MODERN METHODS OF CONSTRUCTION 55 BUILDING A SAFER FUTURE


As the industry enters a new era of rigour in building safety, Ben Towe at the Light Steel Frame Association (LSFA) explores how light steel frame construction can help meet the UK’s housing challenges.


BEYOND SPEED AND SAFETY, SUSTAINABILITY REMAINS THE CORNERSTONE OF FUTURE HOUSING POLICY


F


ollowing the reset of national housebuilding goals, developers, councils, registered providers and local authorities now face the formidable task of delivering 1.5 million new homes within fi ve years. That equates to approximately 370,000 homes each year – a fi gure that many experts say is increasingly unlikely to be achieved. As building safety regulations evolve, the question facing us is no longer whether we can build at scale – but how we can do so safely, sustainably and effi ciently. Ambitious targets demand not only robust policy but also an equally robust and compliant construction supply chain. Getting anywhere near this target will depend on the industry’s ability to combine speed with safety and sustainability. Behind every headline grabbing housing ambition must sit a practical delivery strategy. From planning reform and funding mechanisms to materials selection and supply chain resilience – everything must align to ‘get Britain building again’.


COST-EFFECTIVE, SUSTAINABLE & SCALABLE


Among the modern methods of construction now shaping the future of UK housing, light steel frame (LSF) technology stands out as a proven and cost effective solution. Lightweight, durable, and dimensionally precise, steel framing systems deliver signifi cant advantages in both affordability and build speed, two critical factors in addressing the current housing shortage. Light steel frame offers developers a faster route to delivery without compromising on safety or quality. It is also inherently sustainable, with low carbon and in the near future, zero carbon steel is set to make it the lowest carbon structural building material available. refabricated light steel systems precision engineered in advanced offsite production facilities drastically reduce waste, labour time and onsite disruption. This precision-driven approach allows housing schemes to be assembled swiftly, lowering costs and ensuring greater


predictability in project timelines – an increasingly vital consideration in an uncertain economic landscape.


BUILDING A SAFER FUTURE As the Building Safety Act reshapes the regulatory environment, material choice has taken on new signifi cance. Safety, particularly fi re safety, must be embedded at every stage of the construction process, from design to completion.


Steel is non-combustible and does not contribute to the fi re load of a building. The risk of fi re during construction is much lower and no welding is required onsite, further reducing risk. With suitable board protection, fi re resistance periods of up to 120 minutes are achievable. The independent review of the Construction roduct Testing Regime, led by aul orrell BE and Anneliese Day KC, estimated 20,000 to 30,000 construction products remain unregulated, leaving them outside the scope of the Construction Products Regulation (CR).


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