The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) has appointed six companies to develop Single Living Accommodation using MMC for the armed forces
The Ministry of Defence’s Defence Infrastructure Organisation has revealed the six companies they have appointed to develop a new Single Living Accomodation (SLA) for the UK armed forces.
The six companies are Bowmer and Kirkland, ESS Modular, Kier McAvoy, Kier Metek, Laing O’Rourke and REDS10. They form an alliance to develop the new accomodation.
The alliance will run for six years
The alliance will run for six years, as part of a 10 year plan to build or refurbish 40,000 SLA bed spaces. The six years will see 16,000 new bed spaces built.
The intent is to improve the living situation and wellbeing of soldiers occupying the rooms.
The appointment of the six companies is also reflective of the new programme-approach DIO is taking, designed to cut costs and find efficiency where possible.
The SLA design utilises MMC for efficiency
A library of Standard Living Accommodation designs has already been established, sharing a common base design, and allowing for modification to suit individual needs at locations.
The designs allow for both short term and long term accommodation, and can have a variable number of rooms.
The design also utilises MMC, by constructing the SLA off-site in parts and bringing them in to assemble in one go. This minimises the time spent on-site, and brings disruption time to a minimum.
Simon Rawson, CEO of ESS, one of the appointed companies, said: “The DIO’s Alliance framework represents a progressive approach to procuring sustainable, cost-effective and high-quality accommodation using Modern Methods of Construction. This collaborative way of working will benefit the DIO and suppliers alike, by driving innovation and maximising production capacity.
“ESS is already playing a key role in the Government’s mission to modernise its estate, providing an innovative next generation of modular single living accommodation across a range of schemes. We are proud to be building on this relationship by joining this Alliance and continuing to support the wellbeing and lived experience of military personnel, whilst making a major contribution to the sustainable modernisation of the UK’s Defence estate.
“This appointment provides us with a strong forward pipeline of opportunity, and we are well positioned to grow our market share at a time of significant demand for efficient and sustainable approaches to public sector real estate projects.”
