14 COMMENT
in a world-class factory by ilke homes, before being ‘installed’ in just five days, with water and electricity services connected just two days later. The cost savings don’t begin and end
with the developers either. They’re also much more cost efficient for residents. The Positive Homes development is a truly sustainable one, and is renowned for having only ‘£1 a day’ running costs. Outperforming almost every other housing development in the UK, it truly showcases the ecological benefits of MMC. All homes on this site have an ‘A’ rated Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). To do this cost effectively, there is no other practical build method other than offsite construction. Our involvement in this project also contributed to meeting the energy efficiency targets of the scheme. The developer had already managed to halve the amount of concrete (a major genera-
tor of CO2) used in the foundations compared to a typical new house. But in addition, Dice incorporated carbon neutral geo-cellular storage for the atten- uation features, which formed part of the surface water drainage design. With MMC, budgets are much easier
to meet due to fixed price contracts. The cost of homes is known from the
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beginning, ensuring there are no nasty surprises along the way. There is increased site safety and schedule certainty due to the controlled nature of the production environment. This also helps reduce material waste,
and there are fewer delays. Furthermore, by only having one contractor on site at once – the groundworks team, followed by the home installation team – schemes are far easier to manage than a conven- tional build, where multiple trades need to work ‘on top of each other.’
BENEFITINGTHE COMMUNITY LANDSCAPE Another challenge when building new homes is ensuring they suit the local landscape, so the ability to adapt modular homes to integrate with the community is another plus. The Positive Homes site used in Nottinghamshire was former NHS land that enabled a return of £250,000 to the county’s mental health trust, reinvesting in vital services. The homes were given low pitched
roofs to reduce the impact on pre-existing properties’ view and the 50 metre long driveway was enhanced with raised planters made from upcycled pallets, as well as trees and shrubs to attract wildlife. Developer ilke Homes and its
suppliers Metrotile were also able to tile to accommodate bat boxes after some were discovered to be nesting in a nearby demolished building. Modular homes can be built to accommodate the environ- ments they are being added to, rather than taking away from them. Not all beneficial elements are
visible to the naked eye either, such as sustainable drainage systems (SuDS). Incorporating this into the scheme not only complied with the requirements set out by the Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA) in terms of surface water treatment, but also met the developer’s requests to deliver an engineered solution that minimised embodied carbon. The team specified an innovative
eco-friendly geo-cellular storage system, which is made entirely from a soy-based resin and recycled aggregate, making this a truly carbon-neutral alternative to traditional attenuation features. This development proves that building
homes to very high environmental standards is more than just possible – it can quickly become the norm. This is vital if we’re going to meet the ambitious housing targets as well as net zero carbon targets, as we emerge from the pandemic.
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