London Area, United Kingdom
Modular construction has the potential to significantly enhance efficiency, improve quality, reduce costs, shorten construction time, minimise waste, and decrease injuries. This is achieved through the factory production of pre-engineered building components, which are then delivered to the site as flat-pack elements. The challenges faced by MMC companies involve addressing the upcoming Future Homes Standards. Our goal is to surpass the minimum standards because we firmly believe that all new buildings using MMC must adhere to NetZero standards (yet to be determined). Furthermore, these buildings should be assembled to be fully future-proofed and adaptable. In pursuit of these goals, we incorporate additional distinctive features. The structures are Demountable, Recyclable, and Repurposable, turning flat-pack panelised components into a Platform kit-of-parts Design for Manufacture Assembly (P-DfMA + DRR), forming the assembled superstructure. This system is meticulously designed to meet Passivhaus principal standards and eliminate cold bridging, rendering it truly unique. The structure proves to be stronger than traditional construction due to its 3D strength once the components are locked together. Its pitched open-space warm roof design makes it an ideal choice for future adaptations. As family size increases or requirements change, a typical 3-bedroom house can be extended into the open warm roof space, providing additional habitable spaces for bedrooms, home offices, living spaces, or a combination to suit the family's needs. www.build-eco.com
Background Experience Previous architectural project experience before establishing AEA Eco-Functional Architects in 1984 includes a wide range of projects such as large- and small-scale housing, airports, commercial buildings, hospitals, prisons, agricultural buildings, supermarkets, government buildings, courts, schools, and factories. Director of AEA Architects: In the director role of Audley English Associates (AEA), I provided strategic direction for the practice and oversaw designs, management, training, and development of both qualified and trainee staff members. Responsibilities included negotiating with Chief Executives, Developers, Council Planners, and Committees for both small and large contracts. Navigated projects through the planning and delivery processes, ensuring adherence to budgets and timelines. Director of Buildeco Offsite Architecture: Buildeco was established in 2013 with the goal of introducing a new concept in MMC delivering a variety of eco-design house types to meet the increasing demands of the self-build, custom-build market, and the social housing sector. As a home manufacturer, we offer a turnkey solution, facilitating the delivery of individual homes or clusters to local authorities (LAs), housing associations (HAs), and individuals. I encountered the challenge of finding a suitable contractor who shared my vision to deliver MMC quality buildings that adhered to the Passivhaus fabric-first principle that I aimed to achieve. Unfortunately, I was unsuccessful. Therefore, I took the initiative to assemble the entire delivery team, overseeing the process from design through to handover and accepting the role as the main contractor. I successfully led the delivery of this sustainable MMC Platform kit-of-parts social housing scheme for the local authority, demonstrating that excellent building standards could be achieved. The completed project has remained defect-free for three years, the external maintenance-free for 20-30 years.