Offsite construction is a growing industry. In 2013, the UK Commission for Employment and Skills estimated the value of the industry at £1.5 billion however, it is anticipated to be worth £6 billion in the near future. 

 

It is acknowledged that the construction industry needs to address its manufacturing processes to reduce their environmental impacts – since current methods of construction are incredibly inefficient. At present, builders are limited by weather permitting conditions and the building process produces high volumes of waste with low rates of recycling. Notably, the reliance on transport for material deliveries is considerably high – influencing increased carbon emissions.

Modern methods of construction (MMC), namely offsite manufacturing of modular buildings, is a modern alternative to the construction process and has the ability to be a catalyst in the sectors sustainability movement. 

 

Modular Construction

 

Going modular dramatically reduces environmental impacts. In fact, research has found that offsite construction can reduce waste by up to 90% and also, since there is less need for transport, offsite buildings use 67% less energy.

Offsite construction dramatically reduces the carbon footprint of a building as a result of the reduced number of deliveries to site. Research evidences that deliveries reduce by up to 90% when working in a modular fashion. This means that modular buildings require less fuel, less pollution and thus have a considerably lower carbon footprint!

Another beneficial element of building offsite is that you are not constrained by the weather. Modular buildings are manufactured in controlled environments and so buildings can continue snow or rain!

Due to the flexibility, accessibility and reduced transport requirements, offsite constructions are also quicker to complete! Typically modular buildings are 50% quicker to complete than conventional buildings.

Another great element of offsite manufacturing is that the surrounding land of the building site does not get eroded from constant ground disruption and, since workers are on the delivery site for a short amount of time, there is reduced periods of noise pollution and reduced community disturbance. 

 

Huub and Modular Buildings

 

At Huub, we specialize in eco modular buildings.

Our modular buildings (also called ‘Huubs’) are constructed in our solar powered site in Dorset. Every Huub is installed with solar PV so that the building is able to power itself without the need for grid electricity. This makes our buildings exceptionally eco-friendly and future proofed!

Our Huubs are so environmentally friendly in fact that they have been awarded A** in their energy performance certificates. 

The brilliant nature about producing modular buildings is that they are adaptable and provide so much potential to suit different client needs. We offer the space for home offices, home gyms, an extra bedroom, a studio, bar or an extension!

We know that offsite building is the green method of construction and for some companies that would be enough; However at Huub we ensure that our building materials are as environmentally friendly as possible. 

This means that we use recycled materials such as aluminium and small amounts of recycled plastic. We also use FSC approved wood and we make sure that our materials are low in volatile organic compounds as these are shown to be damaging to our health.

 

About Huub:

Huub is a Dorset based, British company that constructs modular, timber framed, solar powered garden buildings. Huubs are built in an off-site facility in Dorset and offer a great opportunity to generate solar energy and add additional space to your home at a relatively low cost (approximately £1500 per m2).

 

For more information about Huub visit our website: https://www.huub.house/

Email us at: sales@huub.space 

Or phone us on:01305 250429

 

Sources

UKCES (2013). Technology and Skills in the Construction Industry. Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/305024/Tech/nology_and_skills_in_the_construction_industry_evidence_report_74.pdf [Accessed 08/12/20]

Lawson, R. M., & Ogden, R. G. (2010). Sustainability and process benefits of modular construction. In TG57-Special Track 18th CIB World Building Congress May 2010 Salford, United Kingdom (p. 38).

WRAP (n.d) Sustainable Construction for the Housing Sector. [Newsletter] Available at:http://www.wrap.org.uk/sites/files/wrap/Housing%20newsletter%20Hi_res%20080307.pdf [Accessed 08/12/202]