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We are shortly going to establish a a
new section devoted to companies engaged in
steel framed buildings, structural steel fabrication,
erection and design. Look out for this in November 2007.
There are now many companies in the UK and in Europe involved in prefabricating building components. These modules are normally designed to fit into a partially constructed building and are brought in by truck and craned into place. Complete finished and decorated rooms can be constructed this way. The benefits of this technique is that close control of tolerances and quality can be ensured, costs are more transparent and savings are possible due to speedier overall contruction. Bathroom pods, bedrooms, kitchens and toilets are typical of the larger prefabrications now available.
Other types of prefabrications include prefabricated arches, wall sections, decorative panels and so forth.
Offsite construction of houses,
schools, hotels, office buildings and supermarkets
is now becoming an important sector within the
UK Building Industry. Build-time savings of up
to 40% are coupled with improved quality, reduction
in water useage and gains arising from reduced
on-site health and safety risks. Up to 25% of
new builds ordered by the Housing Corporation
have been designed to employ
off-site construction. Up to 85% of
Heathrow's Terminal 5 has been built
using of-site construction.
CAD/CAM techniques linked to automated production systems as used in the automotive industry lie behind the new Corus Living Solutions Plant being established at Shotton in Wales. This factory is planned to produce 3000 modular units a year. Another plant - Yorkon (A subsidiary of Portakabin) - already has the capacity to make 600 units a year. In Japan, Toyota is the largest supplier of off-site housing while US companies are now starting to export complete house kits to Southern Spain to cope with demand for holiday homes.
Steel is the main structural
component of these modular units but combined
steel and wood-framed units may increase market
penetration substantially. Already 5 storey apartments
have been built at Murray Grove in London and
new developments at Raines Court included 53
flats and eight offices.
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