Advanced MMC Prototyping
Over the past year Barratt Developments PLC has developed and erected six closed panel timber frame units on a live development near Warrington, which is also a Homes England site.
KEY ACTIVITY
- 1
-
Two of the units were also erected without any scaffold, as well as the roof being pre-tiled on the ground before being lifted into place.
- 2
-
The trial has included varying levels of advanced systems for Barratt, including pre-insulated external wall panels, pre-fitted windows with cavity barriers prefitted, chipboard decked floor cassettes and single skin party walls.
Conclusion
The benefits of these systems are reducing the amount of labour resource and material waste onsite while improving efficiency, productivity and build speed. These systems, in particular the scaffold-less erect and pre-tiled roofs, have created a great deal of interest, not only within Barratt and AIMCH partners, but also across the construction industry. Representatives from key stakeholders including NHBC, RICS, Construction Leadership Council, BRE, Homes for Scotland, Esurv, UK Research and Innovation and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have visited the site and observed the positioning of the pre-tiled roof.
