914 Bathroom Pods for BCEGI’s Middlewood Locks

Elements Europe has won a contract with BCEGI to deliver 914 Bathroom Pods to Middlewood Locks, a brand new and exciting £700 million development in Salford, Manchester.

The development will see a new residential and commercial neighbourhood spanning 24 acres, created just a few miles from Manchester’s city centre.

The regeneration scheme will comprise of 750,000 sq ft of space for commercial and mixed use enterprise as well as 2,000 new homes.

Elements Europe has been contracted to manufacture, deliver and install 914 Bathroom Pods of 9 varying types into 6 apartment blocks which are to be constructed in Phase 1 of the new development.

Simon Underwood, Managing Director at Elements Europe commented: “We are thrilled to be part of one of the North West’s biggest regeneration projects and look forward to working closely with BCEGI to deliver a high-quality solution to the scheme.”

The 9 different types of Bathroom Pods will include main bathrooms and en-suites, Jack and Jill bathrooms and varying sizes. Elements Europe will work alongside WCEC Architects to achieve these varying specifications of Bathroom Pods.

Each bathroom will feature large wall tiles and boast quality sanitary ware from Vitre and brassware from Hansgrohe.

Manufacture is set to commence in January next year, with the first Bathroom Pod to be installed in March.

World’s Tallest Crane Ready for Install

One of the world’s tallest freestanding tower cranes will soon commence install of Elements Europe’s Room Modules at a residential development in Greenwich.

At its highest point the crane, which is the first in the world from Jaso is 98m tall and capable of lifting 24T.

The crane will install all 653 modules which make up some of the 249 one and two-bed apartments.

Each apartment will be made up of two to three modules linked together at install stage. The crane will also install the modular corridor cassettes and roof structure for the scheme.

The 23 storey development will be one of the tallest residential buildings in the UK to be built using modular construction and is Britain’s first modular build to rent scheme.

Essential Living is developing this scheme to attract families. Careful thought has gone into creating family-friendly living spaces and added amenities such as a buggy store, nursery and underground parking. Lower income households will also benefit as the council has designated one quarter of the apartments to be discounted.

Overcoming the UK Housing Shortage with Modular Construction

Modular construction has seen a real surge of interest in 2016. As a modular manufacturer we are well aware of the benefits of modular construction, however this is still something which has taken and will continue to take time for people to realise its potential.

The UK housing shortage and how modular construction can assist has certainly been a serious talking point this year.

Education is a major factor in ensuring modular construction’s role in the shortage. Although off-site construction is increasing in popularity amongst developers there are many other key stakeholders to influence.

It is crucial to educate on the cost effective solutions that can be delivered by modular construction as well as a far more efficient construction programme, and it is important to highlight that off-site construction goes hand in hand with traditional construction, and is simply a more efficient way of building traditionally, assisting the on-site labour shortage.

There are many other hurdles to overcome as well as educating stakeholders, one of those being the provision of funding as well as the mortgageability of products which has recently been addressed with the introduction of BOPAS which Elements Europe is now a member.

We were recently asked by Build Offsite what the Mayor of London could do to assist in helping modular construction.

We feel that the Mayor could play a huge role in becoming an advocate for off-site construction. Firstly, he could help to raise awareness that off-site construction, not prefab, is a viable solution and smart way of building.

He could assist in funding perceptions by helping to provide security over land or assets to funders. This could be generated through planning, working with developers as well as registered providers. He could also encourage grants to developers as well as the manufacturer.

In addition to that he could put in place and promote apprenticeship schemes specifically for modular construction both from a labour, designs and project management prospective.
The Mayor could also ensure all substantial residential projects that have volume are earmarked as developments that are off-site projects only.

Off-site construction can offer a variety of solutions. It is particularly suited to PRS with its repetition of specification and product. It is also suited to multi storey residential development, for example our recent scheme with Essential Living on Creekside Wharf in Greenwich.

It is also suited to an urgent housing need as we have the ability to deliver quickly. Temporary forms of housing provision can also benefit, for example the need to house immigrants with semi-permanent accommodation.

We have the opportunity to grow to help meet the industry demands but it requires significant investment. As there are no public grants in the sector or any subsides for off-site construction, such grants would certainly assist in the development of off-site housing.

Elements Europe has invested between £10-15m over 11 years and has a 200,000 sq ft. production facility.