In this off-site special, a panel-framed home that鈥檚 ultra-energy efficient, all-in-one shower pods and how car parks can help solve the housing crisis. Plus the latest on the industry鈥檚 movers and shakers

Brick and cedar panel system
The Kingspan TEK building system was used for the construction of this house in Oxford. TEK is a structurally insulated panel system that is used to construct the walls, floors and roof of buildings and was selected because of its insulation and airtightness properties. The developer wanted to incorporate large areas of glazing, which ruled out the use of more conventional thermally inefficient construction methods. The TEK panels are clad with a combination of brick and cedar shiplap, and the home has a mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery that eliminates the need for window vents and extractor fans.
Kingspan
www.tek.kingspan.com
www.building.co.uk/enquiries 301

Panel-framed family house
Excel 黑洞社区 Solutions EVT (Enhance Vapour Transfer) panels were used to construct this five-bedroom home using a design concept devised by architect Gn2 Design. It uses a glulam beam-and-post frame infilled on the walls and roof with EVT panels. The panels consist of a frame, a weather-resistant external sheet and a layer of plasterboard on the inner side. The panels are filled with the company鈥檚 Warmcel insulation made from newspaper. The glulam frame has a single section size and connection type and has a standardised grid system to simplify construction.
Gn2 Design is developing an affordable homes solution using the same system.
Excel 黑洞社区 Solutions
www.excelfibre.com
www.building.co.uk/enquiries 302

Quick-to-fit shower pods
Coram Showers has launched a range of shower pods. The company says these are watertight, eliminate the need for tiling and sealant and can be fitted by a carpenter in one operation. The pods are supplied as sections that are slotted together with overlapping joints to ensure watertightness. The range consists of showers for fitting into alcoves with an 800 mm2 or 1200 mm2 footprint, and into corners with an 800 mm2 footprint. They can be fitted with either lefthand or righthanded opening doors.
Coram Showers
www.coram.co.uk
www.building.co.uk/enquiries 303

Washrooms for primary schools
Modular building supplier Portakabin has brought out a washroom specifically for education facilities where Key Stages 1 and 2 primary school children are taught. Called Portaloo Junior, it is intended for either temporary use, for example during a refurbishment, or more permanently, to accommodate a school increasing in size. The solution consists of a 7.48 m 脳 3.27 m toilet block. Portakabin says it has been designed to conform to The Education (School Premises) Regulations 1999, and incorporates safety features including finger guards on doors. The washroom includes low-level urinals, cubicles, washbasins, thermostatically controlled water supply, heaters, vanity units and child-height mirrors over the washbasins.
Portakabin
www.portaloo.co.uk
www.building.co.uk/enquiries 304

Apartments over car parks
Guildford Timber Frame has launched a building solution called Palafito that uses the dead space above existing ground level car parks. The company says the solution is ideal for constructing affordable housing up to five storeys high. The system works by building a platform from steel or concrete over the car park, then constructing the apartments using the company鈥檚 factory-made timber frame. Guildford Timber Frame says this can be installed in as little as six weeks, thereby minimising disruption to the car park. It also says the solution can be used for extending healthcare facilities.
Guildford Timber Frame
www.guildfordtimberframe.com
www.building.co.uk/enquiries 305

Bathroom framing system
Heating and plumbing specialist IPPEC has launched a prefabricated bathroom framing system called Quickframe. It is a galvanised steel frame that fits together to cover pipework and cisterns in bathrooms. It can also be used to construct a dividing, service wall between bathrooms and can incorporate a prefabricated WC module. The frame can be covered with wall boards and tiled conventionally.
IPPEC
www.ippec.co.uk
www.building.co.uk/enquiries 306

Pre-engineered balustrades
Handrail Design has launched a modular balustrading system using pre-engineered components. Called icon CUBE, it has paired, rectangular uprights to which handrails, infill panels and structural fittings can be clipped. There is a choice of stainless steel or hardwood handrails and a choice of panels.
Handrail Design
www.handraildesign.co.uk
www.building.co.uk/enquiries 307

Movers and makers

  • Modular buildings maker Yorkon has announced an alternative funding package to PFI for healthcare facilities. It is a design, build and finance package where the building operator leases the building from the funding bank. Yorkon takes the design and build risk. The company said it was faster, cheaper and simpler than PFI and was also flexible, as buildings could be added during the lease period. The package has already been used for educational facilities.

  • The steel industry has raised concerns about the off-site application of intumescent paint for fire protection of structural steelwork. The concerns were raised by Corus at a recent seminar and the British Association of Reinforcement has also said there was a problem and that consultants should specify reinforced concrete rather than steel. The concern is that factory-applied coatings can get damaged during transport and erection, thereby potentially reducing the fire-resistant properties of steel structures.

  • The UK Timber Frame Association says the proportion of timber-framed housing is growing, and now stands at almost 17% of the new homes market. The figure for 2004 is 16.7% compared with 15.7% in 2003. The UKTFA says the amount of timber-framed housing had doubled since 1998.

  • Construction research and best practice body CIRIA has launched a new version of its off-site project toolkit. It is intended to help project teams make the most of off-site construction. It outlines how to develop an off-site strategy in relation to key project drivers and constraints. It also includes 150 case studies that show how off-site manufacture has been used successfully in a variety of circumstances.

  • Communications and security systems specialist Static Systems Group says that its new dedicated off-site construction facility has boosted sales of its System 790 for healthcare facilities. The product consists of fully assembled and equipped flatwall systems for nurse calls, medical gases, power, lighting and data communications. The new facility accounts for a 30% increase in production space at the company鈥檚 factory.

  • An initiative to promote the uptake of off-site construction has been launched by an industry-wide alliance including manufacturers, clients, developers, designers and the government. Called Buildoffsite, it aims to achieve a tenfold increase in the uptake of off-site construction techniques in order to develop the offsite manufacturing industry, improve quality and reduce unit costs. For more information see www.buildoffsite.com

Off-site manufacture