Planning permission has been secured for a 12-home modular council housing scheme in North Bristol.
AHR designed the original scheme and London-based construction tech firm Modulous was invited to adapt it for offsite construction, using its ‘Kit of Parts’ system.
According to Modulous, this fabric-first approach to construction reduces carbon footprint and site disruption via offsite manufacture and rapid on-site installation.
The new homes are designed to be net zero in operation, with heat pumps and a bio-solar roof providing PVs for energy and green roofs to support biodiversity.
Halsall is the contractor for the scheme, and will begin groundworks in early 2023, with modules due on site later that year and practical completion expected in 2024.
The scheme, which sits on Romney Avenue in Lockleaze, comprises four two-storey, two-bedroom houses and a three-storey block of flats containing five two bed and three one bed apartments.
It is estimated that Bristol will need 22,261 new affordable homes over the next 20 years, and Bristol City Council believes that MMC approaches like that pioneered by Modulous will be key to achieving this target.
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Councillor Tom Renhard, Cabinet Member for Housing Delivery and Homes at Bristol City Council said: “Last year Bristol built 2,563 new homes – smashing our ambitious manifesto target. Affordable housebuilding in our city is now at the highest levels in twelve years.
We’re committed to delivering 1,000 new affordable homes each year by 2024 to help meet the need for high-quality, sustainable new homes in Bristol. W
“We are very aware that we need to work in partnership with innovative companies and show leadership and courage in order to be able to reach these targets, and using Modern Methods of Construction, which allow us to build high quality properties at speed, is a big part of this.”
The development is the latest in a series of innovations being explored by Bristol City Council and the Bristol Housing Festival to tackle the city’s housing crisis.
The site is part of a wider research, development and innovation programme funded by Innovate UK, which looked at the potential for MMC to increase the scale and pace of the delivery of high quality, sustainable, affordable homes in the city.
Modulous Projects Director Marc Hewett, said “The UK is facing an affordable housing emergency. To tackle this crisis, the private sector will need to work closely with local authorities to utilise innovative technologies and offsite construction to deliver sustainable, affordable homes at scale and pace.
“We’re delighted to have worked so closely with Bristol Housing Festival and Bristol City Council – one of the most forward-thinking councils in the country – on this scheme. We look forward to continuing discussion with other likeminded councils going forward.”
Modulous has calculated that its end-to-end platform enables 50% time saving on project delivery, 60% reduction in embodied carbon, and 70% reduction in construction waste.
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