Sustainable Offsite

After less than five months on site, the Portakabin Group has handed over a £2 million, four-storey scheme for office support staff at the University Hospital Southampton and to create space for further development, to the benefit of the local community. The new building was required to provide purposed-designed, permanent business support offices and meeting space for around 85 staff from the Medical Physics and Dietetics teams who were relocating from outdated temporary facilities. That…

Using wood elements allows faster building turnaround. This leads to more profitable construction projects and shorter investment payback times. The pace of construction is kept at the desired level, because prefabrication reduces some of the most common risks at construction sites. Utilizing prefabricated wood elements is a surprisingly fast option for on-site construction. For example, up to 1500 m2 of Kerto® LVL (Laminated Veneer Lumber) roof panels can be assembled within a single working day….

Over the past decade, modular construction has grown substantially. A recent report by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills has estimated the total value of the offsite construction industry at £1.5 billion, with the potential to grow to £6 billion. Attitudinal changes towards offsite building techniques, as well as their increased sustainability and capabilities as seen on many high-profile jobs, have all contributed to this growth. Matthew Goff, director of UK operations at Actavo…