Builders are increasingly turning to offsite construction and timber systems as the construction skills shortage continues to cause issues in the sector.
Stewart Milne Timber Systems, the UK’s leading timber systems designer and manufacturer, has reported that its factories in Oxford and Aberdeen are experiencing growing demand for its build systems, with enquiries up 70% in the year to date.
In its most recent survey of its 8,500 members, the Federation of Master Builders reported that two-thirds (66%) of small builders had turned away work because of a shortage of labour. With an estimated 35,000 apprentices needed to meet market demand, only 7000 completed their training in 2013.
Alex Goodfellow, group managing director of Stewart Milne Timber Systems, said more and more construction companies were enquiring about, and then adopting, offsite construction methods to reduce site labour requirements and take advantage of its speed of build benefits to meet growing market demand.
He said: “There’s huge demand for new homes and huge demand for skilled labour to build them. There is a serious lack of skilled tradespeople available in recent times and many clients are restricted in output or increasing costs to meet their build programmes.
“We’ve championed offsite construction as a building technique for over 20 years and our clients are seeing the real benefits to their businesses in using offsite to maintain build programmes and generate positive cash flows.
“Offsite also contributes to higher levels of quality and health and safety, with guaranteed performance built in.”
Offsite manufacture significantly increases the speed of build on site as the build systems arrive ready to erect, often with windows and doors pre-fitted. Precision engineering facilitated by modern factory processes enables a high quality building to be erected quickly. The superstructure of a typical 4 bedroom house can be weather-proof within 72 hours.
The two factories operated by Stewart Milne Timber Systems, in Oxford and Aberdeen, can produce 10,000 units each year, with precision-engineered systems including insulated wall panels along with floor and ceiling cassettes.
The inherent flexibility of timber means it can be used for anything from residential housing to hospitals, hotels and office units.
It also has the benefit of exceptional environmental performance, which is one of the UK Government’s four targets in its Construction 2025 Industrial Strategy. The strategy calls for a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, a 50% increase in delivery speed, a 33% reduction in costs and a 50% improvement in exports.
Projects built using timber systems and offsite construction benefit from a robust supply chain and unlimited market capacity. Erection of timber systems is not weather-dependent, so delays related to the British climate are greatly reduced.
From an environmental perspective, timber is the most sustainable building product available, and is a natural carbon sink. The ‘fabric first’ approach taken by Stewart Milne Timber Systems allows buildings to be constructed to industry-leading environmental standards.
Alex Goodfellow said: “The benefits of offsite construction are significant. From a skills perspective it reduces the impact of labour shortages and enables very high-quality builds in a fraction of the time, with exceptional environmental performance built into the fabric of the building.
“This adds up to lower on-site costs and means builders can enjoy better ROI and cash flow.”
“What the ongoing skills shortage does highlight is the need for constant innovation across the sector. Ultimately, we still need to be able to build, and the industry has to find a way to meet demand quickly, cost-effectively and at very high quality.”