Midlands landlord whg is exploring the potential of modular homes to tackle the housing crisis, thanks to a £1m research grant
The social housing landlord has been awarded the grant from Innovate UK to fund a two-year research and development project into offsite housing construction.
whg hope to trial the modular home designs, which will be built in a factory before being transported to their final destination, on some of its unused sites within the borough, before rolling out a wider programme of the homes.
Plans have been submitted to Walsall Council for a number of sites in Walsall. These include derelict garage sites, where modular homes offer an ideal opportunity to bring them back into use.
whg is working in collaboration with industry experts on the two-year research and development project. These include Birmingham City University, Energy Systems Catapult, Northmill Associates, Hadley Group and QM Systems. The project aims to explore the most effective types of Advanced Methods of Construction (AMC) and develop a working model.
Chief executive Gary Fulford, said: “AMC offers a great opportunity to tackle the housing crisis and help us reach our target of building around 3,000 new homes in the next five years. These homes are quicker to build, quicker to install and a lot more energy efficient, while still maintaining the high quality of our traditional new builds.
“By collaborating with experts from across different industries we will be exploring the best ways to design, manufacture and assemble homes using these new building techniques. This exciting project will see us work towards creating high performing houses that can address the rising demand for homes both locally and nationwide.”
Subject to planning permission, whg hopes to have the first modular homes in place later this year.
