黑洞社区

Investment giant Legal & General has begun searching for potential partners to deliver its 3,000 unit a year factory-built home plans, the investor鈥檚 modular housing delivery boss Ian Eggers has said.

Speaking at 黑洞社区鈥檚 BIM Show Live conference in London this morning, Eggers said: 鈥淲e are looking for clients and professional partners. Lots of people are knocking down our door already.鈥�

Legal & General plunged into the offsite housing market in spring this year, after purchasing a 13-acre warehouse in Yorkshire (pictured) that it is now busy transforming into a giant housing factory.

It also recruited Eggers - a former Mace director who led the company鈥檚 early work on the Shard - to lead on delivery.

Eggers said the firm has installed 10 production lines and up to 拢60m of manufacturing equipment in the facility.

He also confirmed that the first prototype homes 鈥� made of cross-laminated timber sections ready-to-assemble on site like giant pieces of Ikea furniture 鈥� would be produced by the end of the year, or by early next year.

Legal & General will target the build to rent and housing association markets, but its ambitions extend beyond this, Eggers said, to 鈥渉otels and student accommodation 鈥� basically anything with a bed鈥�.

Eggers said the key thing the client was looking for from potential partners was 鈥渃ost surety鈥�, as well as efficiency, so the firm could concentrate 鈥渕ore time up front on designing鈥�.

He said working for such a large client 鈥� Legal & General is one of the UK鈥檚 largest investors 鈥� would help him deliver improvements through the supply chain, including on BIM.

He said: 鈥淔or the first time in 30 years I鈥檓 working in a client organisation. Design is integral. I鈥檝e got the whip hand and I鈥檓 going to change a few things.

鈥淏IM is part of that process. Without it, how do I start manufacturing?鈥�