Welcome to the Offsite Hub Blog page where you will find exclusive industry content from offsite construction sector:
Offsite Hub Blog
LSFA Blog - Sustainable Steel for a Circular Economy
3/8/23
The United Kingdom is a world leader in steel construction technology. Steel is the structural framing material of choice across multiple building sectors. There are approximately 100 million tonnes of steel in buildings and infrastructure in the...
Sam Stacey Talks About Defining Value with Value-Added Toolkit
11/5/23
What do we mean when we talk about defining value? In this latest blog post, Sam Stacey, Chief Executive of Stacx International Ltd, talks to Offsite Hub about his involvement in an ambitious initiative to improve UK construction strategies,...
Andrew Way - Steel Construction Institute
13/4/23
Andrew Way - Associate Director, Steel Construction Institute The advantages of light steel framing systems have long been recognised and as the industry is more technically advanced than other material sectors, keeping up with...
Ensuring Quality Plumbing Systems From Product Selection to Project Completion
17/2/23
For projects that implement an offsite modular construction strategy, the specification, design and installation of plumbing and heating systems must be considered carefully. Here Paul Whittall, Business...
Embracing Bathroom Technology in Pod Design
31/1/23
Sophie Weston at Geberit looks at how pod and modular manufacturers can utilise technology to open up more design possibilities across projects. Reduced water consumption When it comes to the...
Geberit Adds To Product Offering
17/1/23
Geberit has expanded its iCon bathroom series with new product enhancements, offering pod and modular manufacturers a greater choice of hygienic WC solutions that put sustainability and ease of installation front of mind. Rimfree...
Nigel Banks - No Ordinary Homebuilder
3/10/22
ilke Homes is the Yorkshire-based company that has become a flagship name in the delivery of a new generation of energy efficient, low carbon, newbuild modular homes. We caught up with R&D Director Nigel...
John Spittle - The Timber Sector An Ever-Changing Business & Construction Environment
5/9/22
John Spittle - UK Representative, Wiehag www.wiehag.com Q: The proposed Part Z Building Regulation will focus minds on embodied and whole-life carbon across the built environment – is this a long overdue addition to construction...
Andrew Goodwin - The Timber Sector An Ever-Changing Business & Construction Environment
29/8/22
Andrew Goodwin - Managing Director, B&K Structures www.bkstructures.co.uk Q: The proposed Part Z Building Regulation will focus minds on embodied and whole-life carbon across the built environment – is this a long overdue...
Simon Corbey - The Timber Sector An Ever-Changing Business & Construction Environment
15/8/22
Simon Corbey - Director, Alliance for Sustainable Building Products (ASBP) www.asbp.org.uk Q: The proposed Part Z Building Regulation will focus minds on embodied and whole-life carbon across the built environment – is this a long...
Richard Knight - The Timber Sector An Ever-Changing Business & Construction Environment
5/8/22
Richard Knight - Business Development Manager, Net Zero Buildings www.netzerobuildings.co.uk Q: The proposed Part Z Building Regulation will focus minds on embodied and whole-life carbon across the built environment – is this a...
Making MMC Mainstream
27/6/22
As an industry leader in modern methods of construction (MMC) in the UK and Ireland, ESS Modular has seen significant growth in the business over the last 18 months. Paul Tierney CEO and Ronan Smyth,...
Perfect for Pods
1/6/22
From inspirational slimline ceramics to behind the wall frame systems, Geberit and Twyford's solutions for bathroom pods offer the complete package whatever your project or budget. Geberit's range of ceramic and bathroom furniture...
Shifting Building Mindsets
30/5/22
Legal & General Modular Homes (L&GMH) are one of the major names transforming housebuilding in the UK with sustainability and precision quality at the core of its offsite manufacture approach. Chief Executive, Rosie Toogood spoke to us...
Powering Offsite With Digital Technology
20/5/22
Richard Hipkiss, Development Director for the Modular and Portable Building Association (MPBA), discusses the role digital technology plays as offsite construction rapidly becomes a preferred delivery model. The government and the...
Unlocking Brownfield Sites for MMC
1/4/22
With increasing demand to build on Brownfield sites, the use of piled foundations is rising. The higher costs of deep foundations reduce project viability for MMC however, there is a solution. The majority of Brownfield sites require piling or...
Space-saving solutions to maximise washroom space
21/3/22
How can pod and modular bathroom manufacturers ensure efficiency and cost savings across bathroom projects without compromising on space or style? The prominence of...
Spotlight on New Talent
31/1/22
Can offsite construction help to tackle skills shortages? Chris Jarman, Director of the Construction Talent Retention Scheme and Talentview Construction, offers some compelling reasons how it can. In the face of crippling skills...
Modular Homes - Are we Storing Up Problems for the Future?
24/1/22
The market for modular and prefabricated buildings continues to boom, but are we storing up problems for the future that may ultimately cost millions of pounds in repairs for homeowners? According to Jim Edwards, Commercial Director for...
Can Volumetric Manufactured Buildings Deliver a Net Zero Future?
19/1/22
Is the road to a net zero future a well mapped out route or is there uncertainty along the way? Here Richard Hipkiss, Development Director of the Modular and Portable Building Association (MPBA) makes a case for volumetric manufactured buildings...
Mark Southgate - Generation Next
20/12/21
MOBIE was founded in 2017 by the architect and TV presenter George Clarke and is driving the future of home design. Chief Executive, Mark Southgate, talked to us about how it is radically improving the way we construct – and increasingly...
How to Maximise your Timber Usage in Your Roof and Truss Designs
28/10/21
With timber shortages due to supply chain issues and with the costs of it increasing, it is now more important than ever to maximise the use of timber. So how can we best help prefabricators and housebuilders do...
Modular – Shaping a Sustainable Future
19/10/21
According to the UK Green Building Council around 400 million tonnes of materials are used by the UK construction industry each year. New eco-friendly building techniques such as modular construction are predicted to play a key role in reducing...
Is timber the solution to the housing crisis?
14/10/21
Local authorities throughout the UK are facing great difficulty as they attempt to rapidly increase their housing stock and deliver affordable homes, whilst also meeting environmental targets. Here, Andrew Carpenter, Chief Executive of the...
A Sound Solution for Bathroom Pods
13/10/21
Bathroom pods come pre-assembled, pre-tested and delivered straight to site for fuss-free, high-end specification, so it is no surprise that demand for pods is increasing in the hotel sector. However, with growing awareness of how internal...
Calculating Success
30/9/21
What does Pre-Manufactured Value mean for affordable housing? Tony Woods, Group Technical Manager at LHC, explains more. The new Affordable Homes Programme from Homes England requires all projects funded by them to have at least...
Placemaking with Purpose
23/9/21
How can offsite methods create green jobs in order to help meet sustainability targets and improve the built environment? Rory O’Hagan, Director at Assael Architecture, explains what can be done to help in the race to net zero. ...
The Future of Homebuilding and Meeting New Standards
17/9/21
A lot has happened since January 2021 when the government published the outcome of the Future Homes Standard consultation, and therefore it may not be front of mind. But the details outlined are not a set of abstract requirements that may or...
Modular Technology and The Golden Thread
25/8/21
In her report ‘Building a Safer Future’, Dame Judith Hackitt highlights the need for a system-based approach with a golden thread of information running through the lifecycle of each project. Here Jackie Maginnis shares...
Solving 21 Different Wet Room Challenges
11/8/21
As On The Level celebrate 21 years of experience creating bespoke wet room floor solutions, they take a closer look at how they have helped their clients to overcome a range of different challenges. 1. Wet room floors for...
Levelling Up & Procuring for Value
21/7/21
Does the increased use of offsite methods contradict social value? Mark Bolger, Social Value Director at Atkins, outlines why we must think differently about what makes construction tick. From the Construction Playbook to the...
Challenging The Construction Status Quo
30/6/21
HLM Architects recently appointed Dan Brown as Head of Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) Delivery, where he will provide advice and support to existing and new clients on the delivery of offsite projects. We caught up with him to know more...
A year in review
23/6/21
As we ease out of lockdown, and the end of restrictions are in sight, let's catch up with James Clark, Managing Director at On The Level, to reflect back on a period of time like no other. Looking back to March 2020,...
Offsite - Keeping Construction On-Track
27/5/21
The impact of Covid-19 has been far-reaching but during these incredibly difficult times, the offsite sector has most definitely gone up a gear to keep construction projects on-track. Offsite technology has been at the epicentre of...
Raising the Sustainability Stakes
26/5/21
Environmental discussions used to focus on lifecycle analysis including recycling at the end of a building's practical life. More recently the focus has been on embodied carbon probably because it is a less complex calculation and easier to...
Benefits of flame retardant panels
20/5/21
The construction industry needs reliable, innovative products to successfully maintain fire safety in buildings, whether for traditional building or offsite construction. Flame retardant panels improve a building's 'reaction to fire' as it has...
Intelligent Supply Chain Partners
17/3/21
Driven by new thinking, engineering expertise and cutting-edge technology – OSCO Homes custom design and build new homes predominately for the social housing sector. Their solutions are based on building to a high specification in...
Building with Technology
10/3/21
Since its launch in 2015, Project Etopia has seen its profile rise year-on-year. We spoke to Rosanna Lawn, Global Brand & Strategic Partnerships Director, about the importance of technology, disruptive design and factory manufacture on UK...
Mitigating Risks in Residential Buildings
19/2/21
Light steel structures fully comply with the requirements of the Building Regulations and leading warranty providers. Performance covers structural, fire, acoustics, thermal, airtightness, weathertightness,...
Offsite Construction is here to stay
16/2/21
Why should you consider adopting an offsite construction process? There are many benefits to offsite construction. Moving building processes away from the physical site and into a controlled factory environment not only makes it...
Five minutes with Phillip Hutton, Divisional Director at ESS Modular
11/2/21
Phillip Hutton is Divisional Director for ESS Modular and is responsible for the Healthcare, Residential and Commercial sector in the UK. He has thirty years' experience working in the construction sector with extensive knowledge of offsite...
Prepare to Succeed
26/1/21
The ongoing pandemic has upended how businesses operate but it is also proving to be a catalyst for change. The transition from traditional onsite construction methods to more efficient offsite manufacturing approaches has advanced at a...
Evolving The Wheel
6/1/21
With decades of offsite experience to draw on – and an early contributor to the Offsite Magazine – Cogent Consulting is hugely busy advising on a wide range of offsite delivery issues across the UK and overseas. We asked Managing Director,...
Net Zero Living Targets
22/12/20
We must harness the power of offsite to build back better, says Mark Davis, Acting Head of Partnerships and Communications at Public Sector Plc, if modular homes are to increase the quantity and quality of new homes and help to save the...
The Employment Market Is Changing - But Not How You Might Expect
15/12/20
We have seen, many lose jobs during Covid, often through no fault of their own, and some really strong people are now immediately available. However, many more are on the job market, who are perfectly fine in their role. Lay-offs...
Delivering Swedish Style and Sustainability
10/12/20
Although BoKlok may be an unfamiliar brand name in the UK, its joint owners Skanska and IKEA are familiar faces to most of us. As Graeme Culliton, BoKlok Managing Director and Country Manager told us, things are about to change. ...
Dispelling MMC Myths
3/12/20
The benefits of MMC housing are evident for the public sector – so why has take-up been so slow? Barriers to entry, from cost to standardisation need to be eradicated, says John Skivington, Group Director at LHC. Despite a report...
Working Together to Create Volume & Demand
27/11/20
Steve Chivers, Managing Director at modular manufacturer Rollalong and Paul Read, Head of Development and Sales at Magna Housing, discuss how their partnership is encouraging more clients to see the benefits of offsite construction. ...
Navigating the World of designing healthcare spaces
23/11/20
The demands of healthcare architecture are entirely unique to its own regulations, needs and complexities. Philip Ruffle, Director at Munday + Cramer, outlines the wide scope of considerations on how space is used and why offsite thinking can...
Safe, Sustainable Roofing Solutions from MEDITE SMARTPLY
19/11/20
A perhaps little anticipated knock-on effect of the on-going Covid-19 pandemic is the global return to disposable commodity items—for safety against virus transmission. For today’s increasingly environmentally conscious society,...
NHBC Accepts: Driving Offsite Housing Excellence
12/11/20
NHBC provide warranty and insurance for around 75-80% of the new homes built in the UK each year. With the recent launch of NHBC Accepts, they now bring decades of expertise and knowledge to the offsite world. We spoke to Richard Lankshear,...
Offsite Future: Data & Digitalisation
9/11/20
Graham Cleland, Managing Director of Berkeley Modular, sees digitalisation as an enabler to scale and a way to leverage productivity. With the landscape of the UK's offsite sector becoming increasingly populated over the last few years, what...
AI: THE FUTURE OF DIGITAL CONSTRUCTION
29/10/20
It is clear that the construction industry has become more open to the adoption of new technology and methods. The question is – what is next? Richard Fletcher, Regional Business Director at Trimble Buildings, explores the...
Less build, build, build - More deliver, deliver, deliver
22/10/20
The time has come to commit to a more sustainable, scalable, sensible solution for construction in the UK… Prime minister Boris Johnson has promised to ‘build, build, build’ – with a £5bn...
Eliminating Inefficiency
15/10/20
Ron Lang, Impact Director for Value at the Construction Innovation Hub, illustrates why value-based decision-making will accelerate the shift towards adopting an offsite methodology. Whether you...
Keep carbon clever
8/10/20
Wood for Good has played a huge role in promoting timber to the wider built environment for many years now. Campaign Manager, Sarah Virgo spoke to us about the plans ahead including the new Wood CO2ts less campaign. ...
Using Concrete for Life
1/10/20
This week on the Offsite Hub Blog, Jenny Burridge, Head of Structural Engineering, The Concrete Centre talks us through the use of long-lasting precast concrete as a prefect offsite construction for tall buildings design. ...
Meeting Aesthetic, Energy Efficiency and Environmental Expectations
24/9/20
With huge technical developments in cladding solutions over recent years and with architects demanding a more aesthetic approach to the building envelope, Heath Hindmarch Chairman of PSP Architectural, discusses the balance that...
Transitioning to Offsite Building Materials
17/9/20
With the live events industry buckling under the strain of COVID-19, a modular, factory-finished terrace product could help the sector bring reprofiling and renovation projects to a cost-effective conclusion, says David Glover, CEO,...
Decarbonising Construction
10/9/20 1 comment
As global leaders grapple with issues surrounding climate change, the world is gradually coming together to develop strategies to help alleviate the impact of global warming. Here, Andy Goodwin, Managing Director of B&K...
Later Living Housing Design: Learning from COVID-19
3/9/20
This week on the Offsite Hub Blog, Stuart Carr, Director with architects Inglis & Carr, discusses the potential long-term changes to the way housing is designed and delivered as an outcome of the COVID-19 pandemic. ...
A Sector in Constant Motion
27/8/20
The British Institute of Kitchen, Bedroom & Bathroom Installation (BiKBBI) is a government sanctioned, not-for-profit organisation, dedicated to improving standards within the industry. Chief Executive Damian Walters spoke to...
Post COVID-19: insolvency and survival
20/8/20
In the wake of the pandemic and enforced shutdown of the entire construction industry, what can offsite suppliers do to avoid becoming insolvent or falling victim to an insolvency elsewhere in the supply chain? Michael Gerard of...
Construction: the Heart of the UK
13/8/20
With ambitious targets and huge sums of money required to improve the nation’s key infrastructure – can offsite methods provide the answers? The Offsite Hub Blog caught up with Will Varah, Programme Director, Modern Methods of...
How Modular Construction Delivered for Swansea University
6/8/20
This week on the Offsite Hub Blog the Wernick Group discuss how modular construction delivered for Swansea University. Challenges of Scale Swansea University’s Bay...
BIM: Bringing collaboration and co-ordination to steel construction
30/7/20
Steve Insley, National Sales Manager at Trimble, discusses with the Offsite Hub Blog the use of digital technology within steel construction, with a particular focus on the rise of BIM. When people think of...
STA Advice Note 18 – what do specifiers need to know about breather membranes?
23/7/20
John Mellor, Senior Product Manager at Protect Membranes, explains the Structural Timber Association’s STA Advice Note 18 and describes the key recommendations for external wall breather membranes installed for all structural...
Plotting the Route to Net Zero Carbon
16/7/20
Earlier in the year the Structural Timber Association (STA) hosted a roundtable discussion with industry experts to examine the many challenges ahead. Chaired by Thomas Lane, Building Magazine’s Group...
Precast Gets Top Marks in Education
9/7/20
With strong government backing for offsite construction methods in the education sector, and numerous operational efficiencies, concrete solutions are perfectly positioned to deliver high performance schools. British Precast’s...
Reducing Rising Costs with Debi Lama
2/7/20
Debi Lama, Key Account Manager for Affordable Housing at Stewart Milne Timber Systems, discusses with the Offsite Hub Blog, why offsite construction coupled with a build fabric such as timber frame is key to reducing fuel poverty...
A Potential Barrier in the Road to Reaching Net Zero Target
25/6/20
The Government’s recent consultation on extending the ban on combustible materials to more building types and lowering the height restriction in England from 18m to 11m closed on 25 May. As we await the decision, Andrew...
Bristol: A Home for Offsite
18/6/20
The Bristol Housing Festival is running over five years to explore the increased use of smart technology and offsite manufacturing with a view to accelerating the delivery of quality, affordable housing for the area. The Offsite Hub...
Unprecedented Demand for Light Steel Frame
11/6/20
As we wait for the outcome of the recent Government consultation on the ban of the use of combustible materials in and on external walls of buildings, the Offsite Hub Blog sat down with members of the Light Steel Frame Association...
Challenge & Change with Mitch Gee
4/6/20
Mitch Gee, SPSenvirowall Director, has over 35 years’ experience in the construction industry and a staunch supporter of innovation and offsite construction. The Offsite Hub Blog caught up with him earlier in the year to discuss...
Time to Build and Think Differently with David Hopkins
28/5/20
The Offsite Hub blog this week discusses with David Hopkins, CEO of the UK Timber Trade Federation (TTF) and board member of the Confederation of Timber Industries (CTI), how the timber industry has long embraced offsite manufacture...
Achieving the Impossible with Chris Coxon
21/5/20
The Offsite Hub Blog this week discusses with Chris Coxon, Head of Marketing at Eurocell – one of the UK’s leading manufacturer, distributor and recycler of PVC-U window and door systems – how offsite construction can solve the...
Policy Change Not Climate Change
14/5/20
The Offsite Hub this week discusses with Anthony Thistleton and Andrew Waugh from Waugh Thistleton, the impact the proposed Government Building Regulations extending the ban of combustible materials could have on the construction...
B&K Structures - Building Restrictions and the Unintended Consequences
7/5/20
The engineered timber industry has been founded on the principles of advancing sustainable building technology. Led by innovators such as B&K Structures, the use of timber technology in UK construction has undergone a renaissance...
Q & A with Mark Farmer
30/4/20
Mark Farmer needs little introduction. His role in suggesting change and modernising the way the built environment is created has seen him become a major figure in the offsite sector. Offsite Hub caught up with him earlier in the...
MPBA - Supporting the Healthcare Crisis
23/4/20
The approach to coping with the COVID-19 healthcare crisis has been vastly different across the globe. China used the might of 7,000 workers and 1,000 construction machines, operating 24 hours a day to build hospitals but the...
Ask the Expert with Trevor Richards
16/4/20
Offsite expert Trevor Richards, Operations Director for Cogent Consulting, discusses logistics and the crucial factors with the design and manufacture of volumetric modules and shares his perspective on the journey from factory to...
Ask The Balcony Expert
9/4/20
Tristan Parsons, Managing Director of leading UK balcony specialist, Sapphire Balconies, provides some answers on designing and manufacturing balconies using offsite processes. Q: What is the...
Modular Construction with Jackie Maginnis
2/4/20
Despite recent reports that suggest government departments are not adopting a presumption in favour of offsite, the Modular and Portable Building Association (MPBA) has research which shows volumetric modular construction is...
Ask the Expert with Darren Richards
24/3/20
Offsite expert Darren Richards, Managing Director of Cogent Consulting, shares his perspective on the future of factory-based building technology with the Offsite Hub. With the government’s presumption for...
Laying the foundations for better construction
15/11/19
It's easy to take for granted just how crucial buildings are to all our lives. Think about the hospital you were born in, the home you grew up in, the school you were taught in and the building you work in. Buildings of all types...
Zero Defects using advanced manufacturing technology
3/10/19
We can all be seduced by the proposition of advanced building systems. For some the vision of factory-manufactured building solutions, where completed elements glide along robot-controlled production assembly lines and are...
The future of factory-based building technology
16/9/19
The offsite manufacturing sector is gaining traction like never before. The challenge now is to get a decent foothold in the traditional construction market and to ensure that manufacturing volumes hit such levels that it is no longer cost...
Offsite timber solutions - the best way to address concerns
30/8/19
The dust has now settled following the launch of the Housing White Paper when Sajid Javid, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, outlined what he called 'the bold radical vision for the housing market'. As the industry...
