Off-site construction is not off mark

The capabilities and design flexibility of off-site construction increased dramatically over recent years. Long gone are the days when the sole outputs of modular construction were dull, ‘boxy’ structures. Architecturally innovative off-site projects, such as the award-winning 17 storey Paragon in Brentford and the V-shaped Hilton at Luton, are testament to the sector’s rapid progress. As are the market statistics, as reports state that the value of the UK off-site market grew from £2bn in 2003 to £6bn in 2006. Particularly popular in the hotel, defence and higher education sectors, the benefits of modular construction – including speed of construction, the potential for cost efficiencies and sustainability advantages – are attractive both in times of boom and bust.

Why this growth in popularity?
The sector’s rapid growth can be attributed in part to the greater expertise of businesses within the sector, and an increased recognition of the benefits that the approach offers in the property and construction industries. One such advantage is the speed of construction, with typical build programmes approximately 50 percent shorter than many traditional methods.

This can not only reduce the costs of building on site, but can also improve revenue streams as the buildings can be occupied and used much more quickly. And in the current economic climate, cost is obviously a primary consideration – feasibility studies and cost models show the added value that modular building companies can bring to a project, particularly through consultation and involvement from the planning and design stages. This, combined with the speed of delivery, makes modular construction particularly relevant for businesses looking to prosper as the economy recovers, and for those working to meet the government’s ambitious social housing targets.
 
The sustainability agenda
Housing targets are not the only objectives that building off-site can help the construction and property industries to meet. Another key benefit is the opportunity to improve a project’s sustainability credentials, helping towards meeting environmental targets. Higher levels of sustainability are required – such as achieving BREEAM Excellent and Code for Sustainable Homes Level 4 – which are heavily dependant on the efficiency and quality of the construction of buildings. Energy efficiency and airtightness are improved, whilst waste is reduced and recycling maximised through the refined factory processes and the efficient purchasing of materials by manufacturers. With Code 3 Homes now a requirement and Code 4 an aspiration on many housing schemes, these methods help a project achieve higher ratings with less additional cost and design measures required. As government legislation, industry targets and end-user demands keep sustainability at the top of the agenda, clients should seek out approaches such as OSC that offer excellent sustainability credentials as well as advantages in terms of quality, project timeframes and costs.

Sustainability case study: Waste management and resource efficiency in off-site construction
Why is waste an issue? An important aspect of improving the sustainability of construction is reducing the 120 million tonnes of waste that the industry generates each year. High volumes of wasted material end up in landfill without ever being used, a wastage that not only puts pressure on diminishing landfill facilities but also costs the industry dearly through wasted materials, disposal costs and landfill taxes. The opportunities that the off-site process offers to reduce waste generation makes the approach ideal for property and construction clients and companies looking to secure the environmental, business and cost benefits on offer through minimising the amount of waste their projects send to landfill.

To support the construction industry as it works to reduce the amount of waste it sends to landfill, WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) launched ‘The Construction Commitments: Halving Waste to Landfill’ in October 2008. Organisations that sign up pledge to set annual targets, and to measure and report annual totals for waste to landfill. The first off-site company to sign up to this commitment, Caledonian is playing its part in the pan-industry effort to halve waste to landfill by 2012.

Taking action There are a number of steps that a business can take to use resources more efficiently and to create less waste. Whether on or off-site, the first is to review existing site waste management processes and performance before developing a comprehensive strategy and setting waste reduction targets. Caledonian, for example, has set the target of reducing waste by 20 percent for 2009-10 and further reductions by 10 percent year on year.

For the construction industry to achieve a significant reduction in waste to landfill, it is crucial that all stages of the supply chain work collaboratively. The agenda must be driven by clients, as the early planning and design stages of a project offer some of the greatest opportunities to impact on minimising and managing waste. It is also vital that both clients and contractors engage with waste management contractors, who can provide assistance, waste monitoring processes, and training.

Education and awareness are key to making improvements in the long term. Over the last twelve months, employees at Caledonian have been provided with basic waste instruction, and waste segregation containers have been positioned so that each waste stream is easily identifiable, facilitating more effective disposal.
 
There are some ‘quick win’ processes that can be applied on a construction site, and which can be still more effective in an off-site facility. Dedicating areas to segregating waste for recycling is one such ‘quick win’, maximising the amount of waste material that can be recycled effectively. Another effective practice is to monitor and analyse waste processes – the trials that Caledonian is currently conducting will help identify the exact types and amounts of waste produced on a typical module. These trials are already providing data on overall environmental performance, and the business will use the final results to improve efficiency of its waste management processes.

Key waste streams Reducing plasterboard waste has traditionally proved a challenge for the construction industry, but there are actions that can be taken. Caledonian, for example, is working to use this material more efficiently by:

• Primarily working with manufacturers to buy project specific plasterboard which is cut to size;
• Rationalising on boards used, so residual stocks can be used on other projects;
• Monitoring the process to increase understanding;
• Investigating a range of potential plasterboard waste reduction processes.

Through this assessment, the business has identified that reducing off-cuts is key to minimising plasterboard waste, and can be achieved by measuring and cutting so that all plasterboard is used whenever possible. The plasterboard waste that is generated is currently recycled at the appropriate Material Recycling Facility (MRF), and Caledonian is working with suppliers to develop a waste policy and to set targets specifically for plasterboard.

For more information:
Caledonian Building Systems visit cbuildings.co.uk or Telephone: 01636 821 645