The world’s tallest modular housing scheme has opened in Croydon, London.
Reaching a height of 135m, Ten Degrees Croydon aims to set new standards of design quality and construction efficiency for high-rise living in urban centres.
The building comprises 546 homes within a pair of 38- and 44-storey towers.
The design draws heavily on the heritage of the local mid-century buildings, including Richard Seifert’s No1 Croydon.
Realising a building of this scale and quality at speed required innovation in a variety of aspect areas within the fields of design and construction.
Virtual reality and 3D printing were utilised for rapid prototyping during the planning stages, and the angled modular façade and large-format glazed terracotta diamonds respond to orientation and aspect to create the distinctive design.
HTA began work on the concept in February 2017, gaining detailed consent before the end of the year.
Together, HTA, developer and contractor Tide Construction, and manufacturing company Vision Modular Systems completed the project in 39 months.
Modular construction also resulted in a 40% reduction in embodied carbon compared to traditional construction methods, the developers say.
There was also a significant reduction in waste and improved quality control to ensure higher performance.
Simon Bayliss, managing partner at HTA Design, said: “Ten Degrees defines a new benchmark in the potential of modular construction to deliver more, better-designed homes, in buildings of the highest architectural quality with world-leading engineering.”
Main image: The Ten Degrees Croydon building during construction
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