The government’s housing agency, which is a leading advocate of
Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), has selected McAvoy for the
off-site manufacture of the two-storey building designed by
architects Proctor and Mathews.
Homes England is leading a long-term project to deliver 8,500 new
homes in the centre of Northstowe new town.
This includes the off-site construction of a modular build office
for Homes England staff, demonstrating the agency’s commitment to
MMC alongside reducing on-site build time and disruption to the
wider Northstowe site.
Paul Kitson, General Manager for Homes England in the South East
said: “Homes England champions MMC as a means of increasing
building productivity and improving energy efficiency.
“MMC has the potential to be significantly more productive than
traditional methods of construction and greatly increase the pace
of delivery. It can also improve the quality of construction and
help address labour and materials shortages.”
“Opting for an office built using MMC shows our strong commitment
to non-traditional building methods.”
“Working with McAvoy and Proctor and Matthews Architects will
enable us to create an office that allows our workforce to
experience first-hand the capabilities of modular construction.”
Raymond Millar, Construction Director of The McAvoy Group added:
“This project is a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate the
potential of offsite construction and how the approach can
realise an ambitious architectural design and deliver a
high-quality and flexible office environment. By moving
construction into a highly efficient factory environment, we will
be significantly reducing the build programme, minimising
disruption to local residents and offering greater certainty of
completion to the highest quality standards, on time and on
budget.”
The open plan building will provide a modern, purpose built
office environment for Homes England’s south east team, along
with meeting rooms, a breakout area, conference room and
multi-use space which may be used for other events such as public
consultation meetings as the Northstowe development progresses.
Stephen Proctor, director at Proctor and Matthews Architects
said: “We’re pleased to be working alongside Homes England and
McAvoy Group on the new office building at Nothstowe, which will
be a focus for the emerging new town and a showcase of the
benefits of flexible design and modular construction. The design
references the local crafts, heritage and textures of this edge
of Fenlands location.”
The development reflects Homes England’s commitment to the
Northstowe new town project and to the increased pace of delivery
offered by MMC.
The organisation has recently tendered its first parcel of land
at Northstowe, with a requirement for developers to use
panellised construction on at least half of the 400 homes on
site. Plans for a plot solely using MMC techniques are also under
consideration.
