Offsite manufacture can cut carbon
Greater use of prefabricated construction techniques could help the industry deliver more sustainable buildings and help it cope with growing pressure on project deadlines and shortage of skilled manpower, according to a growing number of leading firms.
“Offsite prefabrication will be an increasingly important part of our tactics for delivering sustainability,” said HVCA President John Miller. “It is an excellent method for reducing defects, minimising waste, speeding up delivery and improving health and safety.
“However, it is not the right solution for every project and to do prefabrication well you must be able to plan properly and integrate the specialist teams right from the outset. Better collaboration generally will be needed to turn our ambitions for sustainable buildings into reality,” added Mr Miller, who is also managing director of m&e contractor Shouksmiths.
According to industry campaign body buildoffsite, m&e services account for 11% of the total offsite manufacturing sector, which was valued at £1.53 billion in 2006. However, buildoffsite believes the true value of the market is much higher – at around £6 billion – but that is undervalued because many of the prefabrication elements used in major projects are not reported separately.
David Rolton, chairman of the multi-disciplinary engineering firm Rolton Group, says offsite fabrication will be essential if the industry is to meet the Government's target of all new-build houses being carbon neutral by 2016.
“We should be looking for modern methods of construction, such as prefabricated building components,” he said. “Industry, particularly all those involved in the development of housing, needs to react now if it is to meet government targets.”
There are thought to be around 350 companies operating as offsite fabricators for the construction industry in the UK, but quality control is a growing concern.
“The barriers to entry into this sector are too low,” said Paul Cooper, managing director of building services offsite manufacturer Ormandy Group. “As demand for offsite work grows it is more important than ever that quality standards are established and enforced.
“Prefabrication is an excellent method for speeding up delivery of projects and improving the quality of the finished product, but only if it is done properly,” said Mr Cooper. “Clients need to ensure they only use well qualified professional suppliers with a decent track record, and the technical and design expertise to support their manufacturing facility.
“Putting a roof over a building site is not offsite manufacturing – it is just a way of keeping the rain off.”