Homes England has selected offsite construction specialist McAvoy Group to construct its new south-east office at the new town of Northstowe, Cambridgeshire
Homes England is a leading advocate of Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) and has chosen McAvoy for the offsite manufacture of the two-storey building designed by architects Proctor and Matthews.
Northstowe is a new town that is set to deliver 10,000 homes in Cambridgeshire. Homes England is leading the way for Northstowe, with 8,500 new homes planned at the heart of the new town.
The new development includes offsite 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 development reflects Homes England’s commitment to the increased pace of delivery offered by MMC.
Homes England has recently tendered its first area 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.
