Talk to some people about modular building or offsite construction, and bold imaginative architecture may not be what comes to mind. Unless, that is, they have experience of Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) used within an integrated design-to-delivery process.
Particularly in education, the history and perceptions around modular buildings have mainly been about classrooms that are functional. They don’t create an ideal learning space, and are anything but inspirational to look at, work in or learn in.
Across several sectors: education, housing and healthcare, the driver to opt for offsite has tended to be because a customer needs something quickly or is looking at design standardisation to reduce cost. It might surprise these people to know that offsite can also be one of the most reliable ways to realise bold architectural designs.
The Balance of Inspiration and Efficiency
The System gives you all of the speed and efficiency you could want. It also gives you the freedom to design striking looking buildings and be confident they will be built, and perform, as designed. The technology incorporates compliance into the design and fabric of the building, whether that be standards for energy efficiency, natural lighting, resistance to overheating or acoustic performance.
The 27m Three Rivers Academy project, nominated in this year’s AJ Specification Awards and Offsite Awards, certainly doesn’t fit the image that many have of offsite or modular building. It makes an architectural statement and provides an inspirational setting for teaching and learning. It is built using SIP technology.
Thanks to SIPs, the dry structure for the 16,000m2building was complete in under 18 weeks. The project was also delivered within the scheduled time and budget – how often can construction programmes on this scale say that?
The success of the project isn’t just down to the technology – it’s also about the integrated process. It came from close working between Innovaré engineering, design and installation specialists, the architects, and main contractor.
The Innovaré design-to-delivery model and technology shows how you can have the best of both worlds – an efficient modular building system delivered by a bespoke building contractor. Contact us today to find out how we can realise your creative vision without compromising on the cost and certainty of delivery.
