A consortium of construction industry experts are developing a kit of parts to allow schools to be built offsite and then shipped to their final location
The next generation of school buildings will give thousands of children access to education in safe, purpose-designed environmentally efficient buildings.
The consortium of experts is developing a kit of parts allowing highly energy efficient schools to be built off-site and then shipped to their final location.
This will reduce waste created during traditional building as well as allowing the school buildings to be quick to build, give good value for taxpayers and be 100% recycled at the end of their life.
The entirely UK-designed and built solution will allow schools to grow and adapt as required.
In addition, the standardised offsite construction approach can also be used to create emergency healthcare facilities in times of crisis.
Better quality, performance and value
Phil Clements, technical director of Tata Steel UK, said: “Traditional building techniques using bricks, mortar and wood can be slow, wasteful and have a significant impact on the environment.
“This project will allow thousands of children to have access to education in buildings which have been designed using the latest technology, constructed offsite to lower emissions and can be repurposed and recycled.”
By using a similar technique to carmakers who build a number of different models on the same chassis, the consortium-led project will set the blueprint for the future of construction.
The UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)-funded school building project will show how standardised components can be mass-produced to deliver better quality, performance and value for sectors including education and healthcare.
The consortium behind the project is made up of – offsite building experts Blacc, the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC), two offsite manufacturers, Elliott Group and the McAvoy Group, Tata Steel, the Active Building Centre (ABC) and the National Composite Centre (NCC).
