Offsite Solutions has won a £2.2million contract to provide 422 bathroom pods for The Perfume Factory – a new build-to-rent scheme in North Acton developed by Telford Homes. Designed by Darling Associates, the development will transform the former Elizabeth Arden site into 374 new homes for rent across three residential towers up to 25 storeys and 1,403sq m of commercial space.
Due for completion in 2024, the scheme will create a new sustainable community in London and substantial improvements to the public realm. The mixed tenure development will provide affordable housing, homes for shared ownership, and apartments for private rental.
238 of the apartments will be available for rent under the highly successful UNCLE Acton brand. Residents at UNCLE Action, as the project will be known, will benefit from lifestyle amenities and a range of features to ensure the building can be operated as efficiently and sustainably as possible, including air source heat pumps to deliver low carbon heating and hot water.
Offsite Solutions is manufacturing three distinct steel-framed pod types for the Perfume Factory which are designed to meet the requirements of each tenure. There will be bathrooms and shower rooms for shared ownership and homes for private rent, and bathrooms for the affordable housing. The pods will be manufactured and delivered to site by Spring 2023.
James Phillips, Senior Technical Co-ordinator at Telford Homes, said: "We are looking at increasing the use of offsite manufacturing for larger components. Bathroom fitout typically needs multiple trades. With pods, we work with one single company which simplifies procurement, improves efficiency, and radically reduces management time. Because bathroom pods are pre-designed and manufactured using factory processes, there is significantly less waste compared to on-site fitout – which is more sustainable. Pods just need to be considered at the early design stages to allow installation. From our perspective, the process has gone smoothly so far and visits to the factory allow us to review the bathrooms before delivery to site."
James Stephens, Managing Director of Offsite Solutions added: "As the build-to-rent sector continues to evolve and mature in the UK, we are seeing a significant uplift in enquiries and orders for bathroom pods for mixed tenure build-to-rent projects, such as the Perfume Factory. We expect this demand to continue to increase as more investors look to diversify their portfolios with the creation of sustainable new neighbourhood communities and following successes in student living."
The benefits of factory-built bathrooms for major residential developments include greater certainty of completion on time and on budget, less time on site, and consistently high quality with advanced production processes and a robust testing regime in the factory. Steel-framed bathroom pods offer limitless design options for large-scale residential schemes, hotels, and student accommodation. The wet areas to the pod walls and floor are fully tanked for long-term durability, and a composite ceiling panel in a matt paint-effect finish combines low maintenance with an enhanced appearance.
Image courtesy Darling Associates/Telford Homes
Source: www.offsitesolutions.com
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