Victoria Central - British Offsite
Project Details
Project - Victoria Central
Sector - Commercial
Technology - Steel
Project Overview:
A development of 217 luxurious one, two and three-bedroom apartments in Southend-on-Sea. Victoria Central, a development by Weston Homes, is spread across 14 floors and offers the best of both urban and coastal living. Completed in August 2022 within a timeframe of 143 weeks, the development is now over 95% sold. Having chosen a blend of hybrid technology, the project involved the manufacture and supply of 672 UNIpanels, equating to around 2,453 linear metres.
As a high-density (217 unit) scheme located on a limited land parcel of just 0.98 acres this project presented a number of challenges. These were further exacerbated by the project’s urban location and the associated constraints on delivery and storage. In common with all developments of this nature, the objective was to secure building’s envelope as soon as possible, while minimising on-site personnel, deliveries and storage.
The solution came via British Offsite’s UNIpanel, the most advanced light gauge steel panel (LGS) system in the marketplace. UNIpanel is an LGS system that comes pre-fitted with insulation, doors, windows, vent apertures, fire stopping and façade fixing systems. Manufactured offsite, this system consolidated five trades into one process and was delivered from agreed design stage to delivery within a 120-day timeframe.
The main benefit is the rapid delivery of dry envelopes, which reduces weather-induced delays, improves health & safety, streamlines fit-out and accelerates handovers. By streamlining the process at the outset, this approach offers significant tangible time savings and ultimately results in generating quicker sales and improved cashflow. At Victoria Central, we completed dry envelopes 14 weeks quicker than traditional build methods (a 20% time saving), thus accelerating the viewing and sales process.
By maximizing the benefits offered by British Offsite’s UNIpanel system, Victoria Central was able to closely align the construction process with the sales process. A reduction in uncontrollable factors (weather, personnel, supply chain) resulted in a more robust development timetable and a project that was easier to keep on time and on budget. “With a limited site footprint, Uni Panel was instrumental in reducing site waste, site storage and providing a rapid dry envelope, enabling faster fit-outs and quicker handovers.” Jeremy Kealy, site manager, Victoria Central.
