Photo Credit: M-AR Limited
Housing 21, a non-profit provider of retirement communities in the United Kingdom, required a unique solution for a senior housing project in western England.
The in-fill project required maximizing the use of existing space while minimizing disruption to neighboring residents and a local school. To meet these demands, modular units framed with cold-formed steel (CFS) were selected to deliver the project efficiently and cost-effectively.
Pivot to Modular Construction
Housing 21 operates in 200 local authority areas, managing over 20,000 properties in the U.K. A recent project to construct two retirement living courts in the towns of Shrewsbury and Brighouse required a pivot from the original plans.
The senior housing projects were originally designed for traditional construction, but this route quickly became unachievable due to time constraints and requests for minimal disruptions to the local community.
Housing 21 worked with contractor M-AR Limited and consulting firm Henry Riley LLP to construct one-bedroom apartments and bungalows using modular units framed with CFS.
“The adoption of light gauge steel frame modular construction on the two projects delivered all of the perceived benefits that this form of construction brings,” says Dan Macpherson, senior associate at Henry Riley.
According to Macpherson, the switch to CFS framing helped the project:
- Save 60% saving on overall project
- Lead to minimal disruption among existing residents and adjacent properties and school
- Increased the construction quality
- Reduced the construction waste by using off-site, factory-controlled construction methodologies
Today, a growing number of building professionals are embracing prefabrication and modular construction to provide owners with schedule and budget certainty earlier in the process. Using CFS, contractors are finding ways to build structures more efficiently, in less time and with lower costs.
Richard Onslow Court in Shrewsbury
Ward Court in Brighouse
The Steel Framing Advantage
Cold-formed steel (CFS) leads the way as the preferred framing material for prefabricated structures for multiple reasons.
CFS is:
- A pre-engineered material that can be cut to exact lengths
- Dimensionally stable and does not expand or contract with changes in moisture content
- Lightweight compared to wood and concrete
- Resilient and will not warp, split, crack or creep when exposed to the elements
- Sustainable and 100% recyclable
- Durable and has a high tensile strength
- Non-combustible and is a safeguard against fire accidents
Modular Construction: Fast and Efficient
According to pcbtoday, the new modular homes mark a step forward in an in-filling approach that provides much-needed housing by using existing space, while minimizing disruption to neighboring residents.
“We are delighted to see these new properties at courts where local authorities expressed a need for more retirement housing in the area,” says Siobhan Moore, director of development at Housing 21. “Modular construction allowed us to fill these requirements quickly and efficiently while maintaining the high level of quality our residents expect.”
“To look at it, you wouldn’t see that there was anything different to what a normal building would be but ultimately that building’s now becoming a home for people to retire into and get some assisted living,” says Ryan Geldard, head of operations at M-AR Limited, said. “That’s something that really strikes a chord with what we’re trying to achieve as a business.”
Article cited from BuildSteel.org