The new SIG I-House System incorporating Celcon Elements from H+H has just received official accreditation under the Build Offsite Property Assurance Scheme (BOPAS).
Carried out by Lloyd’s Register in conjunction with BLP insurance, BOPAS is a process evaluation designed to provide reassurance as to the quality, reliability and durability of new methods of building.
Originally targeted at lenders, it supports an expectation of at least a 60 year lifespan for the build and should provide reassurance to both housebuilders and buyers that a new technique can be relied on for the long term.
BOPAS is an increasingly important accreditation in the fast-moving arena of offsite construction and H+H is delighted that the viability of its storey-high Celcon Elements aircrete panels, used in the SIG I-House concept, has been recognised.
The I-House concept is based on Celcon Elements. Combined with pre-formed timber floor cassettes and prefabricated roofs, the system can deliver the complete, watertight, shell of a masonry house in just one week.
It is a revolutionary building system that sits between the traditional and offsite methods of building and is proving extremely interesting to housebuilders wanting the trusted characteristics of masonry build combined with the speed and efficiency of offsite.
“The chief barrier to the adoption of new building methods is often one of trust”, summarises H+H Technical Director Cliff Fudge. “While Celcon Elements have been used in housebuilding across Europe for decades, the UK industry is very conservative. Rigorous third-party assessments make a huge difference to the speed at which innovations can be adopted, so we are delighted to have achieved the BOPAS recognition.”
SIG I-House, incorporating Celcon Elements is currently being trialled by some of the UK’s biggest housebuilders and is proving particularly appealing for affordable housing where delivery speed is important and standard house designs are easily accommodated by the system.