Keynes Site for Energy Efficient Homes

ilke Homes has purchased a seven-acre site in Milton Keynes where the company plans to deliver up to 140 highly energy-efficient homes for the local community. Subject to Reserved Matters planning approval from Milton Keynes City Council, ilke Homes plans to deliver a mix of houses and apartments ranging from one to four bedrooms – the majority of which will be manufactured offsite at the company’s 250,000sq ft factory in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire. Not less than 30% of the homes are expected to be made available for affordable tenures.

The site will form part of the 4,330-home Whitehouse masterplan, which is being delivered by L&Q Estates, one of the UK’s largest strategic land developers, and their development partner Milton Keynes City Council. L&Q Estates is the master planner behind the development at Whitehouse which is expected to create hundreds of jobs, 4,300 homes, a secondary school, three primary schools, a health facility, indoor sports and other leisure facilities, and play areas.

ilke Homes is already in conversation with several organisations with appetite to acquire and forward fund ilke’s exemplar modular homes at Whitehouse. They will be submitting a Reserved Matters planning application to Milton Keynes Council in April and subject to planning, anticipate starting work on site by the end of 2023. The first homes are expected to be installed from Summer 2024.

Tom Heathcote (pictured) Executive Director of Development at ilke Homes, said: “ilke Homes continues to expand across the South East, with today’s announcement marking our first site acquisition in Buckinghamshire. Our teams are excited to be working alongside L&Q Estates and some of the UK’s most well-known housebuilders as part of this fantastic consortium, which promises to deliver a well-designed community with placemaking at its heart. Since launching in 2020, our land-led, turnkey offering has seen exponential growth, demonstrating the strength of our vertically-integrated approach to development.”

Adrian Clack, Managing Director of L&Q Estates, added: “L&Q Estates and Milton Keynes City Council have been involved in the development of this site for over 20 years, facilitating the delivery of muchneeded homes, social infrastructure and facilities for the community in Whitehouse. Modular housing is a really exciting advancement in building energyefficient properties at a much faster rate and it will be fantastic to see these high-quality properties lowered into place for families to move into and start creating their dream homes. These will be the first modular homes in Whitehouse and we look forward to the first families moving into them next year.”

Source: www.ilkehomes.co.uk

Verified PMV for DTS Timber Frame

Donaldson Timber Systems (DTS), has become the first timber frame manufacturer to offer a verified pre-manufactured value (PMV) score of 55% or more. Following a six-month material and labour cost analysis completed by specialist construction consultancy, Cast Consultancy, the DTS Sigma® II build system has been verified to achieve a minimum of 55% PMV, increasing to 58% for a detached home.

In conjunction with the Stewart Milne Group, the DTS timber system was tested on a live project, on a range of building typologies, including a two-bedroom mid terrace, a three-bedroom end-terrace and a four-bedroom detached home. In these tests, the DTS Sigma® II build system achieved a verified PMV of 55.7%, 55.8% and 58.4% respectively.

PMV is a way of calculating the proportion of a building’s construction that takes place offsite or nearsite using any of the seven categories of MMC. It can be achieved through a combination of offsite, near site and on-site manufacturing techniques, as well as through materials innovation and site-based process improvement and technology.

The PMV value of Sigma® II is achieved by a combination of offsite elements of the build, including: traditional strip footings and in-situ suspended floor slabs, conventional brickwork external cladding, external doors installed on-site, conventional felt, batten and tiled roof installed on-site, services and internal linings to walls and ceilings installed on-site, sanitaryware and kitchens installed on-site and prefabricated doorsets and stair flight with handrail components installed on-site.

The Affordable Homes Programme from Homes England, launched in 2021, requires all projects it funds to have at least 25% of the units delivered through MMC and a calculated PMV of 55%.

The verification by Cast confirms that DTS can achieve this target PMV value through the build system alone, when using the award-winning, BOPAS and BBA-approved, closed panel Sigma® II Build System. While the system can be used in conjunction with other offsite technologies to further improve PMV, Sigma® II achieves the target levels of PMV without reliance on any other offsite technologies.

Cast Consultancy has published a PMV Technical Manual explaining how the calculations are carried out. The baseline for the calculator, building a ‘traditional’ house without any additional MMC elements, provides a PMV of just 39.74%. While adding a basic structural framing system, such as timber frame (MMC Category 2a), raises it up to

44.74%, it still falls short of the required 55%. Setting the target of 55% is pushing the industry to innovate and to drive more offsite construction.

There are numerous benefits of increasing PMV, including increased quality and performance, improved productivity, minimal waste, faster on-site delivery and reduced health and safety risk.

John Smith, Technical Director at Donaldson Timber Systems, explains: “We were confident that our Sigma® II Build System would deliver the required level of PMV, but it’s fantastic to be able to prove it. This is of particular interest to our clients who are building affordable homes, as this certification will make their lives easier when applying for funding through the Affordable Homes Programme because the use of Sigma® II alone achieves the minimum target required to unlock funding and secure land from Homes England. We have long championed the use of offsite timber frame construction as the best way to achieve efficiencies and sustainable building practices, and we have developed our timber systems to ensure they are market-leading in every way. Our award-winning, third-party certified Sigma® II Build System is a robust and effective solution to achieving high levels of fabric performance.”

Source: www.donaldsontimbersystems.com

First Modules Arrive at Imjin Barracks

A £13million construction project to improve living conditions for soldiers at Imjin Barracks has reached a key milestone, following the arrival on-site of the first modules for new Single Living Accommodation (SLA).

The major infrastructure works at the Gloucestershire barracks are due for completion this summer and will provide 69 new single ensuite bedspaces, along with communal living and kitchen/diner facilities. The project is being delivered by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) on behalf of the British Army, using offsite construction specialist Reds10 and Design and Engineering consultants Arcadis.

Brigadier Richard Brown, Army’s Head of Infrastructure Plans said: “This is a significant milestone in building new Single Living Accommodation at Imjin Barracks – the first of over a hundred new SLA blocks due to be delivered across the Army estate. It’s great to see the progress being made here which will enhance the communal living experience for our people.

The new modular SLA block is manufactured offsite and features a high-spec interior fit-out, central break-out spaces and increased natural daylight into rooms. The building will use SMART building technology to react to external and internal elements to reduce energy consumption. It has achieved an ‘Excellent’ rating under the Defence Related Environmental Assessment Methodology (DREAM).

Warren Webster, Defence Infrastructure Organisation, MPP Programme Director – Army added: “I am extremely proud of the team. It not only demonstrates DIO’s commitment to providing quality accommodation to Service personnel, but also shows

Key Appointment for NHBC Housing Association Team

the significant benefits of permanent module offsite construction both in terms of speed of delivery and ability to meet demanding carbon net zero targets. This is the first of a number of projects that will follow this proven delivery model.”

Paul Ruddick, Reds10 Chairman, said: “The SLA at Imjin Barracks is real, tangible proof of concept for modern methods of construction (MMC). It shows, in practical terms, how MMC can deliver a high quality, fit for purpose product at speed. We are extremely proud to be working with the British Army, DIO, Arcadis, HLM Architects and everyone else involved in this project, it’s a true team effort.

Imjin Barracks is the first site to benefit under the Army’s Single Living Accommodation Programme, which is investing £1.2billion and delivering 8,500 SLA bedspaces over 10 years. In addition to this, 8,000 SLA bedspaces are being delivered by the Defence Estate Optimisation (DEO) Army Programme through new build SLA blocks and refurbishing works, bringing the combined total of SLA bedspaces being delivered over 10 years to 16,500.

(L-R) Brigadier Richard Brown Head 0f Infrastructure Plans (Army), Paul Ruddick Chairman, Reds 10 Warren Webster MPP Programme Director (Army) Defence Infrastructure Organisation.

Source: www.reds10.com

NHBC announced that Charlie Ash has been appointed Sector Lead for Housing Associations. Charlie, who previously worked in the team as Customer Relationship Executive, will now manage relationships and partnerships with housing associations, their contractors and other sector stakeholders, with a focus on building it right first time.

Charlie’s priorities will centre on early-stage client engagement across housing association and contractor development pipelines and will champion NHBC’s partnership approach in her new role. Charlie commented: “I’m excited to step up into this new role and look forward to meeting the challenges the current market presents. NHBC’s affordable housing products and services are a key part of our partnership offering and I’ll be growing this part of our business, promoting our great credentials and track record.”

Tim Reid, Customer Relationship Director at NHBC added: “The housing association sector is facing more challenges than ever before and NHBC offers a wealth of expertise and experience to help guide and assist clients all the way through the design and build process. Charlie’s appointment will help our housing association clients navigate the market and protect their homes and residents, with Charlie acting as a valuable key single point contact for UK housing associations.” www.nhbc.co.uk

NHBC takes a partnership approach, working with customers from the earliest stages of land acquisition through design, construction and ultimately handover.

As the UK’s leading independent provider of warranty and insurance for new homes, NHBC offers unrivalled expertise, supporting clients across a range of sectors beyond volume housebuilding, including affordable and social housing, Build to Rent, integrated retirement communities and strategic land.

Cala Acquires Taylor Lane Timber Frame

Cala Group, a major UK homebuilder has announced the 100% acquisition of Taylor Lane Timber Frame Ltd, one of the UK’s leading timber frame construction specialists. The investment will help drive Cala’s progress towards their sustainability targets and support delivery of the group’s ambitious growth plans in the South of England.

Cala’s carbon reduction strategy sets out their transition to timber frame across all the homes they build in England, where possible. The investment in Taylor Lane will help Cala to increase the use of timber frame in England to c.1,500 new homes per annum, over the next five years. In Scotland, Cala has been using timber frame construction for over 40 years, and around 80% of Cala’s homes there are built using this method.

With factories in Hereford and Wales, Taylor Lane will supply Cala’s five English businesses in the Cotswolds and South of England, while continuing to service existing customers and grow their presence in the wider market. The investment illustrates Cala’s confidence in Taylor Lane’s potential and provides a strong platform for continued growth, while ensuring both consistency and stability for Taylor Lane’s employees, customers and operations.

Kevin Whitaker, CEO at Cala Group, said: “Today’s announcement is a hugely positive step forward for