host of factors can slow down the build, from the late delivery of materials to several contractors having to work together, in confined spaces and reliant on other trades’ staged completions.

Health and safety is another concern for contractors, and moving construction off site into a factory environment significantly decreases the risk of an accident. Purpose built construction lines have been designed specifically for pod manufacture, and are the safest environment.

There are other benefits, too. When pods are manufactured offsite, the on-site assembling process is far quicker and quieter with less people needed, 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 and easy to manage.

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.

The Government have also recognised the benefits of offsite construction. It has said it will support ‘building long term collaborations’ with the industry, ‘exploiting digital technologies such as the adoption of offsite construction techniques’.

In addition, it said it would ‘adopt a presumption in favour of offsite construction by 2019 across suitable capital programmes’. This stands as further evidence of the rising popularity of offsite modular construction.

As more and more projects are completed, construction management will recognise that modular design can be commercially viable alternative to traditional builds.

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.

In fact, 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 on-going maintenance.

Hostile environments are no longer such an issue, either. From city centre apartments to rugged surroundings, installations are no longer a logistical nightmare. From oil rigs to research centres in Antarctica, there is nowhere bathroom pods can’t be installed.

Offsite construction currently accounts for less than 10% of total construction output. But this means there is tremendous scope for further expansion in the building sector. The Government is on board, a growing number of construction managers are on board – what are you waiting for?

Written by Jeanette Parker, Sales & Marketing Manager at TAPLANES

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Establish offsite construction as “a jewel in Britain’s post-Brexit exporting crown”

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Establishing the UK as world leader in modern methods of construction could create a new £40bn a year global export market.

The dramatic rise in city living presents Britain with a unique opportunity to build on its historic legacy as a global leader in construction and engineering projects and develop a £40bn export market.

Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), which include off-site manufacturing and advanced digital design, have been identified by the Government as a way to produce well-designed, energy efficient homes at pace with a leaner and high-skilled workforce.

A new report by Mace, the British construction consultancy, highlights how a global urban renaissance –with more than half of all global populations live in cities – will lead to increasing demand for high rise living. By embracing MMC techniques developed in Britain, homes, offices and schools across the world could be built more quickly and more safely.

The paper, authored by a former Bank of England economist, says that if MMC allow UK construction to export the same amount of global industry value as the UK automotive sector, then its annual exports would increase by £39bn.

It identifies the United States, India and China as the fastest growing markets that Britain should target.

New analysis in the report also highlights:

  • In the UK’s 12 biggest cities, 1 in 6 of the homes that will be required over the next 20 years are yet to be built
  • 10,500 new homes need to be built across these cities every month of every year for the next 20 years to keep up with demand
  • Eradicating the shortfall in the necessary supply of new homes to these cities would add £53bn to their combined economic output over the next 20 years
  • The construction sector would need to increase its productivity by 30% if it is to build the homes these cities needs

The paper argues that unless the construction sector and the Government embrace MMC, the UK will be unable to deliver on the number of homes that have been pledged by politicians. The report also sets out a number of recommendations to reform the sector and establish Britain as a global leader in MMC including:

  1. Accelerating planning consents for projects using MMC that can demonstrate faster, better and greener developments than traditional approaches
  2. Using major events such as the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in 2022 to showcase Britain’s expertise in MMC
  3. Earmarking unused or underused urban spaces for pop-up off site construction sites
  4. Creating ‘construction clubs’ in schools to teach students the basics of how buildings are designed and built using new technologies such as 3D printing

Mark Reynolds, Chief Executive of Mace, said “The construction sector can be a jewel in Britain’s post-Brexit exporting crown. Thanks to a legacy of pioneering achievements, the UK is respected throughout the world as experts in delivering major, complex and innovative construction projects.

“Embracing modern methods of construction and exporting our knowledge around the world could lead to billions of pounds more in trade and help build new relationships with major markets around the world.”

Read the full report here.

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SFS intec shares specification expertise in ‘Must-Read’ NBS Specifier Report

Roofing and cladding fastener manufacturer SFS intec has been exclusively invited to share its specification market knowledge, analysis and experience in a new report published by NBS.

The ‘What Specifiers Want’ report, based on the NBS Specification Survey, provides expert guidance for construction product manufacturers supplying into the UK specification market. It serves as a way for construction professionals to inform the industry about their changing needs when it comes to specification writing, with the findings also helping NBS to improve the tools and resources it provides and adapt to the changing industry as BIM establishes itself.

SFS intec, who have worked closely with architects and building envelope contractors for three decades, were the only product manufacturer to be invited to share their perspectives in this report, alongside eminent construction industry professionals and thought-leaders. It reflects the company’s strength and depth in the specification market, with its market-leading support for building designers. This includes a UK-based Specification Team focused on supporting specifiers with writing NBS clauses and the provision of BIM data to support a more robust specification that will make it more difficult to substitute products and reduce the risk of poor envelope performance.

David Wigglesworth, Managing Director of SFS intec’s UK business, who wrote an article for the report, says: “We’re delighted to have been invited to share our insights in this latest NBS report which will be enormously beneficial to anyone working in the specification market. The key findings of the survey resonate with our ethos and the way our support is structured, designed to help deliver better quality buildings and maximise client satisfaction. This is particularly so given the high proportion of specifiers who value good relationships with manufacturers and having detailed information easily accessible online.”

Expert technical support has been at the core of SFS intec’s success in serving the building envelope market for more than 30 years with a wide range of fasteners for pitched roof, façade and flat roof construction. Operating from its UK HQ in Leeds, the company is part of the Swiss-based SFS Group which has annual sales in excess of £1.1bn and a history dating back to the 1950s serving customers in the construction, automotive, electronics, industrial and medical products markets.

Find out more about SFS intec at www.sfsintec.co.uk and download the NBS ‘What Specifiers Want’ at https://www.thenbs.com/knowledge/what-specifiers-want-2017.
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METSEC accommodates offsite solution for Bournemouth students

Arts University Bournemouth has more than 3,000 students and is growing each year. Identifying a need for additional student accommodation in the area, ASN Capital who act as both residential and commercial developers and landlords, had a plot on Bath Road in Bournemouth where it had planning permission to build a halls of residence. Delivering the project as the main contractor, ASN Capital wanted to maximise project efficiencies by sourcing the fewest packages possible.

The footprint of the plot was small, and the planned building was complex, with a curved front façade and a staggered shape to the rear. ASN Capital selected Atkin Trade Specialists to deliver the installation and after reviewing the options, together selected Metsec’s Metframe as the offsite framing solution for the building.

The Metframe solution is pre-panelised off-site to reduce time on-site and increase the overall speed of build; ideal for ASN Capital’s ambition to complete the project as soon as possible. In fact, thanks to the speed of Metframe construction, the erection of the superstructure took less than 13 weeks, halving the time a standard build would have taken.

A major factor in reducing the time needed for the build was that in addition to the frame, the stairs and lift shafts were integral to the Metframe system and were installed as each floor was constructed. This removed the need for additional contractors to fit the stairs and lifts at a later date, and instead everything was completed concurrently using Metsec’s off-site solution.

Having an integrated solution also meant a single point of contact for a significant amount of the build.

Amir Sadeh, of ASN Capital, said: “Our priority was to move the project along swiftly and efficiently. We reviewed multiple solutions that were available to us and selected Metframe as it was ideal for what we needed.

“We had a small plot and a tight time frame and Metsec’s solution allowed us to deliver everything to deadline.”

The 2,610sqm halls of residence at Bath Road has a concrete basement housing a communal room and bike store, a ground floor including a lobby, built partially using Metframe, and eight storeys above ground housing all 84 en-suite accommodation studios for students, entirely built from Metframe.

Jeff Harris, from Atkin Trade Specialists, said: “The building is BIM compliant, designed in a 3D environment which gave ASN Capital a very clear simulation of what each part of the building would look like. In using Metframe, with panels delivered to site in the required erection sequence, the project has zero waste therefore reducing the environmental impact. The overall quality and accuracy through designing in a BIM compliant project and using Metframe leads to material, time and cost savings.

“Having ASN Capital involved throughout and carefully reviewing the best solution for their project meant that they selected a time-saving and cost-efficient solution which gives high performance in terms of thermal, acoustic and fire protection.”

The Metframe solution was able to withstand a concrete roof on the building, which future-proofed the building, allowing an additional floor to be added at a later date if desired.
The Bath Road project used 77 tonnes of cold rolled steel and 15.5 tonnes of hot rolled steel.

For more information please visit www.metsec.com.
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