32 Case studies Transforming Construction More Homes Through Manufacture A Housing Forum Working Group Report Case study 4 School Mews, Hastings Contributed by Richard Barwick For Southern Housing Group richard@regeneration.uk.com Name of project: School Mews Town or city: Hastings Brief description – house types & tenure and number of units 15 new homes, all affordable rent Total cost: Part of £60k per plot competiton, total cost with abnormals and land: circa £1.5m Average cost per unit: £100k (approx) Principal partners: Southern Housing Group (client); developer SEEDA Completion: 2008 Length of time to build (from start on site ): 40 weeks Estimated length of time to build if using traditional methods (from start on site): 30 weeks (against 50 traditional) allowing abnormal groundworks( unclear) Briefly describe the construction method A mixture of timber frame/ steel frame/ volumetric/ timber finished fully insulated panels; triple glazed windows; pre-installed plumbing. Why was this method chosen? One of Design For Manufacture submission winners (second tranche) How did costs compare with traditional methods? 10 percent higher Would you use this method again? Yes What are your reasons? A proven German company with good track record and high quality system. Were any difficulties with the method chosen? Weberhaus demonstrated excellent thermal efficiency and air-tightness resulting in low carbon footprint and lower running costs. Unfortunately, Weberhaus now appear to focus on the one-off schemes, no longer affordable high volume schemes. Who are the principal partners? Southern Housing Group and Weberhaus with Radley House Architects Any other comments on offsite manufacture for housing construction? An enlightened client, using a recognised manufacturer and a good design team with the relevant experience is the best way to proceed. There are challenges, but these can be overcome. Were there any additional/ unusual approvals needed and what were they? Achieved Building for Life; Code for Sustainable Homes (4), Secured by Design, Housing Quality Indicators
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