A number of industry reports reinforced
by Government and major investment announcements, has increased momentum in the
offsite sector.
This scale of
investment has not been witnessed before and many believe that there is an
‘offsite revolution' taking place - a change that is predicted to see
‘traditional' construction methods being phased out in a number of sectors.
This represents a
major opportunity for those operating in the offsite industry, but it is not
without challenges.
Steve Thompson,
Managing Director for leading innovators in steel framing solutions, EOS
Facades, part of the Etex Building Performance Group, said: "This time
around there is a feeling that the push for offsite construction is
sustainable, due to the imposed drivers for change.
"A significant
difference between the present and the previous offsite boom is the emergence
of Building Information Modelling (BIM) - this has been a ‘game changer' for
EOS Facades.
"Without doubt,
BIM is having an impact on the genuine adoption of Design for Manufacture and
Assembly (DfMA) protocols which significantly aides the offsite manufacturer's
ability to address the issue of standardisation. BIM facilitates the opportunity
for further upstream integration of components and systems and will therefore
no doubt, generate new types of offsite manufactured technologies.
Fundamentally, DfMA requires the design team to shift their thinking away from
‘construction' to ‘assembly'."
There are, of
course, a number of challenges to the growth of offsite. The lack of investment
is frequently linked to a lack of certainty of demand or continuity of
business. Construction is typically a project-based activity - therefore the
customer base can be difficult to retain.
Mr Thompson said EOS
Facades' approach to this is two-fold. "We have formed strategic alliances
with some of the UK's largest developers and main contractors, such as Barratt
London and Kier Construction, as well as establishing partnerships with major
installers including Ardmore Group and SCL," he continued.
"Offering
partnership services for conceiving, designing and manufacturing light gauge
steel frame solutions - we are known for building excellent working
relationships based on customer needs. This approach offers benefits to all -
working relationships and processes are established, teams have no learning
curves and importantly, we have built trust through reliability and meeting
exacting expectations.
"EOS Facades'
continually invests in our advanced manufacturing facility together with
product research and development. A major extension to our factory has
just been completed and the development of a new fabrication plant. We have
invested in our own fabrication plant to be self-sufficient in manufacturing
our ancillary parts such as angles, brackets, windows and cills. This
will support our market leading ‘lump-sum', all-inclusive pricing initiative
and complement our ‘total supply' offering.
"In addition to
the five Howick steel framing machines currently in operation, to further
expand the manufacturer's product portfolio and capacity, we have invested in a
new multiwidth (boxer) machine and installed overhead cranes for lifting and moving
frames and steel coils around the extended facility. This work has been
undertaken in preparation for the increased workload with the development of a
complete walling solution and load-bearing penalisation to support offsite
initiatives.
"Beyond the
traditional LGSF markets, EOS Facades regard the development of volumetric
modular and pod products as becoming increasingly important. These types of
systems are best suited to projects where modules form complete rooms, allowing
extensive factory finishing and high levels of repeatability. Volumetric
modular structures preclude the need for infill or oversail panels and
represent to the next evolutionary step for the offsite sector.
"Offsite
construction, the process of taking the building activity away from the site
and into a manufacturing environment, is now potentially one of the fastest
growing industry sectors in the UK. It represents the natural industrialisation
of conventional construction processes, moving the traditional site practices
into the modern factory environment.
"Contemporary
offsite construction sector technologies and products are now many evolutions
apart from the technology of their roots, supported by third party
accreditations and testing that make it more advanced than traditional
construction methods, and now a readily accepted construction method.
"It is clear
that the drivers for change vary but most would cite predictability programme
and cost - our market leading all-inclusive fixed price packages further
enhance the usual price assurances delivered by offsite technology. Improved
quality through the use of BIM technology and manufacture in controlled factory
environments - are other important factors. This reduces clashes, errors onsite
and snagging - together with enhancing the performance throughout lifecycle of
the building. And finally, but not exclusively - offsite methods address
the skills shortage, as less onsite labour is required together with the
reliance on traditional site-based skills."
The publication of
the ‘Offsite manufacture for construction: Building for Change' report by the
House of Lords Science and Technology Select Committee - will keep the offsite
sector on its current trajectory if the recommendations are implemented.
Through
collaborative working and by forming strategic alliances, EOS provide
specialist services to businesses, large and small, including some of the most
prominent companies in construction.
EOS Facades are
running a CPD accredited factory tour at their facility in County Durham on the
20th September 2018. Hosted by the EOS technical team together with Etex
Building Performance and the Siniat specification teams - the event is
completely free to attend.
