Construction

options for Co-

Housing projects

Michael Haslam and Caelan Bristow

Haslam & Co Architects/ De Wett Studios

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Modular and Off-site Construction
Off-site construction involves the process of planning, designing, fabricating, transporting
and assembling building elements for rapid site assembly to a greater degree of finish than
is usual in traditional piecemeal on-site construction.
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Modular and Off-site Construction
Modules may be constructed from many different materials including: wood framing, cold-
formed steel framing, hot rolled steel, concrete, or a combination of materials
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Modular and Off-site Construction
Modular buildings may be manufactured as units that make up the structure of the building
once assembled on-site. Non-structural modular such as factory fitted bathroom or service
pods can be placed within a larger modular superstructure.
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Fit for Purpose?

• Does the system meet building

regulations?

• Is it durable?

• Does it conserve heat?

• Is it healthy?

• Is it hygroscopic?

• Is ecologically viable?!

Values
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Advantages of off-site construction:

•  speed and efficiency – moving from a construction to a
manufacturing approach using production line techniques,
within a controlled environment
• quality and sustainability – increased reliability and higher
quality of products
• more accurate planning - more accurate project timescale
and cost planning can be achieved in factory conditions;
• less disruption – reduced on-site construction time and
deliveries cause less disruption for neighbours of a
development site;

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Pros and cons

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Disadvantages of off-site construction:

•  limitations – Transportation restrictions limit module

and panel size

• Limitations - material options and home layout

possibilities. Spans and configurations of design are
can be restricted

• inflexible design – due to the modular nature of the

construction, the designer’s ability to adopt other
approaches could be limited.

Pros and cons


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When is off-site construction
appropriate?

• Projects that are restricted by schedule such as

schools with a short construction schedule

• Repetitious projects such as identical housing,

classroom units, office units, and bathroom pods.

• Experience of the design team

• Location - remote sites and highly dense urban sites,

where on-site construction would be difficult to
access, sites with a short build season

Pros and cons

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Other considerations

•  timetable for manufacturing and delivery of the product?

•  Off-site construction is less visible – factory visits

facilitated?

•  Consider the relationship and responsibilities between

the manufacturer and constructor if they are different
entities.

•  Off-site construction requires an earlier lock-down in

design, with less flexibility on any subsequent design
changes reflect this.
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Pros and cons

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 CE certified – healthy - recyclable - One layer material – hemp hurd and
hydrated lime
Hygroscopic – passive humidity regulation - Durable - high silica content -
Building as carbon sink
Hemp-lime

Examples Modular construction - Hemcrete Hemclad – factory made pre dried panels
Greencore construction- Oxford UK - Off site prefab panels
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Straw bale infill


ModCell® – prefabricated structural
timber frame and straw construction

ModCell® is structural up to 3 floors
high for both commercial and
residential buildings

Timber frame straw bale

Examples

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 CLT “Cross Laminated Timber” is a solid, static load-bearing timber panel
suitable for walls and floors
CLT
Durable bonding of the cross-wise layered construction made of high-quality
Examples timber to ensure that the components are dimensionally stable and rigid.  !

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 Structural insulated panels (SIPs) consist of an insulating foam core
SIPS sandwiched between two structural facings, typically oriented strand board
(OSB). Eg Kingspan Tek
Examples
Claimed to be CFC free, VOC free, Urea formaldehyde free
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Closed wall timber frame

Cygnum Cork - Passive 350 features a
300mm twin wall sheeted on both sides
with 9mm OSB, with a membrane on the
inside forming the airtight layer.

The build-up features a 140mm cellulose-
insulated stud, a 53mm thermal break, and
a second 89mm insulated stud which is
designed to be thermal bridge free.

Passive 350 achieves a U-value of 0.13, but
this can be increased or reduced by altering
the dimensions of the thermal break.

Timber frame – closed wall

Examples

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Closed panel
timber frame
Mod plus home
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