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WHERE THE HOUSEBUILDING COMMUNITY MEETS
LOGISTICALLY SPEAKING
JANUARY 2019
MAKING A SPLASH
Offsite construction
Bathroom Special
THE KINDNESS OF TREES
Timber truths
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MAGAZINE OF THE YEAR
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News Agency News Affordable Housing News Sustainability News Finance News Proptech News Product News Supplier News Movers and Shakers
REGULARS 16
Supply Chain George Sell meets Riccardo IannucciDawson, chief product officer and co-founder of Yourkeys
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15
Matt White In honour of Veganuary, let’s start using more timber in our builds
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101 Isla MacFarlane How smart building materials are set to revolutionise the housebuilding market
FEATURES 37
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Product Portfolio: Lighting Marketing & Media
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47 Front cover: Weston Logistics
For your copy of Show House magazine please call 020 7940 1070 or email at@globespanmedia.com
OFFSITE SPECIAL 70
Weston Logistics Keith Osborne visits the firm’s Logistics Centre – precision engineered to bring efficiency and control to its supply chain
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Hybrid Houses Success first came in rugby boots, then ice skates, now it’s a hard hat that is reaping rewards for Kyran Bracken
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Ilke Homes Ginetta Vedrickas visits the Yorkshire-based company turning to offsite construction to solve the UK-wide housing crisis
Residential Guardians Ginetta Vedrickas discovers how live-in guardians are becoming the first line of defence for many housebuilders
News The latest bathroom products and stories from the sector
Sustainability Roger Hunt explores the eco credentials of one of our oldest construction materials: timber
Inside Out From the shower tray up. Kate Hamilton explores the must-have bathroom styles for 2019
City with David Smith Forecasts make grim reading, but demand for new homes may offer some cheer
RAK Ceramics Gill Oliver visits the 30-year veteran of the sanitaryware market to find out what it can offer UK housebuilders
Simon Graham Last year saw positive results for social housing, but is there trouble ahead?
Special Agent Andrew Stone, land and new homes director, William H Brown
63 97
Street epiphany. It’s time to end homelessness
121 with David Colley, regeneration manager and poilcy lead for Ealing Council
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Rupert Bates
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News The latest stories from the MMC sector
ISSN 1468–747X
PUBLISHED BY Globespan Media Ltd, Fifth Floor, 291-299 Borough High Street, London SE1 1JG. Tel: 020 7940 1070 • EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Rupert Bates rb@globespanmedia.com • CHIEF SUB-EDITOR Suzanne Frost scf@globespanmedia.com • DIGITAL EDITOR Isla MacFarlane im@showhouse.co.uk • CREATIVE DIRECTOR Kelly Bates kb@globespanmedia.com • SALES DIRECTOR Adrian Talbot at@globespanmedia.com • SALES EXECUTIVE Joshua Kerr jk@showhouse.co.uk • SUBSCRIPTIONS Adrian Talbot at@globespanmedia.com 020 7940 1070 • © Globespan Media 2019. No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior written permission from the publishers. The greatest care has been taken to ensure accuracy, but the publishers cannot accept responsibility for errors and omissions and the views expressed are not necessarily those of the publishers.
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comment
Rupert Bates H
If every brickbat thrown by politicians and activists, of whatever hue, went into building houses, we’d be some way to addressing the homelessness problem
appy New Year. I walk past a homeless person on the way to a swanky Michelin-starred restaurant to meet a housebuilder. Actually I don’t walk, I jog as I’m running late. Lobster moose followed by roast suckling pig waits for no man. Conscience gets the better of me; I run back and lob a pound coin onto the sleeping bag, which means I have no change for the restaurant cloakroom. God this homeless person is really ruining my day and I’ll probably now miss the amuse-bouches. Of course my annoyance wears off as the Burgundy flows and then it is time to leave. I manage to scrape together some shrapnel for the cloakroom saucer, but I have clearly brought an inadequate coat, as it is bloody freezing outside. ‘Blimey you wouldn’t want to be outside in this for long’. I think of the homeless person and then with hollow silent laughter consider the irony of having spent the last three hours fine dining and discussing shiny new homes being built and how much Brexit, in whatever shape it does or doesn’t take, will impact on build numbers and sales rates. Housebuilders usually only equate sleeping bags with eager buyers queuing overnight to buy their homes in the salad days of site launches. Every corner I turn in the West End of London there are more sleeping bags. We like to casually call homelessness a national disgrace – that’s because it is. The trouble is we live in a world where everyone calls everyone and everything that doesn’t conform with their one-eyed agenda a disgrace – or worse. Shouting ‘homelessness is a national disgrace’ is just another partisan noise. Except it isn’t. If every brickbat thrown by politicians and activists, of whatever hue, went into building houses, we’d be some way to addressing the problem. I buy a copy of The Big Issue; more salve to rub on my conscience. In hard editorial terms, as a fellow publisher it is an outstanding weekly publication, packed full of excellent content. Its strapline reads: A hand up not a handout. Another irony alert: could you imagine those forced to live on the streets, looking for hand ups not handouts, selling Show House magazine. Read all about the planning permission for new homes here; best kitchens on the market there, record bonus for building boss, another government promise of more housing money if you have a first-class honours degree in red tape cutting. A few madcap ideas come into my head. What about producing an issue of No House, not Show House, and raise industry money to help tackle homelessness? Whatever it is, there must be something we can do, and plenty of course do through company or individual charity work and
fundraising. I don’t know if there are league tables, but our industry is a charitable one. Shelter is certainly doing something, having launched its social housing commission this month, with new research, post the tragedy of Grenfell Tower, highlighting the challenges faced by those living in social housing. The Commission is calling for the government to embark on a 20-year housebuilding programme to deliver more than three million new social homes; extend the social housing eligibility criteria and elevate the importance of housing to the level of health and education. A series of roadshows will be held across the country, a public consultation will take place online, and a major piece of research with social housing tenants will be carried out, with an independent report carrying recommendations to be presented to the prime minister and the leader of the opposition before the end of the year. Ed Miliband, the former Labour leader who sits on the Commission, said: “We have failed for too many years to deliver the social housing this country needs in the way people need it. This commission is a huge opportunity to build a great consensus for a transformation of housing provision and to respond to the rightful demand for change which followed the Grenfell tower tragedy.” The Local Government Association estimates that the right investment in a new generation of council housing could return up to £320bn over 50 years, including a saving of £60bn in benefit costs, while the National Housing Federation has called for “fundamental reform in the way land is bought and sold”. It is quite simply the biggest ever council and social housebuilding drive, and when you consider only around 6,000 social homes a year are currently built, that’s some ask. It is a cross-party commission, but no doubt petty politics will continue to apportion blame rather than build houses. It is encouraging to see architect, television presenter and champion of social housing George Clarke as a commissioner. Responding to reports that more than 130,000 children were classified as homeless at Christmas, Clarke said it wasn’t just a national disgrace, but a national emergency. I have got in touch with The Big Issue founder John Bird and the magazine’s editor Paul McNamee. We are going to meet up. Whatever the public sector’s responsibilities in terms of delivery, the private housing sector must be able to do more too and, editing a leading housebuilding magazine, I should be doing so much more than throwing a coin on a sleeping bag. sh rb@globespanmedia.com twitter.com/rupertbates
showhouse January 2019 |07
news
Government to fully implement Hackitt review The government will fully implement the recommendations of the Hackitt review, setting out plans to create a tougher regulatory framework for developers. In a 62-page response to the Hackitt review, the government said it will “change the culture of the building industry”. The government confirmed it is taking forward every recommendation made by Dame Judith Hackitt in her review, published in May 2018, of building regulations and fire safety following the Grenfell Tower fire. As a result, existing regulators are to set to work with firms and tenants to trial more rigorous ways of monitoring developers, contractors and landlords, with an emphasis on public safety. Successful approaches will then feed into new legislation to tighten-up building regulation, with more punitive sanctions for those who disregard regulations. Housing secretary James Brokenshire said: “There is nothing more important than being safe in your own home and I am determined to improve building safety. My plan for stronger, tougher rules will make sure there is no hiding place for those who flout building safety rules. By making people responsible and more accountable for safety, we will create a more rigorous system so residents will always have peace of mind that they are safe in their own homes.” He added: “This implementation plan sets out how we will be working with industry to help them lead the required culture change and prioritise public safety. In doing so, we will champion those who are doing the right thing, challenge those who have further to go – including by supporting local authorities to take enforcement action – and consider whether legislation is needed to assure the competence of those carrying out building work.” Brokenshire identified four main areas for change: the creation of a stronger regulatory and accountability framework; clearer standards and guidance to help builders and product manufacturers better understand what is required
to keep a building safe; a stronger voice for residents, including more effective routes for escalation and swift redress when things go wrong; and fostering a ‘culture change’ in the building industry – by taking on incompetent firms through enforcement action and possibly legislation. A key recommendation from Hackitt was to create a Joint Competent Authority, formed of other public bodies, to oversee the safety of buildings throughout their lifecycle. The government confirmed it wants to build on the expertise of existing bodies such as the Health and Safety Executive, the fire and rescue authorities, and local authorities. In his foreword to the government’s response, Brokenshire said he is pushing for a “culture change” towards a more safety-orientated construction industry. This means government will challenge unsatisfactory firms, including through support of local authority enforcement action. It could also mean the government legislates to ensure the competence of those carrying out building work.
Lee Baron appointed at Greenwich Peninsula Property management company Lee Baron has been appointed by Knight Dragon to provide strategic and day-to-day property management services and consultancy advice for its Greenwich Peninsula project, a “cultural, art and design destination on a 150-acre site”. Eventually the new neighbourhood will have nearly 16,000 homes. Initially Lee Baron will be working on the Upper Riverside neighbourhood, which will contain more than 1,000 apartments with retail and leisure facilities in five buildings. Ian Jones, COO of Lee Baron, said: “To work with a developer who is known for the vision and quality of their developments is inspiring. Our team appreciate that Knight Dragon are creating a new art and design community, which will become an icon of inspiration and set standards for new developments nationally and internationally.” Andrew Ross of Knight Dragon said: “Lee Baron have been able to demonstrate considerable experience in managing complex residential schemes and their ability to collaborate reflects our vision to create on Greenwich Peninsula a new modern urban community founded on collaboration and creativity.”
Shropshire Council to set up housebuilding operation Shropshire Council is setting up a company to build more than 2,000 homes across the county in the next 10 years. An outline business case prepared by consultants says that the council could make millions of pounds by building homes, as well as tackling a shortfall in commercial housebuilding in the county. Under the plans, some homes will be built for sale on the open market, while others will be for the affordable rental market. In a report on the plan, Mark Barrow, the council’s executive director of place, said that hundreds of homes could be built on land the council already owns. The authority owns land in the north and centre of the county but that any development in the south is likely to require the council buying fresh sites, he said. “An initial analysis has identified councilowned land suitable for the development of circa 700 dwellings across nine sites within the first five years and 1,300 plus dwellings across 12 sites from year five onwards. Further work on other potential development sites and the council’s asset management strategy is ongoing,” said Barrow’s report. The outline business case, which was prepared in conjunction with Savills, gives an example of potential profits from building 160 homes in Ellesmere, Oswestry, and Shrewsbury. It concludes that the homes could raise more than £4.3m for the authority. Barrow’s report states: “The Local Plan Review of 2017 identified the need to build 28,750 new homes by 2036. While in 2017/18 1,876 new homes were built, private sector developers are focused on profit maximisation in the three- to fivebedroom ‘for sale’ market. The evidence is that the market is not, and will not, build the housing needed to meet the broad future needs of communities. “As well as helping to meet housing need in Shropshire, council intervention in the market is likely to increase overall economic activity, supporting the delivery of investment in new homes. This has a multiplier effect in the local economy, with residents working in local businesses and spending in local shops and on local services. It also provides an opportunity to adopt key worker policies to encourage key workers in health, education, social care and other public services to remain or move to the county. The council’s primary aim is to address market failure, increase the availability of affordable rented and for-sale housing and to develop housing types that the private sector developers are not building.”
showhouse January 2019 |09
news news in brief n Homes England has set up a team to
lead the development of the OxfordCambridge arc, according to its executive director of land Stephen Kinsella, who said: “We have a dedicated team working on Ox-Cam in the agency. In partnership with the IPA, CLG and local authorities, we are looking at the opportunities for growth. There are obviously lots of conversations about where that growth might be and there is of course the question of the east-west link to still be established. We are working together closely.” Kinsella, who joined the agency in 2017, said the biggest challenge to the scheme was joining up road, rail and utilities infrastructure with housing growth when all the agencies had their own aims. Up to a million new homes could be built along the Oxford, Milton Keynes, Northampton and Cambridge arc, while the proposed new expressway would also shorten journey times across the region from east to west.
Telford Homes is most improved NextGeneration housebuilder Telford Homes is the most improved homebuilder for the second successive year according to the 2018 NextGeneration sustainable housing benchmark report, which has been also seen the group obtain a Gold Level award for the first time. Telford Homes has risen to fourth in the 2018 benchmark from sixth in 2017 and 17th in 2016. The company says “such strong progress is testament to the ongoing development of the group’s Building a Living Legacy sustainability strategy, which was launched in 2016. The strategy reflects Telford Homes’ dedication to sustainable and responsible housebuilding”. NextGeneration is the industry sustainability benchmark that analyses the performance of the 25 largest housebuilders in the UK and is overseen by an executive committee made up of Homes England and the UK Green Building Council, and is administered by JLL. The benchmark enables housebuilders and their stakeholders to understand the sustainability of their operations and the places and homes they build
across a range of criteria including strategy and governance, environment, society and economy, and disclosure and transparency. The benchmarking criteria are based on best practice standards and guidance, and are designed to be challenging and go beyond statutory minima or standard practice. Jon Di-Stefano, chief executive of Telford Homes, said: “We are delighted that our commitment to sustainable housebuilding has been recognised with the highest level Gold award in this year’s NextGeneration benchmarking report. We are very proud of our record on sustainability, as evidenced by our most improved status on the benchmark once again, which recognises our rise up the rankings of 13 places in just three years. This has been enabled by the introduction in 2016 of Building a Living Legacy, our strategy to create places with a positive longterm contribution to London’s built environment. Sustainability is an area of increasing importance for our partners and a key factor in our ability to secure and maintain mutually beneficial partnerships.”
Davidsons Homes to launch Southern division
n Genesis Homes has submitted a
detailed planning application to build 24 new homes in Burgh by Sands, Cumbria. The development will feature two-, three-, four- and five-bedroom houses and bungalows. The site is allocated for housing within Carlisle City Council’s local plan and was granted outline planning consent in 2016. Four of the properties will be allocated as affordable. John Blue, head of land at Genesis Homes, said: “We’re pleased to confirm that we’ve now submitted detailed plans for a new development in Burgh-by-Sands. All our houses are built to a high specification and we look forward to providing quality new homes to the village.” Formed in 2017, Genesis Homes employs 27 staff from its Penrith head office, while creating over 100 jobs locally for contractors and suppliers.
Housebuilder Davidsons Homes is set to launch a new division in Northamptonshire. The Leicestershire-based developer is expanding its operations in Northamptonshire, Warwickshire and Oxfordshire. The Northamptonshire office will be led by newly appointed head of sales Simon Tyler. The new Southern division will run Davidsons Homes’ existing sites at The Mill in Banbury and Dollman Meadow in Rugby, with plans for new sites opening in the new year. Tyler said: “This is an extremely exciting time for Davidsons Homes, as from January we will have a brand new division working to bring great quality homes to the south Midlands. We are looking forward to helping to meet the growing demand for new homes across the region. Each new development will be carefully planned to provide local buyers with a great quality product, designed with longevity in mind. Not only are we building much-needed housing, but this expansion means we will also be recruiting, so our
head office will be a positive addition to the area.” Tyler, who joined Davidsons Homes in June 2018, added: “During my career I have worked my way up from sales advisor to now head of sales, and I am really looking forward to helping new recruits work towards their goals as well.”
Berkeley gearing up for modular production With progress underway at its north Kent manufacturing facility, Berkeley Modular has begun the process of building its management team. Its first appointment is Raminder Singh, who has joined the company as operations manager. He will be responsible for developing Berkeley Modular’s procedures and standards, as well as helping to establish the team in the technologically advanced manufacturing facility. Singh brings more than 15 years’ experience in similar roles within the automotive sector, having previously held the post of global programmes manufacturing lead.
10 | January 2019 showhouse
Singh says he was “attracted by the opportunity to help steer the company from the very beginning and was impressed by Berkeley Modular’s forwardthinking, technologically advanced approach to construction”. He added: “I had been searching for the right role in construction for some time. It’s an exciting time for the industry, with a move towards digitisation and increasing diversity in the workforce, so when I heard about this role I was immediately interested. As I learned more about the company through my conversations with recruitment agency Barker Ross, it became clear
that this is something special that I very much wanted to be part of, and I’m excited to develop my role further as the company and management team grows.” Berkeley Group plans to start building modular homes once the facility is operational in 2020. It said the core building of the factory is expected to be completed next year, with production to follow in 2020 once fit-out is complete. The facility will employ more than 200 people and Berkeley said it planned to set up an apprenticeship scheme with a local college to help people get experience of working in modular manufacturing.
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Sage Housing partners with housebuilders across the country to deliver new affordable housing through Section 106 agreements across all tenures. We are introducing capital into the affordable housing sector to grow the availability of affordable homes, from small housing projects to large-scale development opportunities: Sage provides swift turnaround of Board approved bids with finance fully committed We move quickly from initial offer to exchange
Sage partners with developers to deliver small site and multi-scheme commitments across England We provide advice and certainty to developers in respect of their s106 housing stock requirements
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Sage now welcomes direct enquiries from all housebuilders who currently have Section 106 agreements across England to dispose. Call
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news news in focus By Isla MacFarlane Sajid Javid’s immigration white paper was never going to be a crowd pleaser. The home secretary claims that the UK is not closing its doors, just controlling who comes through them. But, who the UK wants and who it needs are two different matters. This has been spelled out by the proposed salary thresholds for migrant workers entering the UK. The figure of £30,000 was floated in the Migration Advisory Committee report and met by fierce opposition from any business with money to lose. Level 2 tradespeople, like bricklayers and carpenters, will be deemed low skilled and therefore severely limited in number. This is clearly unwise given the construction skills shortage and insulting given the amount of knowledge and skills these individuals possess. Even genuinely low skilled workers, such as labourers, are essential to the safe and smooth running of any construction site. Sadly, both are dwindling in number. New figures show that there were 2.25 million EU nationals working in the UK in from July to September 2018, 132,000 fewer than one year earlier – the steepest fall on record. Homegrown talent isn’t faring much better. The apprenticeship levy has been blamed for a further fall in apprenticeship starts, however the Department of Education says it’s too soon to draw such conclusions. Nonetheless, there were 375,800 apprenticeship starts reported for the 2017/18 academic year, compared with 494,900 in 2016/17, a decrease of 24.1%. To make matters worse, on 18 December the government set aside £2bn to step up preparations for leaving the EU without a deal and cabinet ministers agreed that businesses should begin preparing their nodeal contingency plans. It’s no wonder analysts are feeling gloomy. According to RICS’ latest forecast, house prices will stagnate and sales will drop 5% in 2019. Casual observers have concluded that Brexit uncertainty has dampened any enthusiasm for buying a house. However, there is ample evidence to the contrary. According to a survey by MoneySuperMarket, saving for a house is a far higher priority than saving for retirement among younger age groups. This does not suggest a generation that has given up on homeownership. Furthermore, when given any encouragement, millennials will still hurl themselves at the housing ladder. Sales through the Help to Buy scheme hit a record high in December. Over 458,000 completions have now taken place overall using one or more of the schemes, some 402,000 of which have been first-time buyers. At the other end of the scale, a fresh report from Policy Exchange has urged the government to give concessions to last-time buyers. According to retirement housebuilder McCarthy & Stone, 2.6 million people would be encouraged to move with a downsizing exemption. The referendum was the result of many longstanding problems, not the cause of them. Wealth inequality is frequently blamed for summoning Brexit, and a more accessible housing market is touted as a big part of the solution. The government needs to remember this when drawing up immigration policies that will so obviously hurt the housebuilding sector. Isla MacFarlane is editor of Showhouse.co.uk
12 | January 2019 showhouse
Birmingham exceeds new homes targets The number of new homes built in Birmingham over the last three years has exceeded the annual targets by 108%, as confidence in the housing market in the city continues to improve. Between 2011 and 2018 14,000 new homes were built, 24% of which were affordable. The city council’s housebuilding arm – Birmingham Municipal Housing Trust – accounted for 47% of affordable completions. It is also the main provider of social rented housing. Councillor Sharon Thompson, cabinet member for homes and neighbourhoods at Birmingham City Council, said: “The high level of completions in the last three years is to be celebrated. However, as the plan target steps up we will need to develop innovative ways to increase the delivery of affordable housing as well as continue to work with the private sector to bring forward sites and that development meets housing needs. It is also good to note that Birmingham performed well in relation to the proportion of new-build affordable properties delivered against all new builds, compared with other core cities. We will need to continue to work effectively with the private sector to help unlock potential housing sites; remove barriers to development; and make efficient use of land by increasing densities where appropriate. While it is important to provide sufficient numbers, it is also important to ensure that the homes provided are of the types, sizes and tenures that will meet the wide range of housing needs.”
Airbnb to move into home design and manufacture in 2019 Airbnb is preparing to launch its Backyard initiative, which will see the short-term rental giant designing and building homes. The company described Backyard as “an endeavour to design and prototype new ways of building and sharing homes” and said its first test units will be distributed in 2019. Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia said: “Backyard is an initiative to prototype new ways that homes can be built and shared, guided by an ambition to realise more humanistic, future-oriented, and waste-conscious design. It investigates how buildings could utilise sophisticated manufacturing techniques, smart-home technologies, and vast insight from the Airbnb community to thoughtfully respond to changing owner or occupant needs over time.” Backyard will focus on small prefabricated dwellings, green building materials, standalone houses, and multi-unit complexes, according to an interview with Gebbia published in Fast Company. It was in part inspired by a United Nations report indicating that, based on current
projections, 2.5 trillion square feet of new buildings will be built worldwide by 2060. In the US alone, builders are starting construction on an average of 3,300 new homes each day, Gebbia said. “For us, this goes beyond a business opportunity. It’s a social responsibility,” Gebbia said. “The way buildings are made is outdated and generates a tremendous amount of waste. In order to meet the demands of the future, whether it be climate displacement or ruralurban migration, the home needs to evolve, to think forward.” Gebbia said he hopes Backyard will become as big as Airbnb is today. “Airbnb didn’t have fiveor 10-year metrics at day zero, we just focused on building something we thought could help solve a problem, while bringing people closer together,” said Gebbia. “We’re optimising for Backyard’s potential. We’re interested in thoughtfully exploring the opportunity and doing something transformative, similar to how Airbnb did when it started.”
Bellway expands in east of England Bellway is to open an Eastern Counties divisional office in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, as it looks to expand across the region. Situated on Percy Road in Huntingdon, the office will be fully operational from February, and will employ around 30 staff. Bellway already has two Eastern Counties developments in progress, at The Furrows in Warboys, near Huntingdon, and Bower Place in Cottenham near Cambridge. The team is currently considering four sites as potential new homes developments, with the division hoping to have six
developments established across the area in the next 12 months. Bellway Eastern Counties regional director Ben Smith, who has worked for the company for 15 years, said: “It’s a brand new office, a brand new team and an entirely new area for Bellway. It’s a very exciting opportunity to get a division started entirely from scratch. It’s challenging but it’s also great fun. “I’ve assembled a great team of talented people who are really keen and eager to get started. We’ve set an ambitious housebuilding target so we want to work hard and hit the ground running.”
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Introducing New i.d London
architecture | comment Design jottings and musings from architect Matt White
THE
WHITE
STUFF H
opefully you’re now slim and sober after nearly a month of abstinence and weight training over January. Maybe you even gave up pretty much everything and went vegan? Well done you, but I’ve never been that good at giving things up. Quite the reverse, in fact; so I’m reporting on my current ‘wellness’ with mixed results and I think that’s got something to do with presentation. Basically ‘giving things up’ just sounds wrong to me – unnatural, overly parsimonious, under-curious. Much better to focus on what to keep rather than what to throw away: fewer, better things. For example, the Scotch whisky industry doesn’t try to make a virtue of the amount of water they lose during production; they flip the position around and focus on what’s been gained, how they’ve distilled things down to the good stuff, possibly even twice or thrice distilled it to get to what’s really interesting – the whisky. The unnaturalness of abstinence is important too. I don’t see abstinence in nature, for nature seems to me to be all about abundance. Think of how many acorns an oak produces over its lifetime compared to how many actually grow into oak trees. Fantastically inefficient and wasteful isn’t it, except that the waste, the acorns, aren’t waste at all. They become nutrients for the animals and soil and other plants around. We still have a lot to learn about this. So hat’s off for the government’s continuing push towards the circular economy. Perhaps if you didn’t resolve to give something up, you resolved to try something new? This is an altogether better idea; arguably, if you’re a fan of the theory of evolution, the best idea ever – leading to the beautiful and diverse world around us and our happy position at the top of its tree, which brings me neatly back to plants, and specifically timber. While wanting to use as much timber as possible in our architecture we’ve often struggled to use cross laminated timber (CLT) in our residential building designs. For smaller projects the lead times have been too long and the technology too prescriptive, requiring too much to be fixed before the clients inevitably change their minds about the
position of a door or window. And in the larger multi-unit buildings where those things are less of an issue someone else normally gets nervous – occasionally the housebuilder but more often than not their financing, worrying about their ability to sell-on the completed building to a pension fund. So, for a long time now we’ve been trying to use CLT in our commercial buildings instead, but that’s had its own issues too. In particular, achieving the column-free floorplates beloved of agents and fitout designers. CLT just best suits either the waffly, cellular nature of residential layouts, or at the very most a 7.5m x 7.5m column grid that really isn’t brilliant for offices. One of the new things we’ve been getting excited about in the studio therefore is the potential for the use of a hybrid steel and timber structure in our next crop of buildings, which gets around all of those issues. Counterintuitively this has actually come about as a result of the increased constraints being put upon the use of timber in construction, as a consequence of the Grenfell Inquiry and its impact on fire regulations. Specifically meaning that timber can’t be used as a load bearing structure on external walls over a given height, alongside concerns about the delamination of CLT under fire.
[There’s been] the exciting evolution of CLT’s use into a hybrid structure of steel columns and beams with CLT floorplates on top... The steel frame goes up quickly and is about as recyclable as building materials get
This has meant CLT suppliers are having to review how they can overcome these issues to maintain and grow their market. Quite an interesting thing to happen for them – flipping from a position where they’ve been struggling to meet demand to a position where the demand could all but dry up. The good news is that this sort of thing catalyses innovation. And for us that’s meant the exciting evolution of CLT’s use into a hybrid structure of steel columns and beams with CLT floorplates on top. This provides many benefits with few downsides. The steel frame goes up quickly and is about as recyclable as building materials get, and with the lighter load of CLT floorplates – as opposed to composite metal/concrete deck – the foundations can be smaller. Less material, fewer construction vehicle movements, lower carbon footprint, faster build time, lower cost. The CLT floorplates in turn are a tremendous carbon sink and can be kept as exposed soffits in many circumstances, further reducing the need for expensive trades and finishing, and/or use of our planet’s declining stocks of gypsum. Overall, this approach can lead to the structure being a carbon positive element of the building; actually taking CO² out of the atmosphere rather than the reverse, which is the usual. We’re finding it’s going down very well in planning consultations too, as the lighter, dry, modular structure requires significantly fewer vehicle movements to and from the site, so less disruption for local residents. Another great boon is that, with a sweet spot for the column grid at 15m x 15m, it’s as easy for the structure to suit an office layout as it is a hotel or residential – something we hope to be showcasing on a mixed-use project containing all three uses, but one structural solution, in Westminster later this year. While we may not quite achieve a fully plantbased approach to building, it’s definitely a step in the right direction. Not vegan perhaps, but arguably vegetarian at least. I’d struggle to give up cheese. sh Matt White is the founding partner of MATT Architecture
showhouse January 2019 | 15
interview
by Michael Dineen
ONE TO ONE WITH
David Colley F or a man who has spent most of his working life employed by local authorities, David Colley has a disarmingly frank way of describing them. “Councils are excellent at talking things to death – before they actually do anything!” Fortunately, Ealing, the council that has employed Colley as regeneration manager for 10 years, is a “doing” rather than a “talking” council. There’s a very good reason for this: Ealing found that it needed the freedom not only to build new houses, but to sell them as well – just like any other developer. Well, not exactly the same, but similar enough to suggest that they are a broad-minded bunch. So, Ealing set up Broadway Living, a wholly Copley Hanwell W7 - Alton Court by Broadway Living
16 | January 2019 showhouse
owned subsidiary established four years ago to do something about the lack of affordable new homes. Broadway Living can sell these houses on the open market. And the money it gets is spent on more new houses. David Colley is aware today of the fast approaching time when Broadway Living eventually runs out of run-down council acres in need of the kind of regeneration he masterminds. “Broadway Living has the power to tack into other kinds of borrowing which councils don’t get. It’s a sobering thought that one day fairly soon we must find ourselves competing for building land the same as the independent housebuilders.” Colley began his post-school life wanting to enter a trade, but was persuaded by his parents into taking a degree course. This was at Plymouth University and it trained his mind on the subject of social policy and politics. Presumably much of this has remained in his mind, but, seeking independence, he moved to London in search of work – and found it on a building site. “I liked the whole environment. And I was, in fact being trained as a civil engineer – assisted by Bovis – and I got valuable experience in several of their big projects over several years. “I got a Master’s in regeneration, but to be honest all the
really useful stuff I know now came from on the job site working.” As regeneration manager and policy lead with Ealing today, Colley is answerable to Gerry McCormack, project director and Preston Neunie construction director. But he has a very broad brief himself, which involves him in funding, planning consents and also the many legal matters arising from his large regeneration schemes. These involve the provision of homes for the needy, but also handling the sale of homes in the private sector. A beaming, lively, informal and enthusiastic 52 years old, David Colley, I have to admit, did not fit my idea of a typical local authoritarian. But, thinking about his day-to-day working life, and the variety of people involved in the regeneration of huge council estates, I realise he has to be alert and a cheerful all-rounder to be successful at his job. And considering the somewhat unusual business nowadays of a council building some of its houses for sale, he shows the kind of candour that contacts in the tough world of business outside would warm to. “It was not our idea. But we heard about it and said this is something we can do – so we put it into action before everyone else.” Also it suited Colley’s ideas as a thinking regeneration operator: “Regeneration is best when you have mixed-tenure sites, mix the population up – that’s what makes a successful development. “The old idea of homeless people being placed on a council estate was brutal. We want people to choose to live in what we build. For me urban regeneration means improving run-down areas of large cities, so it has to be important people are going to be happy in them.” That’s talking. But, although Colley may be a long-time council man, he is not talking regeneration to death – the way he fears some councils can. But you do feel that what he says comes from the heart. sh
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supply chain | interview
INTERVIEW with
Riccardo Iannucci-Dawson Riccardo Iannucci-Dawson’s career has always been in the property sector but has taken some unexpected changes of direction. He says: “I am an architect by background. After leaving university in Birmingham I worked for a company called Gensler, which is the biggest design firm in the world. I worked on some pretty amazing projects including the Shanghai Tower, Apple Stores, Facebook’s office in Menlo Park and GCHQ. While I was at Gensler I found myself more attracted to the residential side of design – particularly the psychology of place building and the way people live, the scientific side of it that doesn’t necessarily translate into the designs that you see. “That led me to take the step in to private residential real estate, and I went to work for a company called Shape. It was based in Mayfair and was building between 400 and 500 units a year. For my first four or five months I was in a design consultant role, working with the architects and planners. But interestingly I found myself working more in sales and marketing, and after six months I became the sales director, which is something that I didn’t expect. “I enjoyed the role and it taught me a massive amount. Over the three years I was there I oversaw around 2,000 transactions end-to-end, from advertising while we just had a hole in the ground, to overseas launches, launching marketing suites and campaigns, all the way to handing over the keys to a new occupant.” “That experience led me to find all the issues that were part of the process, which include poor communication and bad reporting from all the various stakeholders. There are so many people involved and they are all rowing in different directions, buyer satisfaction is ridiculously low, customer service generally is pretty bad – not always on the side of the developer but from other stakeholders who represent the buyer such as agents or conveyancers.” In business, where there are challenges, there are also opportunities, and Iannucci-Dawson saw a big opportunity. He says: “I saw that there was this massive issue, so I set out to create Yourkeys. So I started sketching it out at the back end of 2016 using a lot of my contacts. I brought in people from JLL, the HBF, the Mortgage Advice Bureau, with no
agenda, but basically saying ‘who do we blame for these stats?’ “One of the stats I constantly referenced was that 39% of all sales fell through in 2017, and I asked all the various stakeholders why they thought that was, and where all the problems lie. It was all driven by the idea that, if you can track a package that you buy for £20 from Amazon and watch it travel all around the world to your doorstep, or you can hire an Uber for a £5 journey and watch it drive towards you and see everything along the way, why, when it comes to the most expensive thing you’re ever going to own, is there so much bad communication, lack of transparency, too much jargon and an overcomplicated legal process? There has got to be a better way than this. “It’s especially bad for first-time buyers – I would see them and feel sorry for them. They’d come in wide-eyed, with a deposit that had often been gifted to them, and someone would say to them, ‘right, you’ve got 28 days to exchange contracts, hire a conveyancer, get your searches done, and figure out whether surveys are necessary’. I’d be looking at them thinking ‘you’ve got no idea what you are
▲
GEORGE SELL meets the chief product officer and co-founder of Yourkeys, on a mission to transform the way new homes are bought and sold by adding online accountability and transparency to the process
showhouse January 2019 |19
supply chain talking about’. It’s for that reason that for the last 10 years in the Which? consumer survey, buying a home has been voted the most stressful thing in modern life, ahead of bankruptcy and divorce.” At this point, Iannucci-Dawson teamed up with his fellow co-founder Craig Massey. “Craig is is a pretty successful entrepreneur. He’s owned seven b2b technology companies in the past, two or three of which have had some pretty meaty exits, and none of which have gone bust. So he’s got a pretty good track record. We sat down and over dinner, we sketched our idea out and discussed whether it was possible to turn it into a business. Over the next six months we plotted our way, created a business plan and then a year ago we started hiring people.” Iannucci-Dawson goes on to explain how the Yourkeys system works: “The purchasing process is broken down in to 64 individual steps, and there are five main stakeholders who are responsible for all of those steps. What we have done is created a dashboard and a communications hub that all the stakeholders feed into one central system. Each of their work flows is bespoke to them, so the conveyancers see all the legal bits for example, there are templates and automation on various steps. As a buyer and as a developer you’ll get a timeline that shows a key slowly moving from reservation to completion. Each of those 64 steps has a deadline allocated to it, so, taking one of the nine major milestones, if contracts haven’t gone out within 72 hours for example, that milestone starts to flash orange and points a big finger at whoever is responsible for it. If they haven’t done it after the deadline has passed it starts to flash red, and everyone in the process is notified – a big spotlight is shining on whoever is responsible. “Everyone in the process gets a rating, similar to Airbnb or Uber, on how well they’ve done. So at the end of a purchase the buyer and the developer will rate both of the conveyancers, and that gets cross-referenced, using an algorithm that we have developed, with how effectively they have met the deadlines at each stage. Because you can conduct the whole process online, from start to finish, new purchasers can look at the ratings which the conveyancers have got. Those with five stars go to the top of the list and are more likely to get chosen.” The response to the platform from the
housebuildoing industry has far exceeded IannucciDawson’s expectations: “We launched two and a half months ago and expected to have five housebuilder clients – that we called beta clients who were mainly contacts of mine who were willing to test the system – but we’ve got 27 clients already. We’ve moved office twice because we’ve scaled up so quickly, and we were only expecting to have 35 clients by the end of 2019, so we will have hit that target by the end of January. We are in advanced discussions with three of the top 10 housebuilders, and then the rest of the clients are a spread, from those that build 20 units a year, a few that build a couple of thousand a year and everything in between. We’re expecting to transact around 9,000 units next year.” The company is looking to the future and is developing technological solutions to imptove the buying and selling process still further: “We’ve got
“In three years from now I see Yourkeys as representing 20% of new build transactions across the country... [but] we’re not here to replace agents or marketing suite staff
various initiatives in progressive technology under way, blockchain being one of them, and artificial intelligence another, which probably has more of a focus. Blockchain is pretty experimental at the moment. The problem with that sector is that it’s too often characterised with cryptocurrency. We don’t acknowledge that association at all, that’s not what it is for us – we like the automation, the smart contracts, the immutability of records, and the advanced security. Those are the points that we want to extract from the blockchain and start to lift parts of the conveyancing process on to the blockchain for increased security. We are one of the ‘heads round the table’ with HM Land Registry working on its Digital Street initiative, and we’re working with them to look at how we publish title deeds on the blockchain. We’ll have done that by Q2 next year.” And the company is certainly aiming high. Iannucci-Dawson says: “In three years from now I see Yourkeys as representing 20% of all new-build transactions across the country, and the way that we’ll do that is by being pretty agnostic in the process – the reason its working in the first instance is that all roads lead to Yourkeys – we’re not here to replace agents or marketing suite staff. You can acquire buyers and process those buyers through various different means. You can get a buyer that comes entirely through the front end portal, searches for a property, pays their reservation fee, signs their reservation forms and goes all the way through the process entirely online, without ever speaking to anyone – if they want. We don’t expect that to happen, and frankly we don’t want it to happen – we like the personal touch, particularly when people are buying their first property. “So if a buyer comes in through an agent or calls into a marketing suite, rather than them having to chase all the different stakeholders every day, we do that for them. They just log the buyers on the system, the buyer gets a notification from the system to congratulate them, and off they go. We are providing a tool for sales staff to carry on their work but to do it much more efficiently, and giving them lots of data and analytics.” “In order to get to 20% or even 25% of new homes transactions, we need around a quarter of the top 50 housebuilders in the country on board and we’ll be there. So that’s the plan and we are well on track to do it.” sh
If you would like to feature in Supply Chain, please contact George Sell at georgesell@me.com with a brief description of your company and the name of the potential interviewee.
20| January 2019 showhouse
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special agent
by Bridget Cordy
This month:
ANDREW STONE Land & New Homes Director
William H Brown
Andrew Stone has recently returned after two weeks’ paternity leave following the happy arrival of his first child and is in full catch-up mode. “Whenever I’m away I always ask different members of my team to take on different roles and responsibilities,” says Stone. “It’s great experience for them to get an insight into different parts of the business that they might be responsible for in years to come.” Stone’s own role within Connells Group has expanded rapidly in the last couple of years and he now covers land and new homes across 144 offices throughout the east and north of England and up into Scotland. In 2017, his region exceeded 1,500 net reservations for developer clients and similar figures are on the cards for 2018. “It’s been a fantastic career in William H Brown and Sequence within the Connells Group, but certainly in the last two years my new homes role has really transformed and is doing in excess of £4m turnover in 2017.” It’s a far cry from his early working life. Stone left school after GCSEs and went straight into the army, studying at the Army Foundation College. “There was a bit of history in my family of the forces so I did a couple of years in the army. Unfortunately, that was cut short when my father passed and I wanted to be with my family.” Back on civvy street, after completing a degree in business IT at Suffolk College, he applied for a trainee lettings negotiator job. “I just liked the idea of negotiating, of helping people find their home, so
the start of my estate agency career was with a lovely independent company in Ipswich.” A few years later Stone joined Savills, selling new homes onsite and helping in the office, before working directly for one of his developer clients. “The sales director, still a great friend today, taught me so much about reports, buyer analysis and marketing strategies. It was really interesting working with the finance and commercial directors and understanding the pressures that, as an agent, you don’t often see. While it turned into a really horrible time in the market, you can’t buy that experience.” Then, in 2009, Stone received a call from Ian Fry (now national operations director at Connells) and became field sales manager at William H Brown for Norfolk, Suffolk and north Essex. Over the next five years he rose steadily to the position of new homes director. Stone was principally looking after the Dereham centre covering nearly 70 offices, and when the group acquired Porter Glenny in East London, he oversaw the successful integration of the new homes business. Also now under his remit is the company’s northern division,
spanning from Doncaster to just north of Glasgow. “It’s a fantastic role. It’s very rare to work for such a big company that’s got such a nice family feel. It plays to its strengths but also appreciates what the business, and also what the industry, wants.” Stone now has a team of 39 across his region and focuses on getting the best out of each individual, utilising their natural talents and strengthening the rest of their game. “We encourage a lot of buddy work, so I’ll get new team members spending time with other sales managers. They’ll then put their own shine on it and it will make them better, rounded players. William H Brown, Connells and Sequence are the names above the door but actually what people buy is you. The way you operate will be what makes you reputable as a sales agent. “That’s why I’m pleased the majority of clients are repeat customers. We don’t often do formal Apprenticestyle pitches because we’ve often worked with the sites from potential acquisition, giving the right advice and operating in a very honourable and professional way. So we find time and time again, people get recommended to us. Integrity is key.”
“William H Brown, Connells and Sequence are the names above the door but actually what people buy is you. The way you operate will be what makes you reputable as a sales agent”
Stone lives in a small village in Suffolk from where he travels extensively across the country. “There is a lot of travel but Suffolk is my home. Claire and I have been married three years and we’ve just taken delivery of our little girl, Connie, so it’s an exciting next chapter for us. “We both love Formula 1 and we love the outdoors. Once a year, I go with friends to the West Highlands and spend a few days with phones off, living off the land as best we can, swimming in the loch and enjoying the world. Scotland is one of my favourite places.” Last summer Stone completed the 20-mile Ullswater challenge and hiked over 58km of lava fields in Iceland to raise money for Cancer Research. He’s enthusiastic about his sites across the UK and highlights Meaux Rise, Hull, a 200-unit scheme by Home Group, which won Silver for Best House Type at the What House? Awards. “They’re delivering homes in an area of Hull that needed new investment, new infrastructure and new people. It’s a wonderful scheme and the buy-in from the Hull market has been just as strong as you would get in east London. “People often ask me if there is a north/south divide in new homes. But the way we transact is no different, the clients are no different and the buyers are just as informed and aspirational. Have you been to Leeds in the last 10 years or to Hull since it was City of Culture? Go and look, because these places are being transformed and it’s so exciting to be part of it.” sh
showhouse January 2019 |23
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new homes agency | news edited by Bridget Cordy (bridgetcordy@live.co.uk)
Help to Buy Equity Loan scheme enjoys strongest quarter to date Since the Help to Buy Equity Loan scheme was introduced in April 2013, almost 184,000 properties have been bought with an Equity Loan, up to the end of June 2018, with a total property value of £46.52bn. Grainne Gilmore, head of UK residential research at Knight Frank, said: “The number of Help to Buy Equity Loans taken out in Q2 2018 has risen to the highest level since the scheme began in 2013. “Some 82% of the equity loans taken out between April and the end of June were for homes bought by first-time buyers, with an average value of £239,000.” Rupert Dawes, joint head of residential development at Knight Frank, added: “The latest numbers on Help to Buy will be seen as encouraging. Its two-year extension has given developers certainty for the medium term, helping to drive home ownership across the UK.
“However, if the government is serious about boosting home ownership, and reaching its annual housing target, it needs to address the high level of taxation when buying a property as well as supporting landowners/developers via a review of the planning system.”
London new-build prices up year-on-year, says LCP London Central Portfolio (LCP) has reported that new build average prices in prime central London (PCL) stand at £3,390,716, an increase of 50.6% over the year to November 2018 and a premium of 72.7% over existing stock, which LCP attributes to the availability of unusually high-end residential developments. Annual transactions however remain low. Average new build prices in Greater London are £734,701 according to LCP which also reports that England & Wales (excluding Greater London) show a record price for new builds at £297,986, up 3.7% over the year. Naomi Heaton, CEO of LCP, said: “Historically low levels of transactions are now not only having a tangible impact on estate agents, but also the Treasury. These already low and falling levels in transactions and prices have, no doubt, been exacerbated by the toxic atmosphere created by the UK Brexit negotiations. “There is, however, a significant weight of capital poised to make its move. There is clear evidence that more experienced investors are returning to the market
to capitalise on extremely discounted prices and sterling depreciation. It is possible that this is the first sign of a longawaited bounce back. “Without a clearer picture of what to expect after 29 March 2019, it is unlikely that there will be any material change to the status quo.”
Connells Group appoints new conveyancing services director Connells Group has appointed Jeremy Davy as conveyancing services director. Davy succeeds Roger Wilson, who recently announced his semi-retirement following 13 years’ service with Connells Group, during which time he quadrupled the Group’s conveyancing income and introduced a number of innovations including the online customer portal. Davy brings over 25 years’ experience in the legal and conveyancing industry. He joins from AIM-listed legal and professional services group Gordon Dadds, where he was managing partner of the firm’s Cardiff and Bristol operations and head of real estate among other roles. He has also sat on numerous committees at prominent industry bodies including RICS, The Law Society and HM Land Registry. Davy will be responsible for all the conveyancing propositions offered throughout Connells Group, which now handles over 44,000 completions a year. “It is a very exciting time to take on this strategic role within Connells Group’s successful conveyancing operation,” said Davy. “Connells Group has a deserved reputation as market leading, and I look forward to engaging with the network, developing the team and both maintaining and driving the success of this fundamental part of the business.”
Wentworth mansion launched by Barnes Barnes International has been appointed to market Jura, a contemporary mansion of more than 21,000ft² situated on the Wentworth Estate in Surrey. According to Barnes, more homes sell for over £1m in Virginia Water than any other location outside central London and Jura is the most architecturally modern house to be built in this location for many years. Now on the market at £18,750,000, Jura appeared in the BBC detective series Silent Witness. The lower ground floor leisure suite includes a 12-seat cinema room, billiard room, gym, pool, sauna and steam room. There’s also a two-bedroom staff apartment, housekeeper’s office and garaging for six cars. Barnes specialises in the sale and rental of high-end residential property and property management through its international network of more than 60 offices, with agencies in 10 major international cities including London, New York and Paris. The Barnes network and its partners reported sales volumes of around €4.2bn in 2017.
showhouse January 2019 |25
new homes agency | news
Strutt & Parker forecasts largely steady 2019 market Strutt & Parker is holding its forecast for UK growth at 2.5% for 2019 with the five-year forecast from 2018 to 2022 standing at 18%. “Total transaction levels for England and Wales in 2018 look to be relatively equivalent to those in 2017,” said Stephanie McMahon, head of research at Strutt & Parker. “We would expect this trend to continue into 2019 with the number of registered buyers and viewing numbers gradually increasing. “However, the story in prime central London (PCL) is different and transaction levels continue to be low by historic standards. We have revised down our forecast for PCL house price performance, which stands at 2.0% growth for PCL house prices in 2019
Record year for Birmingham office market, says Savills Birmingham’s office investment market is likely to have exceeded record levels in 2018, according to Savills. Strong demand and limited development in the city centre has had a knock-on effect on space availability with only nine months of Grade A supply available. Savills expects end-of-year investment volumes to exceed record levels seen in 2015, ending the year at over £800m. Although the next two years is
26 | January 2019 showhouse
expected to see a million square feet come into the supply figures, 59% of this space is let prior-to-practical completion. Top rents have remained at £33/ft² during 2018 but with expected upward pressure on rents, Savills forecasts Birmingham rental growth to exceed the UK average until 2022. Ben Thacker, director of office agency at Savills in Birmingham, said: “Serviced offices have become the ‘golden sector’ over the last couple of years. We believe co-working space and serviced offices are here to stay and will remain a fundamental part of the workplace offer. Buildings are now having to cater for differing styles of workspace to include both formal and informal style areas along with the ever growing need for ‘amenity’.”
as a best case scenario and -5.0% as a downside risk. “ Overall, the buy-to-let market looks to be relatively stable, albeit with subdued levels of new uptake due in part to the impact of recent legislative and tax changes. The prediction for the PCL lettings market for 2019 is 1.5% rental price growth. “Substantial economic and political uncertainty remains both nationally and globally and this does not look likely to change any time soon,” said McMahon. “Beyond 2019 it is extremely difficult to forecast the market with any certainty and we would expect some bounce back once more stability has returned. The fundamentals of the UK economy remain broadly positive, with sentiment remaining cautious.”
Knight Frank expands Bristol team Knight Frank’s residential development land team in Bristol has announced the appointment of Nick More as a partner. More (bottom) is a chartered surveyor with over 11 years’ experience in the south-west and has previously worked at GVA and Colliers International. As well as handling disposal and acquisition of land for residential, commercial or mixed-use schemes, More’s role at Knight Frank will see him provide consultancy advice and viabilty studies on development land along with S106 financial viability assessments, RICS ‘Red Book’ valuations and options appraisals. Additionally, Tom Sadler (top) has joined as senior planner at Knight Frank in Bristol following four years at GVA in both its London and Bristol planning teams. Sadler has extensive experience in preparing and managing planning applications, promoting land through both strategic and local planning policy processes and providing commercially orientated planning advice to private landowners, developers, investors and the public sector. Knight Frank is currently advising on 22 new homes schemes across the Bath and Bristol region with a combined GDV of £245m.
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affordable housing | comment
Happy new year? While recent social housebuilding statistics are to be celebrated, the market downturn, Brexit and an affordability crisis are producing dark clouds on the horizon, says SIMON GRAHAM
A
total of 47,355 new affordable homes were completed in 2017/18, according to the Office for National Statistics – a 12% jump on the previous year, compared to an overall increase in housing supply of 2%. In the last financial year, 21% of all new supply was affordable, against 18% in 2016/17. Meanwhile, work started on another 53,572 new affordable homes, with starts up 11% on the year before. Without doubt, good news. The effects of the more collaborative and enabling policy environment introduced by the May government are starting to become apparent. And with the borrowing cap for local authorities abandoned, there are now strong hopes that councils can join the party in earnest. Yet no one is under any illusions this means plain sailing into the future. Beneath the positive figures sit some worrying risks. Nearly half of all the new affordable homes produced were funded through Section 106 planning obligations on developers. While no grant is available for these, it is a resource-light process compared to finding and buying land, commissioning design, construction and everything else related to getting a new site built, obtaining planning permission and then project managing the build out. But recent history shows that many housing associations have ended up with serious defect problems on schemes bought through Section 106. Internal technical project management expertise is often inadequate to hold the developer properly to account during construction and aftercare skills not strong enough to get issues sorted out quickly afterwards. New business teams have sometimes not taken sufficient care in the deals they have signed. Investigations following the Grenfell Tower disaster have brought many more problems with fire safety on new buildings to light as well. There are some rightly unhappy tenants and shared owners sitting out there at the moment. And what happens in a market downturn, if developers scale back the rate of new-home building? A report from Savills at the end of November showed that in the slump after 2007/08, Section 106 affordable housing completions nearly halved. The question of a downturn is not hypothetical. The slowdown in the London market over the last 18 months seems to be accelerating, and the latest figures from the Halifax and Nationwide suggest the rest of the country is beginning to catch the
capital’s cold. The latest quarterly update from the Regulator of Social Housing showed the number of housing association-built properties unsold for more than six months had increased by 39% for shared ownership and 33% for market sale. Uncertainty over Brexit has been a factor – and who knows where we will be on that by the time you read this. If there is a reasonably swift and positive resolution (insert your view of positive here...), there may be something of a market bounce. But, meanwhile, the Regulator has been at pains to ensure that all housing associations are stress-testing their business plans against the worst case scenarios of an economically disruptive no-deal departure. Yet Brexit is not the only factor slowing the housing market. Despite low unemployment, real income growth has been poor for years and that looks set to continue. Unsecured lending (like credit cards) is growing faster than wages, ie. people are borrowing more than they can really afford. There is only so long that can go on before a drawing in of horns takes place. And house prices remain horribly out of kilter with incomes. The Affordable Rent development model is based around cross-subsidy – using profits from shared ownership and market sales to subsidise the building of affordable rented homes and make up for the proportionately much lower grant levels available. So far, it has operated in fairly benign market conditions. What happens if the profits from sales are turned off or slow to a trickle? Unless the government rides to the rescue with a massive injection of extra grant funding, housing association borrowing would have to take the strain. But that is a very short-term solution. Financial capacity would be rapidly gobbled up. In reality, absent strong government action, housing associations would have to slow their development programmes substantially to maintain their financial viability. The upward trend on affordable housing completions would quickly come to an end. However, more positively, the scrapping of the Housing Revenue Account borrowing cap for councils brings a whole new source of finance into the affordable housing development market. If this could be allied to improved council powers over their local land markets, further substantial government funding for social rented homes, and closer working arrangements between councils and housing associations, there is a genuine chance for the affordable housing market to operate in a new,
less market-dependent way in future. At the end of November, the g15 group of London’s largest housing associations launched their new Offer to London, based around much closer partnership ties with local authorities to maximise the building of affordable homes and looking to help facilitate the re-entry of councils into larger-scale social housebuilding. Even as the good news on affordable housing completions is being celebrated, the limits of the pro-cyclical model of social development are becoming more evident. While cross-subsidies from sales will remain part of the future financial model for maximising the provision of affordable homes, a market solution to this complex social issue is not enough. Government has started to recognise this already; economic realities may be about to make the lesson more stark. sh
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affordable housing | news edited by George Sell (georgesell@mac.com)
McKinley takes CEO role at Tyne Housing North-east housing and support provider Tyne Housing Group has appointed Steve McKinlay as chief executive. With five years’ experience as area director at homeless charity Depaul UK, McKinlay joins the organisation as it gets set to prioritise the delivery of housing and support to vulnerable people. McKinlay started his new role on 1 January, and takes over from Kevin Lowry, who has been acting as interim CEO for the past year. McKinlay said: “In my career, I have been lucky enough to witness first-hand some of the very best practice approaches which enable the most vulnerable in society to flourish. Now with a new corporate strategy and investment plan, I will be building upon Tyne’s long-standing ethos of ensuring nobody is left out. With service users, staff and board members involved in Tyne’s recruitment process, I am confident that we have a shared ambition to position Tyne as a leader in this complex field of work.” Graham Brown, chairman of Tyne Group, said: “Over the last year we have reviewed our business objectives and have reaffirmed our commitment to our core clients. Tyne plays a vital role in addressing homelessness and rough sleeping in the area. We are delighted to have recruited a new chief executive officer of the calibre of Steve.”
Registered status for Legal & General subsidiary Insurance giant Legal & General’s subsidiary, Legal & General Affordable Homes, has been granted Registered Provider (RP) status. This allows it to hold and manage regulated affordable housing assets and it can now significantly accelerate its business plan of developing, holding and managing a blend of affordable housing tenures where the regulated status is required. These include both social and affordable rent and shared ownership homes under grant-supported and Section 106 schemes. Simon Century, head of affordable housing at Legal & General Capital, said: “Affordable housing has been a classic example of where a lack of new capital has had a big impact on hampering overall provision. Over 1.3 million households are on
social waiting lists and the required provision is rising year on year. This is not a sustainable position. We are therefore delighted that the Regulator of Social Housing has registered Legal & General Affordable Homes, enabling us to deliver our business plan and commitment to the sector to make a genuine contribution to increasing supply while advancing overall service delivery. We are very much looking forward to getting on with the job and working towards delivering our first sites soon.” Legal & General said it remains committed to working in close partnership with local authorities and leading existing affordable housing providers to deliver 3,000 homes per year within the next four years.
Futures acquires stock from fellow provider Futures Housing Group has acquired nearly 500 homes from Notting Hill Genesis. The stock will take Futures’ portfolio to more than 9,800 homes. The majority of the homes are in Northamptonshire, where Futures already manages more than 3,000 properties. The homes are around 10 years old and are a mix of general needs, shared ownership, intermediate, supported housing and associated offices. The deal will see 15 staff join Futures from Notting Hill Genesis. Marcus Keys, group director of business growth and transformation at Futures Housing Group, said: “It’s a real statement of our ambition to grow and thrive as a major player
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and voice for social housing in the East Midlands. We’re acquiring stock, striking up new partnerships, delivering better services and we’re on course to develop more than 1,000 brand new homes by 2020 to help tackle the housing crisis.” Carl Byrne, group director of housing for Notting Hill Genesis, said: “We would like to say a big ‘thank you’ to all of the residents who took part in the consultation process and wish all of our former tenants a successful future with their new landlord. A number of staff will also transfer over as part of this agreement and we are sure they will continue to provide a great service to their residents. We would also like to thank them for all their hard work.”
Boost for affordable homes in Scottish budget The Scottish government’s budget in December included a pledge of more than £825m to build affordable homes, as part of its total investment of more than £3bn to deliver 50,000 affordable homes over the course of the parliament. Derek Mackay, cabinet secretary for finance, economy and fair work, said: “This is a budget of stimulus and stability. It delivers for today and invests in tomorrow and does so with fairness, equality and inclusiveness at its heart. This budget delivers the public services, social contract and economic investment people expect while mitigating, where we can, the impacts of the UK government’s policies of austerity and Brexit that are causing so much harm.” Sally Thomas, chief executive of the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations, said: “We know from housing association waiting lists, and from our own research, that there is significant and consistent demand for social housing across Scotland. The Scottish government’s commitment to 50,000 affordable homes over the course of the current parliament is impressive. Housing associations, as the main providers of new build affordable housing, have stepped up and are delivering high-quality affordable homes. This investment also delivers other benefits. Jobs and training are provided when new homes are built, as are improved health and educational outcomes and safe successful communities. We know that continuing the work to supply more affordable housing will be a challenge. Development takes time – from engaging with communities to develop proposals, to buying land and getting planning consent.”
affordable housing | news
L&Q to offer “future-proof” broadband L&Q says it will become the first housing association to offer “ultra-fast, ultra-cheap broadband” to all its residents. L&Q plans to deliver the offer to all existing residents by 2020, what it describes as the largest scale deployment of full fibre broadband by any UK landlord. In partnership with Community Fibre, L&Q will offer “the lowest cost broadband packages in the market to all tenants”, with lower rates offered to groups including the elderly, lone parents and people with mental health problems or disabilities. In addition, Community Fibre will work with the L&Q Foundation to employ people in the localities where the service is provided in roles that will include customer service, sales and installation. The provider will also deliver a free Gigafast connection to community spaces including public halls, schools and libraries. The Ocean Estate in Stepney Green will be the first to receive fibre broadband, which is “secure and uncontested” meaning that increased use has no effect on speed. Andy Brown, L&Q chief operating officer, said: “We’re working hard to make things better, faster and lower-cost for customers. Delivering low-cost connectivity to our residents will enable them to take advantage of the well-documented financial, economic and social benefits of being online. Not only will this help them to access the My L&Q
portal to book repairs and make enquiries online, it will also support people working at home or looking for employment. Being an early adopter of this technology has given us the opportunity to negotiate great rates for our customers. We want to future-proof our properties so that our residents will be able to benefit from advancements such as mixed-reality technology as they are developed, rather than years later.” Jeremy Chelot, CEO of Community Fibre, said:
Housing associations granted £116m from cladding removal fund Housing associations have been allocated £116m from a government fund to remove potentially dangerous cladding from their high-rise buildings in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire. In a written parliamentary response to a question from shadow housing secretary John Healey, housing secretary James Brokenshire revealed housing associations have secured £116m of the £248m provided for social landlords to remove aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding. The money has been granted to 31 housing associations, with the government providing 80% of costs upfront and a further 20% when the work is complete and final costs are known. The remaining £132m was granted to 12 local councils to fund cladding removal. Camden council confirmed in October that it has secured £80m of this fund. The £248m comes from the £400m fund
announced by the prime minister in May to pay for ACM cladding to be removed from social housing buildings. The remediation of 135 buildings is currently being funded by the government’s social housing fund. The government received 159 applications for funding from owners of buildings over 18m in height. Of these, 12 claims were rejected, with MHCLG deeming the claims not eligible due to the blocks being below 18m, owned by commercial freeholders or clad with non-ACM materials. A further 12 have been deferred so the building owners can provide more information about their eligibility. Recent building safety statistics from the MHCLG revealed a total of 160 social sector buildings had been identified as having ACM cladding. Remediation has been completed on 34 of these, remediation has started on a further 82, while 41 had a remediation plan in place or were developing plans.
“We are delighted to be working with L&Q to offer the UK’s fastest Gigabit services across their nationwide portfolio. L&Q’s commitment to make more affordable, flexible and better internet available to all their residents has made it easy for Community Fibre to bring this expansion to reality. This partnership showcases how an innovative approach from a housing association can help us to provide a network for the future, and offer the best in connectivity to customers.”
Boaden to step down from NHC in May 2019 The Northern Housing Consortium has announced that its chief executive, Jo Boaden, will be retiring in May 2019 after leading the organisation since 2010. Boaden was instrumental in forming the company and pushed the regeneration agenda as well as bringing together key figures to highlight housing issues in Westminster. She was also influential in setting up the All Party Parliamentary Group, bringing the housing sector and parliamentarians together to debate northern housing policies. Awarded a CBE in 2018 for her services to housing providers in the north, she was also recognised as ‘Woman of the Year’ at the 2018 Women in Housing Awards. Deputy chief executive Tracy Harrison, who joined NHC in 2006, will replace Boaden as the new lead. Tom Miskell, NHC chair, said: “In her time as chief executive, Jo has led a successful transformational change agenda to position the NHC as the hugely influential and respected membership body that it is today. She has focused the organisation’s role in bringing members together with political stakeholders and other key figures in housing.” Boaden said: “It has been a real privilege and a great pleasure to work with so many talented and committed people within the NHC, our board, our membership and beyond. I will miss the NHC but will enjoy watching as Tracy takes the organisation from strength to strength.”
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sustainability | news edited by George Sell (georgesell@mac.com)
Plans submitted for Welsh eco village Plans for an eco village of 32 homes in Monmouthshire have been submitted. The development is proposed for land next to St Teilo’s
Church in Llantilio Pertholey, near Abergavenny. Of the homes, 14 fall within Monmouthshire council’s area and 18 within the Brecon Beacons
RICS launches embodied carbon database The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has launched a new-look Embodied Carbon Database designed to help built environment professionals identify where carbon reductions can be made throughout the construction process of buildings. The database indicates the typical embodied carbon footprint of different building methods and allows users to calculate the embodied carbon emissions associated with each phase of construction. It also enables cost comparisons to be made against similar projects. It says this allows built environment professionals to benchmark their designs to a far greater extent and access more detailed comparative data than was previously available. The Embodied Carbon Database was originally commissioned by WRAP and UKGBC to capture embodied carbon data for buildings. UKGBC has recently helped the RICS to engage
construction and property industry professionals in the evolution of the database. This evolution has delivered improvements in both user interface and data resilience. Alastair Mant, head of business transformation at UKGBC said: “The Embodied Carbon Database is a useful tool for built environment professionals in understanding their carbon reduction efforts in context. I’m proud that we have been able to harness the convening power of UKGBC in bringing the industry together to review and improve this important resource. Making data open and freely available in this way is essential if we are to facilitate the transformation required to decarbonise our built environment at speed and at scale. We encourage our members and others in the industry to register their completed carbon calculations and help build a detailed comparative dataset that will aid building design benchmarking.”
National Park Authority, with separate planning applications being lodged at each. A design and access statement says the site has “never really been considered for development” because of the Gavenny River that runs through it. A new amenity space is also proposed, which would effectively extend an existing river walk. A bridge and causeway will be used to gain access to some of the homes via a new road. Across the whole site the houses have been designed with sustainable green roofs, which is said to be a key component of the design. “Green roofs bring many benefits through increased biodiversity and wildlife, and can be thought of as green stepping stones for wildlife,” the design and access statement says. “They can further reduce energy use, improve air and water quality, reduce storm water runoff, lessen the urban heat island effect therefore improving the effect on climate change.” Heating and hot water will be provided by air source heat pumps and electricity will be provided by green energy firm Ecotricity. Electric vehicle charging points will also be included, along with a sustainable drainage system. The application says the method of construction will reduce noise, the need for heavy machinery, waste, pollutants, land-fill and the effect on ecology.
2019 start for £25m Carlisle flood defences The Environment Agency has committed to start work next summer on improving flood defences in Carlisle. Details of a flood risk management scheme for the town will be revealed this month with the government having set aside £25m for the project. Since flooding in early December 2015, the Environment Agency has been exploring ways to better protect the area in the future. This has included extensive appraisal work to identify the best ways to invest government funding for improved flood defences in Carlisle. Stewart Mounsey, Environment Agency flood risk manager for Cumbria, said: “Given the extent of works required in Carlisle, the city is being divided up into different phases of work. We hope to submit the planning application for phase one in early 2019, with an aim to start work in summer 2019.” Thousands of homes and businesses were flooded when record rainfall fell in the area in 2015, causing landslides and river bank erosion. Cumbria County Council said the recovery had cost at least £500m, and more than 700 families were unable to return to their homes for more than a year after the flooding.
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sustainability | news
UKGBC launches industry task group on net zero carbon buildings The UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) has launched a task group that will develop an industry-led definition for net zero carbon buildings. The task group will bring together more than 30 experts from across the construction sector and is being supported by 12 leading industry bodies. Following the Paris Climate Agreement and a recent IPCC special report, global attention has turned to achieving net zero emissions to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. In response, a global campaign is being led by the World Green Building Council which is calling for all new buildings to be net zero carbon in operation by 2030 and all existing buildings to achieve this standard by 2050.
The UK task group will examine what net zero carbon will mean for new buildings, including how they operate in-use. The aim is to build industry consensus on a definition for net zero carbon buildings, which can then be used to inform project designs, reporting initiatives, planning requirements and building regulations. An industry consultation on the task group proposals will be opened in February, with the final output published in spring 2019. The task group is being facilitated by UKGBC as part of its Advancing Net Zero programme, which is aiming to drive the transition to a net zero carbon built environment. The programme is supported by lead partner the Redevco Foundation and programme partners
BAM Construct UK, Berkeley Group, Grosvenor Britain & Ireland, and Hoare Lea. Richard Twinn, senior policy advisor at UKGBC, who will be facilitating the task group, said: “The construction and property industry is ready to make its contribution to the Paris Climate Agreement and start delivering net zero carbon buildings. But there is still a lack of clarity about what a net zero carbon building means in practice. This initiative is aiming to move beyond discussions about specific tools and policies towards buildings that work as intended and achieve genuine net zero carbon. We are seeking to create an agreed industry-led definition for net zero carbon buildings in the UK, to ensure we are all working towards the same outcomes.”
Council and consortium make progress on Leicestershire sustainable community The team behind a major new homes development in Market Harborough reaffirmed its commitment to the community during a site visit with the local planning authority. A consortium, comprising developers Taylor Wimpey East Midlands and William Davis Homes, is constructing a 924-home development at Airfield Farm, on the north-western fringes of the Leicestershire market town. The development started as a joint venture between William Davis Homes and Hallam Land Management in 2000, and received outline planning permission in 2015. In May 2018, Hallam Land sold its plots within the overall scheme to Taylor Wimpey. The Airfield Farm development will also deliver a primary school, sports pitches, a country park, play areas, allotments and a local centre comprising shops and services. The consortium will also make substantial contributions towards healthcare, highway improvements, public transport and secondary school places as part of its commitment to the community. The consortium has worked closely with Harborough District Council to design a scheme that not only goes some way to help the authority meet its housing targets for the district, but also provide much-needed community facilities. As part of the overall scheme, the consortium has created a segregated traffic management system of public and construction traffic away from local homes, and has ensured the Grand Union Canal will be protected at all times from the works. An ecologist has also been appointed to ensure impact on local wildlife will be kept to a minimum. Representatives from the authority also visited the site as guests of the consortium in December. They were given a tour of the site and discussed the timetable for development of the homes and the delivery of community facilities. The parties also talked about measures the consortium will take to minimise the impact of construction on the existing community, landscape and wildlife, including the segregated traffic management, the protection of structural hedgerows and trees, the relocation of badgers to a newly formed home, and the planting
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of protected flora in the water courses. Development of the site – which forms part of a wider area identified in the Harborough Core Strategy for new housing and to provide access to new employment, educational and recreational opportunities to the north west of Market Harborough – will be informed by a masterplan to create a sense of place, preserve the historic and natural environment, and enhance community facilities. Councillor Phil King, deputy leader for Harborough District Council, said: “It was really good to see how the developers and stakeholders are working together with the same vision, and to see the connection between the masterplan and what is happening on the ground. It looks like it will be a top quality place to live and work.”
Christopher Leeson, technical director at Taylor Wimpey East Midlands, said: “An incredible amount of planning, in conjunction with Harborough District Council, has gone into formulating a development for Airfield Farm that not only provides a range of highquality private and much-needed affordable homes, but also community facilities that the council was keen to implement. We feel this excellent working relationship with such a very supportive local authority has really paid dividends, as between us, we have come up with a sustainable new community with top-notch facilities that will be a real asset to Harborough.” Construction has already started on a new road access to the site from Leicester Road and William Davis Homes will open its sales area in February 2019. Taylor Wimpey’s is due to open in late summer 2019.
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sustainability | feature Responsibly sourced timber is one of the most sustainable construction materials available; it’s no wonder more housebuilders are branching out into timber frame, says ROGER HUNT
WOOD
you rather? Architype’s Passivhaus scheme for South Shropshire Housing Association in Much Wenlock, Shropshire
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sustainability | feature One of the most ancient and versatile construction materials, timber is undergoing a revival as technology and innovation ensure it is ready to meet today’s exacting engineering and design challenges. What really makes timber stand out is its ability to help housebuilders meet sustainability targets, with scientific studies and academic reports highlighting how wood actively mitigates against the effects of climate change. Timber does this by absorbing CO² and emitting oxygen during the growth process, resulting in carbon being captured in timber products. “For every cubic metre of timber or wood products used in construction, approximately one tonne of carbon dioxide is saved,” explains Christiane Lellig, campaign director for Wood for Good, the timber industry body promoting the use of wood in design and construction. Wood products serve a diversity of applications. These range from decorative cladding and traditional joinery to board materials and energysaving thermal insulation, as well as highly engineered structural elements and timber framing. Alex Goodfellow, group managing director of Stewart Milne Timber Systems, believes timber frame is one of the most technologically advanced and sustainable forms of construction available: “It offers many benefits for housebuilding, including ensuring a high-quality product, reducing overall build costs and shortening the duration of build programmes. Environmentally, timber frame is one of the most sustainable build solutions on the market.” Goodfellow explains that timber is the lowest embodied carbon material known to man and offers improved health and wellbeing to occupants. “Timber is highly energy efficient as a build material and can deliver low-energy fabric designs, with high levels of thermal engineering, utilising low U-values, airtightness and thermal bridging.” At Scotframe, which manufactures and supplies full-kit packages for housing, sales director Malcolm Thomson is similarly enthusiastic about timber’s environmental benefits. “The amount of
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THIS PIC Architype’s Passivhaus scheme for South Shropshire Housing Association in Much Wenlock, Shropshire BELOW Huf Haus employs carefully crafted timber post and beam construction BOTTOM Scotframe uses timber for structural and cladding elements
energy taken to produce timber components – their ‘embodied energy’ – is much less than that of plastic, steel or concrete alternatives, and, in fact, structural timber has the lowest overall CO² cost of any building material. The thermal efficiency of timber frame is legendary, providing homes that are naturally warm in winter and cool in summer.” Alongside the sustainability benefits, Thomson cites a host of other long- and short-term advantages to timber frame: “There’s the speed of construction: for a two-storey house it saves around 30% on build time, because factory prefabrication simplifies the onsite assembly process. Closedpanel building systems are particularly effective. With these, a home can be erected and watertight in as little as five days, and complete in around eight to 10 weeks, dependent on complexity. While timber frame components are strong, they are relatively lightweight and easy to transport.”
sustainability | feature FAR LEFT At Scotframe factory prefabrication simplifies the onsite assembly process LEFT Huf Haus employs carefully crafted timber post and beam construction BELOW & BELOW LEFT Stewart Milne Timber Systems has placed emphasis on R&D investment, developing not just energy- and cost-efficient products, but also ensuring that they are used in the most energy- and costefficient manner BOTTOM & BOTTOM LEFT Westbury now manufactures its windows using a combination of European sourced timber and a modified timber called Accoya
“There’s the speed of construction: for a two-storey house it saves around 30% on build time, because factory prefabrication simplifies the onsite assembly process” to the headquarters, protecting them for the long term,” explains Afra Bindewald, business development executive at Huf Haus. “Such is our commitment to sustainable forestry, our company director, Georg Huf, also co-founded and now leads a body – which, when translated, is called ‘The Forest Community’ – in Westerwald, Germany, to promote sustainable forest management.” Wood for Good’s Christiane Lellig emphases the importance of ensuring timber is sourced in a sustainable way and that products are PEFC or FSC certified. “These schemes aim to protect biodiversity, ecosystem services, local employment, and indigenous peoples’ rights within the forest, through sustainable management. As timber is a 100% renewable building material it naturally embraces the circular economy. This means that many timber building products can be reused or recycled at the end of a house’s lifecycle. With so many building products available, Wood for Good has created a lifecycle database to help housebuilders assess a building product’s environmental impact.” Barratt is among the housebuilders that look for timber certification. All timber products it purchases as part of group agreements are from suppliers with PEFC or FSC chain of custody certification, and it is introducing an annual timber sourcing data collection process. The company also holds a ‘two tree’ rating in WWF’s timber scorecard scheme out of a possible three and has published a target to gain its three-tree rating next time it is assessed. These measures of sustainability are particularly significant as timber frame is an increasingly important construction method for the company: in the 2018 financial year, Barratt Developments
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Stewart Milne Timber Systems has placed emphasis on R&D investment, developing not just energy- and cost-efficient products, but also ensuring that they are used in the most energy- and cost-efficient manner. This has enabled the company to develop products with U-values as low as 0.10, airtightness down to 1.5, and thermal bridging of only 0.02. “Typically, timber frame can reduce your energy consumption by around 40% due to the nature of the product and, by designing in and futureproofing the product, overall running costs and the energy efficiency levels will be improved,” says Goodfellow. “The introduction of offsite construction of timber frames has proven to be a game-changer within the property development sector and has increased the opportunity to utilise sustainable timber frame systems on hundreds of projects. By using offsite timber frame construction, a home can be designed as one integrated system, which means energy efficiency is locked in at its core. This reduces the need for other micro renewables or for new and untried ‘bolt-on’ technologies to be added to achieve energy efficiency.” One housebuilder that has always used timber is Huf Haus. It mixes post and beam construction with panoramic triple glazing and highly insulated walls and ceilings. The company builds exclusively with chamber-dried, weather resistant Nordic spruce which, it claims, is among the most durable timber species in existence. All the wood harvested is from registered and sustainable forestry. “The supply of high quality timber is fundamental to the success and longevity of the Huf concept and, to offset our company’s carbon footprint, we invest heavily in the forests and communities local
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sustainability | feature THIS PIC Wood for Good promotes the use of wood in design and construction BELOW Barratt is increasingly using timber frame construction
completed 1,683 homes using timber frame systems, up from 1,270 the previous year. Architects are also embracing timber. In Much Wenlock, Shropshire, timber was a key component of a £2m exemplar Passivhaus scheme undertaken by Architype for South Shropshire Housing Association. “The way the timber frame for the homes has been designed means the amount of timber in the external walls is minimised but it’s incredibly structurally sound and lightweight; this has the benefit that you don’t have to have thickenings in the slab,” explains Paul Neep, project architect and associate at Architype. As part of the timber frame, structural OSB lining boards were employed both internally and externally; internally, air barrier OSB boards were used to provide the airtightness layer. To achieve the necessary thermal performance, cellulose insulation was employed, which is manufactured from recycled paper – another timber-based product. “The efficiency of being able to use timber for these applications just makes sense,” says Neep. “With Passivhaus you need a huge amount of quality in the construction. The majority of the timber frame is constructed in a factory so it allows attention to detail and greater quality assurance. Timber also contributes to the breathing construction, allowing any moisture that builds up in the building’s fabric to naturally wick and breathe out, so it’s a much healthier construction as a result.” For the external timber cladding of the homes, Architype specified thermally modified, UK-grown poplar. Thermally modified timber products are increasingly being used as they are highly durable and dimensionally stable and, by removing the organic compounds from the timber, the modification process allows the use of relatively low grade timber. Having supplied bespoke joinery for over 25 years, Westbury now manufactures its windows
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using a combination of European sourced timber and a modified timber called Accoya. This is made using a process called acetylation. “Traditional hardwood timber is strong and durable, but the trees can take 70–120 years to grow before it is ready to be harvested and, unfortunately, the world is using hardwood as a resource faster than it can be grown,” explains Jonathan Hey, Westbury’s managing director. “We use Accoya, a sustainable engineered timber, as our material of choice. It comes from radiata pine sourced from New Zealand, Chile or Spain. It’s a fast-growing softwood, and only takes approximately 28 years to grow before it’s ready to be used.” According to the Structural Timber Association, the market share for timber construction in England is steadily rising. Scotframe’s Malcolm Thomson believes this trend will continue, helped by offsite technologies such as cross-laminated timber and structural insulated panel systems. “The vast majority of UK homes may still be built using traditional masonry but, with a shortage of site skills and the rising cost of materials, even the biggest housebuilders are likely to start considering using timber frame more frequently.” sh
CONTACTS Architype www.architype.co.uk Scotframe www.scotframe.co.uk Stewart Milne Timber Systems www.stewartmilnetimbersystems.com Westbury www.westburyjoinery.com Wood for Good www.woodforgood.com
Read Roger Hunt’s blog www.huntwriter.com and follow him on Twitter @huntwriter
Roger Hunt
Photo credit: Hawkins & Brown Architects for Regal Homes
BOTTOM Stewart Milne Timber Systems has placed emphasis on R&D investment
Anti-Slip Reassurance We’ve been manufacturing Shower Trays for our enclosures here in the UK since 1999. All are high gloss, white acrylic capped ABS with resin bond stone filler, offering the ultimate in durability. We are now offering an Anti-Slip coating on all our trays as an option on order. It’s a long lasting translucent coating that gives that extra reassurance to the user. Contact our Contracts team about your next project.
Kudos Showering Products Ltd., Holme, Cumbria LA6 1RJ 01539 564040 kudosshowers.co.uk/contracts contracts@kudosshowers.co.uk
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RAK Ceramics
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News
Gill Oliver visits the 30-year veteran of the sanitaryware market to find out what it can offer UK housebuilders
From the shower tray up. Kate Hamilton explores the must-have bathroom styles for 2019
The latest bathroom products and stories from the sector
BATHROOM
special showhouse January 2019 |45
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RAK ceramics | bathroom special
Bathroom
Royalty
Now in its 30th year, UAE-based RAK Ceramics is turning its attention to the UK housebuilder market. GILL OLIVER looks at what the company has to offer the sector
showhouse January 2019 | 47
RAK ceramics | bathroom special
Wembley Stadium, The O2 Arena and the Ferrari World theme park in Abu Dhabi are just a few of the iconic buildings where you’ll see products made by RAK Ceramics. Its diverse range of porcelain tiles and sanitaryware can be spotted in the world’s most luxurious hotels, leisure resorts, shopping malls, airports, hospitals and car showrooms. The UK office in Petersfield, Hampshire, employs 50, but it’s RAK Ceramics’ network of 22 manufacturing plants across the Middle East and Asia that produce 116 million square metres of tiles, five million pieces of sanitaryware, 24 million pieces of porcelain tableware and one million faucets each year. RAK is an acronym for Ras Al Khaimah, the northernmost emirate of the United Arab Emirates, where the company was founded. It’s an area best known for its pristine Arabian Gulf beaches and picturesque mountains. RAK Ceramics was launched in 1989 by HH Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, member of the Supreme Council and ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, whose vision was to harness the best machinery and latest technology to produce world-beating products. The first tile manufacturing plant began operating in Ras Al Khaimah in 1991 and was followed two years later by a sanitaryware factory. Now under the leadership of chairman HH Sheikh Khalid Bin Saud Al Qasimi, RAK Ceramics has grown into one of the largest ceramics’ brands in the world and has sold more than one billion square metres of tiles. Listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange in the UAE and the Dhaka Stock Exchange in Bangladesh, it employs 15,000 people from more than 40 nationalities.
As well as being a founding member of the Emirates Green Building Council, it was also the first company in the UAE to be awarded ISO 9001 certification by UK certification body CICS. The company has built a track record for creating eco-friendly products, including its latest sanitaryware flush systems, which produce a 33% saving in water consumption. And to make the manufacturing process environmentally friendly, RAK has invested in solar rooftops, co-generation technologies, water recycling and heat recovery systems across many of its plants. Continuous investment into latest digital printing techniques means RAK Ceramics competes against other flooring solutions such as marble and wood laminate, including its award-winning wood art collection, which looks and feels like real wood. This investment in new technology hasn’t just improved production efficiency, it has also helped the bottom line. Since it was founded, the company has gradually built a reputation for experience, wide product range, quality and innovative approach, something that was highlighted in August this year, when the company scooped the Best Tiling Brand category at the Bathroom & Kitchen Update Magazine awards. RAK Ceramics UK managing director Alvin Biggs says: “We constantly strive to offer the very best in terms of quality and design, and by presenting complete ceramic lifestyle solutions for the commercial and consumer sector.” Under the leadership of group chief executive Abdallah Massaad (pictured), RAK Ceramics has evolved from a ceramics’ manufacturer, to an
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inspirational lifestyle ceramics brand. Some 80% of its products are exported from the UAE and reflecting this, it has a strong presence at international trade fairs including KBB at the NEC in Birmingham. Most recently, the company showcased its latest collections at Cersaie in Bologna, with a fresh product portfolio including a wide range of sizes, finishes and concepts – all designed with architects and interior designers in mind. When it comes to the marketplace, RAK Ceramics’ products are sold in over 150 countries globally, mostly through distributors. Typically, it sells through one distributor per country for export markets, while in the UAE it
RAK ceramics | bathroom special operates 10 retail showrooms and 40 trade partner showrooms, supplying mostly retail and small contractors. The most recent financial results, announced in November and for the third quarter to 30 September 2018, saw RAK Ceramics’ turnover remain broadly stable. Revenue from sanitaryware was up by almost 5% year-on-year, due to strong sales in UAE and European markets. Tableware was also a star performer, with revenue rising by almost 6% compared to the same period last year largely due to growth in European and US markets. Abdallah Massaad points out: “RAK Ceramics’ performance for the third quarter of 2018 has been stable, despite market slowdown in the summer months and increased costs. “As we look to optimise our business operations, we will continue to drive innovation in our product portfolio and focus on rolling out our new branding supported by a shop-in-shop concept in our showrooms.” He adds that the company’s priorities are to concentrate its efforts on core markets in the UAE, India and Bangladesh, and continued growth across its tableware and faucets businesses. Restructuring plans continue in Europe and Saudi Arabia, to integrate the businesses into the group and improve operational efficiencies. Looking to the future, the UK division has plans to tap into the housebuilder market in the coming year, both with its tile ranges and its sanitaryware, which has a 35% share of the independent retail market in the UK at present.
UK head of sales, Ben Bryden, who headed teams at luxury bathroom brand Bagno Design, Villeroy & Boch and Kohler before joining RAK two years ago, says: “We have not been involved with housebuilders, other than Weston Homes, to date but the contract market is a key priority for us and one we are actively targeting.” One thing is for sure, RAK Ceramics’ products are showcased in every corner of the world. Walk into Radisson Blu Edwardian Hotels’ glamorous Bijou Bar at Heathrow Airport, and you’ll find RAK Ceramics’ Paradox tiles underfoot. The semi-polished metallic finish is aesthetically pleasing but it was also chosen because it is gres porcelain
material, pressed at high pressure to create densely compact tiles that are particularly hardwearing for high-traffic areas such as airports. Next time you find yourself at Wembley Stadium, take a minute to admire those gleaming RAK Ceramics floor tiles. Likewise, at London’s iconic music and sporting venue The O2 Arena, RAK Ceramics crafted the porcelain tiles for the floors and every staircase, including those leading up to the Royal Box. There’s a neat symmetry there. A company started by one royal over 25 years ago has created something lasting for fellow royalty on the other side of the world – and everywhere in between. sh
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inside out | bathroom special
As bathroom and showering trends for 2019 emerge, it’s clear to see that suppliers and designers are building their collections from the floor up. KATE HAMILTON reports
Common
GROUND
Carmen, which Roca launched earlier this year, is a very popular traditional-style collection
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inside out | bathroom special
As the new year begins, so does the next generation of bathroom and showering products. And it seems that in 2019 many manufacturers have made it their resolution to improve their range of shower trays. Duravit, for example, is focusing on sheer size: “Multigenerational living is on the increase, and so we predict a further need for larger sized shower trays in the bathroom,” says Martin Carroll, Duravit’s managing director. “These allow plenty of freedom of movement in the shower and are popular with consumers who choose to replace their existing bath with a shower enclosure or wet room.” The current trend for contemporary walk-in, wet room-style shower areas has encouraged the design and production of high quality shower trays with a very low profile. “These are particularly popular in the mid to high end of the market, as they not only create a feeling of space in the bathroom as the floor area is opened out, but they also offer a safe and practical showering solution,” continues Carroll. Duravit’s latest shower trays – P3 Comforts and the Stonetto shower tray are made from new innovative materials that are highly durable and feature integrated anti-slip coatings. Kaldewei, meanwhile, believes that the trend for floor-level showers will remain strong in 2019, as will the trend for hidden waste, which is becoming more minimalistic and finished in the same colour as the shower surface to minimise visual appearance, where possible.
“Our latest award-winning NexSys shower surface is an innovative new 4-in-1 complete installation-ready system,” explains Adam Teal, head of sales at Kaldewei UK. “It consists of a waste channel, sloping support, sealing and an enamelled shower surface enabling ultra simple and fast installation. The elegant design of the narrow waste channel, with brushed stainless steel cover, complements the floor-level shower surface’s minimalistic look. The NexSys shower surface is available in a range of size options for maximum flexibility.” Kudos is another manufacturer that has been focusing on practical solutions for its shower tray offering; as a result, Kudos now offers all its shower tray collections with the option of an anti-slip coating. “Our award winning Kamba coating offers a long lasting, translucent, effective anti-slip coating, giving reassurance to the end user,” comments Nick Graville, sales and marketing director at Kudos. “First launched on the company’s Connect2 shower tray, designed with dual waste to avoid joists, the take up of the option has resulted in the company offering it on all shower trays that it manufactures from April 2019. All shower trays manufactured by Kudos feature a durable acrylic capped ABS skin with high-gloss finish, backed with a resin-bonded stone for strength and stability.” But whether you are looking at just trays or at the bathroom as a whole, the one thing that cannot be overlooked this year is quality.
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“There is a continuing trend and a growing interest for a greater range of high end, designer products in the bathroom,” explains Jayne Barnes, managing director of AQATA. “The discerning customer now requires not only a highly engineered luxury shower enclosure or screen, handmade to fit their exact space, but also a completely individual, customised design – such as our Matte Black Collection, which brings character and personality into the bathroom.” The elegant black matte finish of the profiles and steady bars combined with the striking glass patterns creates a bold statement in any bathroom space. The Matte Black Collection is also extremely versatile, providing a glamorous 1920s’ style twist or adding a contemporary, monochrome element to the bathroom.
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TOP LEFT Bristan has created its Metallix range in response to the demand for statement colours TOP Kaldewei’s latest award-winning NexSys shower surface is an innovative new 4-in-1 complete installation ready system ABOVE Duravit’s Stonetto shower tray is made from new innovative materials that are highly durable and feature integrated anti-slip coatings THIS PIC Laufen’s Val collection with BASE furniture
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inside out | bathroom special
ABOVE RIGHT AQATA’s Matte Black Collection brings character and personality into the bathroom ABOVE PowderRain by Hansgrohe offers spray technology that envelops the body in a gentle cocoon of water THIS PIC From April, Kudos will be offering all its shower trays with an option of its Kamba anti-slip coating
Sarah Evans, head of channel marketing at Hansgrohe. “At the heart of this is how we use and enjoy water in the bathroom. Customers are more in tune with the emotional side of their bathrooms, so we’re seeing increased demand for innovative spray patterns, extra-large shower heads and intuitive water controls that deliver a superior experience. It all comes down to making your living environment both beautiful and comfortable.” As a result, Hansgrohe’s new shower collection by AXOR features a new spray method called PowderRain, which offers spray technology that envelops the body in a gentle cocoon of water. “PowderRain is much finer than conventional shower jets, so instead of one spray outlet per nozzle, it has six fine openings that spray thousands of micro droplets with reduced noise and water usage,” continues Evans. “As an overall showering experience, it creates a sense of pure relaxation that engages all the senses.” But it’s not just in the shower that technology can improve the user experience: “Technology is making its way into the bathroom space, through sanitaryware and furniture alike. From smart toilets to Bluetooth technology, these trends promote wellbeing and comfort in the home, providing the homeowner with extra features that make their day that little bit easier,” explains Sian Lane, national sales manager, developers, at Roca UK. Roca’s Stratum-N is a sleek, wallhung furniture unit that provides
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Colours are also finding their way onto the showers themselves. “One trend that we are continuing to see is a resurgence in demand for statement colours as a means of differentiation, with higher quality finishes and contemporary styling,” says Chris Tranter, senior product manager at Bristan. “Products that were once seen as being more about practicality, such as electric showers, can increasingly make big design statements for potential homeowners who want to put a real stamp on their new home.” In response, Bristan’s Noctis and Solis electric showers offer designs that have contemporary shapes and colours, adding a touch of luxury and sophistication to any bathroom. Of course, as well as looking good, customers are expecting a quality experience from their showers this year
too – and this is where technology comes into play. “A recent study by Deloitte concluded that more than 50% of consumers are interested in customised products that they can programme to suit their personal needs,” says Colin Sinclair, senior channel marketing manager at Aqualisa. “As such, we expect growth in the smart shower market to be driven by this trend as they possess the technology to provide a tailored shower experience. There will also be an increased emphasis on a user experience that is simple and convenient. ‘One-touch’ technology may even be superseded by other activation methods like voice or sensor activation – as is happening in other smart technology sectors.” The Aqualisa QTM smart shower features a variety of customisable options, allowing users to completely personalise their shower experience or alternatively select a preconfigured tailored shower profile to suit their mood. Temperature, flow and shower duration can all be specified and set, while the optional remote control allows users to remotely turn on the system from up to 10m from the shower controller. QTM is the ideal upgrade shower specification for housebuilders as it offers the luxury of personalisation combined with up-todate, coveted smart technology. Hansgrohe is also harnessing technology in order to improve the customer experience: “Developments in showers and mixers in 2019 will serve a fundamental purpose – to enhance user experience,” comments
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ABOVE Perrin & Rowe has a dedicated contracts team for large projects TOP RIGHT The Aqualisa Q range is ideal for homeowners looking to save water
Bluetooth connectivity to integrated speakers. This allows the user to connect their phone to the unit to play their favourite music while bathing. Its hidden speakers project sound around the bathroom, while the unit’s interior lighting assists when using the drawers. Utopia Bathrooms is also concentrating on its fitted furniture this year, with contrasting colours and textures taking centre stage: “We have focused all our experience and design expertise on creating a range of fitted furniture that is effortlessly stylish and elegant but also supremely practical,” comments commercial director Pete Penlington. “2019 will be our 30th anniversary year and we see Contemporary Fitted as a celebration of everything we stand for at Utopia – quality, design innovation, ease of installation and exceptional service.” As well as looking good, installing fitted furniture in the bathroom is a great way of saving space. Laufen’s BASE furniture range is a great example of a product range that is well suited to the new-build market. BASE has a wide variety of fitted options, including vanity units and mirror cabinets, which are available in a variety of sizes and finishes to
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complement any size and style bathroom. “In developing the range, we paid special attention to current furniture trends, particularly with finishes and textures, ensuring BASE offers exceptionally high quality while also being excellent value for money,” says Emma Mottram, marketing manager at Laufen. “The drawers and doors are framed by slim edges, which are available in two options – round or angular – to match the complementary range of VAL ceramics. Thanks to the three-dimensional wood-like structure, the surfaces have a high-quality finish and give the appearance of real wood, yet can stand the tests of a modernday family bathroom.” Laufen has a rich heritage of manufacturing bathroom products stretching back over 125 years, and it has used this history to improve its brassware too. For example, the Val bath and shower mixers feature Laufen’s Eco+ function, which indicates the temperature and the flow rate of the water. In both the horizontal and vertical movement of the lever, a resistance can be felt as soon as the energy-saving zone is left. If this resistance is overcome, the maximum temperature and water volume are available. Using Eco+, water and energy consumption can be reduced by up to 30%. Finally, Perrin & Rowe expects the demand for customised brassware to continue through the use of different finishes, textures and handle inserts. “Following nearly two years of research and development, our new Hoxton bathroom collection showcases our credentials in contemporary design and engineering,”concludes contracts manager Phillip Cole. “It offers
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housebuilders something new in bathrooms: a fresh take on modern luxury, which is designed, engineered and manufactured in the UK. Elegant and refined, the range includes a bath-shower mixer, shower set, basin mixer and accessories with soft curves rather than harsh angles to reflect light beautifully. Available in all our finishes, including on-trend satin brass, it is highly adaptable to a range of design styles.” sh
CONTACTS AQATA www.aqata.co.uk Aqualisa www.aqualisa.co.uk Bristan www.bristan.com Duravit www.duravit.com Hansgrohe www.hansgrohe.co.uk Kaldewei UK www.kaldewei.co.uk Kudos Shower Products www.kudosshowers.co.uk Laufen www.laufen.co.uk Perrin & Rowe www.perrinandrowe.co.uk Roca UK www.uk.roca.com Utopia Furniture Limited www.utopiagroup.com
A R E VO L U T I O N A R Y C E R A M I C M AT E R I A L . SaphirKeramik, a high-tech material driving innovative design. With its precise, thin-walled forms and tight-edge radii, Laufen brings a new language to bathrooms. Collection VAL, design by Konstantin Grcic.
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Contemporary Fitted bathroom furniture. New for 2019. Introducing the all-new exclusive Contemporary Fitted range from Utopia. Available in both fitted and wall mounted configurations, the emphasis is on tall mirrors, contemporary Scandi-inspired finishes and feature metallic accents. See the full range at utopiagroup.com/contemporary
Bathroom perfection
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news | bathroom special edited by Kate Hamilton (kh@globespanmedia.com)
The shape of water
Defying gravity Saniflo UK has launched the SANIFLOOR+ Tray, adding to its portfolio of showering solutions. The SANIFLOOR+ Tray offers a complete solution for easily installing a shower when traditional gravity drainage is not available and it does not require any major installation work. The SANIFLOOR+ Tray kit includes a pump, a low-level shower tray and the waste. The 55mm tray can be installed directly onto the floor and is very easy to maintain. The pump features wireless communication between the pump and plug installation and has all the features of the standalone SANIFLOOR+. The kit is available in six
different options, so there’s a size to suit most applications. Ann Boardman, Saniflo UK head of marketing and product development, commented: “With the new SANIFLOOR+ Tray, we’ve made installing a shower easier than ever. SANIFLOOR+ Tray offers a complete solution, including pump, drainage and shower tray. As the tray sits directly on the floor and is very slimline at just 50mm, it offers a contemporary appearance for the modern bathroom. The six different size options provides a possibility for most bathrooms. It’s easy to install and maintain, giving peace of mind to everyone.” www.saniflo.co.uk
VADO has announced the launch of its Geometry shower heads. Available in round or square designs, Geometry introduces a sharper, contemporary look to complete any showering combination. Geometry showcases a refined and slender appearance with clean, flat surfaces to coordinate with current trends for minimalist showering. Featuring a subtle brushed finish around the edge of each shower head to beautifully contrast the polished, steel face plate, Geometry’s striking aesthetic will enrich a bathroom’s look and feel. Boasting an eye-catching, geometric nozzle formation that contrasts the head’s soft, curved corners, Geometry’s square head creates a seamlessly cubic water pattern. With a durable stainless steel finish, rub-clean nozzles for easy cleaning and an unrivalled 12-year guarantee, you can be assured that your bathroom will showcase a contemporary aesthetic for years to come. Angela Neve, VADO’s product and marketing director, commented: “Embracing the trend for geometric patterns in the home, the Geometry shower heads are a stylish way to incorporate a discreet yet impactful finishing touch.” www.vado.com
Family friendly
Pioneering product
AQATA’s SP446, offers the perfect solution when creating a bathroom to suit the whole family. Whether replacing a bath or introducing a new walk-in-shower this stylish screen from AQATA’S bestselling Spectra range is a must-have for a multigenerational family bathroom. Increasingly, consumers and developers alike are designing bathrooms to cater for a wide range of family needs and age ranges. The SP446 is an ideal solution as it fits the brief not only for the rising demand for frameless products, but perfectly complements the popularity of the wet room look. On a practical level, the SP446 incorporates a number of clever design elements, such as low-level shower trays, wider frameless shower screen access and larger doorways while still remaining an extremely effective water barrier. An additional feature of the SP446 is a frameless hinged panel, which enables the screen to be used in either a wet room with a tiled floor or be installed with a shower tray. The SP446 has a fulllength seal to restrict water to the shower recess, while the hinged panel prevents overspray. The appearance of this frameless style is extremely popular within the Spectra series and is further enhanced by the polished chrome of its hinged brackets. www.aqata.co.uk
Ultra Finishing, under its Premier brand, has launched Pioneer, an innovative, first-to-the-market range of thermostatic shower valves that offer the perfect blend of style, safety and value-for-money. Made in Britain, with a two-patented stateof-the-art design, Premier’s Pioneer wall-recessed twin shower valves incorporate the company’s Valquest cartridge for durability, reliability and performance, as well as simple installation and easy maintenance. The Valquest cartridge is also fully reversible; if the hot and cold-water supplies are the wrong way around it doesn’t need replumbing, just simply remove the cartridge, turn 180˚ and replace. The twin valves are available with either a chrome plated brass trimset or a chrome plated ABS trimset, with diverter options available, and are tested to WRAS and TMV 2 & 3 standards, with a thermostatically controlled antiscold safety feature engineered in. Colm Lalor, commercial director, Ultra Finishing, said: “The choice of shower valve is as important as its design, having to often accommodate the quite wide-ranging variety of household water systems. For this reason, the Pioneer shower valve, with its patented design and British engineering can accommodate pressures as low as 0.1 bar; and with our in-house Valquest cartridge at its heart, its durability and performance are backed with a five-year guarantee.” www.premierbathroomcollection.co.uk
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news | bathroom special Space savers Roca has introduced a new furniture range to help homeowners maximise space within a bathroom setting. The new Maxi collection is available in a number of compact sizes to answer the need for stylish and contemporary furniture for small bathrooms. Ideal for cloakrooms, en suites and smaller bathrooms, the Maxi furniture ranges provides a solution for situations where storage is vital, but space is limited. It comes in 550mm, 500mm and 450mm models with the choice of wall-hung or floor-standing
True colours The collection from Burlington Bathrooms looks ahead to colour trends in the bathroom for 2019. Inspired by eras of great design, from the Edwardian period to current styles, Burlington introduces timeless elegance to the bathroom with a complete collection that combines traditional design with modern functionality. Celebrating a palette of sophisticated neutrals, the furniture range is designed to suit any interior scheme, with Classic Grey, Matt White, Sand and Dark Olive paint finishes available to choose from. The timeless nature of the Burlington collection allows for a playful approach to decorating when it comes to designing the perfect bathroom setting. Inspired by the latest colour trends capturing the interiors world by storm, the new photography from Burlington explores three trend-setting colour palettes, including new neutrals, evergreen hues and dusky lilacs. “Evoking the beatuty of the natural world, from forests to rolling hills, a green colour palette helps to bring us closer to nature,” explains Faye Froy, Burlington marketing manager. “Calm and comforting, opt for a soft sage, sea green or rich olive tones to create a relaxing sanctuary in your bathroom that will transport you back to nature.” www.burlingtonbathrooms.com
Moving with the times The first Kaldewei shower was created over 60 years ago and Kaldewei has continuously developed its steel enamel ‘original shower’ with new lines, features and system components. Today, the enamelled shower surface segment alone takes in 10 model lines, five different surfaces, 34 colours and 57 different sizes across 50,000 exciting product versions made of superior Kaldewei steel enamel. From classic shower trays to absolutely flat floor-
Awash with technology The Closomat Asana shower toilet unites British and Swiss innovation and engineering excellence to bring to market what is claimed to be the most aspirational in ‘smart’ WCs. The Asana’s ceramic pan is produced in the first sanitaryware factory to be opened in 25 years within the porcelain heartland of The Potteries (in Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent). Each bowl is finished to
Viva Espana British bathing brand Victoria + Albert Baths has announced the launch of new dimensions to its Barcelona and Mozzano bath collections – the Barcelona 2 (right), Barcelona 3 and Mozzano 2. Both the Barcelona 2 and Barcelona 3 follow the same design aesthetic as the popular Barcelona bath, inspired by the city famous for its organic design, but with more compact dimensions. Unlike the original Barcelona, the new Barcelona baths feature a void space underneath for waste plumbing, making them the ideal choice for contract projects, as it reduces the need to disturb the flooring to install waste kits. The bathtubs can be perfectly coordinated with the Barcelona 48, Barcelona 55 or Barcelona 64 freestanding basins and are available in seven different
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options providing solutions for all bathroom designs. The wall-hung options make the room feel as spacious as possible, by creating the illusion of floor space. “This Maxi collection is an example of how Roca is able to adapt to changing trends and customers’ demands,” commented Claire Gay, marketing manager at Roca. “There are more homes that have en suites and cloakroom bathrooms than ever before. Our customers are looking for a stylish yet space-saving solution and Maxi fits that mould perfectly.” www.uk.roca.com
level enamelled shower surfaces, rectangular, square or specially shaped – Kaldewei delivers the right model of shower for bathrooms of every size and style, and the right assembly solution for every position in a room, be it for a new-build or a refurbishment. New colours such as the company’s Coordinated Colours Collection, ensures that colours are perfectly coordinated with the bathroom floor. www.kaldewei.com
achieve the engineered precision and exacting tolerances required for optimum performance. “The whole ethos behind Asana was to develop a toilet that was aspirational, as well as functional in terms of enabling people to be independent, at least with their toilet needs,” explains Mark Sadler, Closomat sales director. “Just because someone may need help to use the WC (now or in the future) does not mean they have to ‘make do’ with a product that looks institutional, and/or is of inferior quality. The Closomat Asana is desirable from bottom up: it is stylish, delivers the best wash and dry performance available, and is built to last a lifetime, compliant with all current requirements. “We use the toilet on average eight times a day – probably more than any other fixture in the home. It therefore needs to cope with that degree of usage, year in, year out.” www.clos-o-mat.com
exterior finishes. Meanwhile the Mozzano 2 follows the same design as the Mozzano bath but in a larger size. The iconic design adds real architectural presence to a bathroom, and its angle of recline guarantees a comfortable soak. Mozzano 2 also features a void space underneath for waste plumbing to ease installation, making it ideal for the contract market. The Mozzano 2 is available in seven different exterior finishes. vandabaths.com
Carmen
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For clever lighting solutions. . .
Call us on 01977 522 020 or visit our website www.sensio.co.uk.
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Sensio Lighting Ltd
Sensio Lighting Ltd
product portfolio | lighting
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Great lighting does not just begin and end with LED bulbs; there are plenty of integrated solutions for new homes. KATE HAMILTON gets enlightened on the latest options
Ecoled offers a range of miniature fittings that are elegantly small (46mm diameter) with an uncompromised power output
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product portfolio | lighting
BELOW Ecoled suggests focusing on what’s happening in different parts of the room and lighting it sympathetically BOTTOM Ecoled has now launched the Eyeconic Trimless range; the patented socket design allows for high performance and practicality in a discreet, trimless design
LED lamps are becoming the norm since incandescent and halogen lamps lights have been outlawed, but it is their reduction in price, combined with improved light quality and reliability that has really helped increase the prevalence of LEDs in UK homes. “LEDs are now more affordable and offer up to 90% energy savings as well as 50 times longer lifespans versus traditional halogen, and so the
transition has become increasingly popular with housebuilders and homeowners alike,” explains Rachael King, communication and websites manager of Aurora Lighting. However, it turns out that LED bulbs aren’t necessarily the holy grail of lighting after all. “As LED bulbs are a pricesensitive product, less dependable componentry is used and therefore failure rates or colour inconsistencies are higher than a luminaire,” says James Cadisch, development director of Ecoled. “However, this technology is widely adopted as the perception is such that the bulbs are easier to replace. While the performance of LED technology is leaps and bounds ahead of halogen bulbs, it has previously struggled to replace traditional lighting because it’s less practical or offers inferior LED light quality.” Ecoled has now launched the Eyeconic Trimless range as a solution to this; the patented socket design allows for high performance and practicality in a discreet, trimless design. A single fitting can run up to 10W, providing the same light output of four traditional 60W halogen bulbs – but housebuilders still need to be encouraged to use them.
“Housebuilders tend to try and use LED bulbs rather than an architecturally designed luminaire, as they are often cheaper,” continues Cadisch. “However, luminaires are often more sophisticated and reliable in terms of their precision engineering. Well-manufactured luminaires are considered as ‘fit and forget’ solutions and therefore the owner of the space will not have to think about changing the fitting for quite some time.” Rachael King agrees. “We are finding that housebuilders are increasingly more aware of the impact that great luminaires, designed lighting layout and smart features have on the ambience and functionality of the home,” she says. “Homeowners are also demanding more and we’re encouraged to see investment of time to create the right affects and moods, as well as the right lamp for the right space.” In addition, multipurpose rooms are becoming more prevalent and so Aurora Lighting is creating lamps that support housebuilders, such as the CX lamp, that will enhance that space for any use with its tuneable colour temperature feature. “To perceive more space you need an even distribution of light,” continues King. “Whether a room is lit via artificial
“Housebuilders tend to try and use LED bulbs rather than an architecturally designed luminaire, as they are often cheaper. However, luminaires are often more sophisticated and reliable in terms of their precision engineering”
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product portfolio | lighting or by natural light, an evenly lit bright space will always appear larger than a poorly lit space. Rather than focused light in one or two spaces, the even distribution draws the eye to all possible areas of a room, thereby making the room appear larger.” Aurora Lighting’s fire-rated ENDLM981X downlight with 5W Ice Lamp, along with its E6Pro, are most popular with housebuilders for their cost effectiveness and longer lifespan
RIGHT Sensio provides a range of different lighting solutions for the kitchen
adds Cadisch. “The lighting can be designed to suit the required tasks of a space, accentuate architectural/design features and ensure a more even spread of light. It also avoids ending up with fittings that are placed too near cabinets or furniture and thus becoming redundant.” One of the most common pitfalls is regarding lighting as an afterthought and merely installing a grid of downlights, as this can take the soul and shape out of a space. Ecoled suggests focusing on what’s happening in different parts of the room and lighting it sympathetically. The focus can then be changed by using different circuits for different areas; group lights together in smaller circuits so that you can adjust the mood. “If done correctly, lighting can make any room feel more spacious,” continues Cadisch. “By adding several lighting elements and layering your light, housebuilders can achieve the look of a lighter, more open space as the attention is drawn away from a single overhead fixture.” Ecoled offers a range of miniature fittings that are elegantly small (46mm diameter) with an uncompromised power output – so just because they’re small doesn’t mean you need more.
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BOTTOM Green Lighting has designed a lantern in a fully carbonated format; perfect for the coast
features. With Aurora’s standard and retrofit Smart products, the company is also offering value for any housebuilder wanting to get onboard with the latest lighting design technology and futureproof their lighting installations. Another way to ensure a timeless look is to ensure that you design your lighting scheme as early as possible. “This has a number of benefits to the overall aesthetic of a space,”
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product portfolio | lighting
This means that instead of a series of bright spotlights overhead, fewer discreet fittings can be used to draw the eye to the space rather than to the ceiling; thus creating a more spacious feel. However, when it comes to lighting design, not all rooms are created equal… “I think housebuilders are embracing the concept of lighting design within kitchens,” says Joe Mitchell, marketing manager of Sensio. “If you visit any show house across the country, a great deal of emphasis is typically placed on an effective lighting scheme [in the kitchen]. “Light is proven to be an effective way of giving the impression of space. Light colours within the furniture work in a similar way – it’s basic psychology. As a result, our Quantum strip light is very popular. It provides an alternative to conventional flexible strips but the stronger (dual colour) output creates more impact. It’s a fantastic accompaniment to any modern kitchen – another reason it works well for many housebuilders.” Out of the kitchen and a top tip from Green Lighting is to install lights in each corner of a room, as such tactically placed lighting works well to create an illusion of more space. And such techniques needn’t cost the earth either. Green Lighting’s D-lux downlights have been designed with the latest technology
in order to create 800 lumens at only 7.9W, while its P-lux lanterns have a dual-light level functionality, they meet legislation requirements and have a running cost of less than £2 a year. But of course it’s not just inside lighting that needs to be considered. “Rust is a common issue with lanterns as we live on an island,” concludes Graham Stevens, key accounts manager at Green Lighting. “At Green Lighting we have designed a lantern in a fully carbonated format; perfect for the coast.” But whether you are inside or out, with the aid of Green Lighting’s design team, housebuilders are able to plan ahead. Green Lighting helps ensure that they have enough lighting installed and work with their interior designers to create the right levels of lighting so that neither the housebuilder or the homeowner is kept in the dark. sh
CONTACTS Aurora Lighting auroralighting.com Ecoled www.ecoledlight.co.uk Green Lighting www.greenlighting.co.uk Sensio www.sensio.co.uk
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ABOVE Sensio Quantum strip light provides an alternative to conventional flexible strips but the stronger (dual colour) output creates more impact BELOW What House? Awards sponsor Green Lighting
MM12746_BF_CF_PD Proposition_Showhouse_Ad_217x155_AW.indd 1
23/11/2018 11:42
SMART LIGHTING FOR INTELLIGENT HOMES
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offsite construction | special
OFFSITE CONSTRUCTION
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In association with
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Hybrid Houses
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Ilke Homes
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News
Keith Osborne visits the firm’s Logistics Centre – precision engineered to bring efficiency and control to its supply chain
Success first came in rugby boots, then ice skates, now it’s a hard hat that is reaping rewards for Kyran Bracken
Ginetta Vedrickas visits the Yorkshire-based company turning to offsite construction to solve the UK-wide housing crisis
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weston logistics | offsite construction
Quality
controlled Weston Group has shown its commitment to offsite building with the opening of its new complex in Essex. KEITH OSBORNE paid an exclusive visit
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weston logistics | offsite construction
choose from many specification options across their homes and this new facility allows all these to be brought together to ship to the appropriate development sites. The company currently employs a team of 40 working at the centre, led by Shaun Weston, one of the Group’s first executive apprentices and now leading Weston Logistics. “This new centre transforms Weston Group’s logistics and offsite manufacturing capacity,” he says. “It enhances our ability to control our supply chain, improve the delivery of customer specification choices and ensure the quality of the products that form the specification of the homes we sell.” Shaun Weston took me on a comprehensive tour of the Centre, clearly very proud of what it is already achieving and its potential to accommodate future housebuilding targets. The housebuilder currently completes over 700 units annually and has a £2bn pipeline of 6,000 new homes. We start in the 60,000ft² warehouse, 10m high and with 27, 8m-high storage aisles, which can hold more than 8,000 pallets, as well as store other materials. There’s a mix of standard shelf storage dimensions and special shelves correctly sized to
take units completed at the factory. Details in an automated system ensure that stock is accurately delivered and collected at the appropriate part of the warehouse. Materials and components are sourced from suppliers around the globe, from Europe to the Far East, usually arriving at either Felixstowe or London Gateway. Shipments are tracked through GPS and programmed to be delivered to one of the three bays in the warehouse. “We’re usually open from 5.00am to 10.00pm,” says Weston, “but running a ‘double shift’ could cope with about 1,200 containers a year in the future.”
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Since building his first home in the 1980s, company founder Bob Weston has consistently demonstrated his ambitions in the housebuilding industry; always backing his words with actions. The new £12m Braintree Logistics Centre, officially opened by the Weston Logistics division towards the end of 2018, is another step forward for the Weston Group as it sees the benefits of in-house assembly and quality control as an essential step to fulfil its growth ambitions. The launch came after 18 months of meticulous planning and construction of the 75,000ft² complex. Designed and fitted using expert partners, the site provides a combination of warehousing, workshop and office space. It focuses on bringing in components and materials from a range of global suppliers. “We can now provide bespoke fittings for up to 60 plots a day,” says Shaun Weston, managing director of Weston Logistics. “They’ll all be delivered to the right place at the right time. And we have the potential here to eventually deliver up to 5,000 a year.” The items handled here include flooring, tiling, cladding, and other elements of kitchen and bathrooms. Weston Homes purchasers can
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weston logistics | offsite construction The bays have been designed to allow articulated lorries to deliver right into the warehouse, a very efficient system that has reduced the time to unload from around three hours to potentially just 15 minutes, with everything appropriately barcoded for speedy storage in the exactly right place in the warehouse. There’s also the added benefit of reducing the opportunity of damage occurring to the likes of marble and glass. All this is beneficial to ‘goods out’ as much as it is to ‘goods in’. There are four Toyota forklifts
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operating here, all run on a state-ofthe-art system to lead them around the floor and along the aisles to a very high degree of accuracy. I was invited to join one of the operators to see first-hand what one of these machines can do. The wire guidance can make the necessary small adjustments to line the forklift up very precisely at the end of the correct aisle, then allow very fast access back and forth, and lifting/collecting up and down over the 8m shelves. Every one of these happened impressively fast, and,
according to the forklift operator, “it can go much quicker”. Back to terra firma and we move along the warehouse to see another example of technology at work in what is known as the pedestrian picking area. This is where the team can coordinate each part of an order’s requirement, for example the correct number of tiles of the right colour. The team uses a hand-held barcode scanner to identify each element and the software links all of this with the customer order. This scanning ensures that only the right pieces are selected, notifying any picking error as well as taking care of stock control. Weston is using a warehouse management system called Dexterity. This uses what the manufacturers call a ‘live’ interface, which monitors every order in real time. It forms part of an integrated system communicating between management and back office software to automate procedures throughout the business. The tour continues to the workshop, which occupies 10,000ft² of the facility. This is where materials are engineered and units assembled, with every step subject to vigorous quality control.
weston logistics | offsite construction Each step of the production process has been equipped with the most up-to-date hardware. With such a variety of tasks being undertaken here, there is an equally diverse range of kit being used. Processing machines, engineering tools and assembly plants work to extremely precise measurements, with an accuracy level of ± 0.1mm. While many materials are cut and coordinated here, it is currently just vanity units that are put together at the centre, though the potential is there to construct bathroom cabinets, kitchen units or wardrobes in future. It was around three years ago that the company introduced its own brand, Fascino, as part of its kitchens and bathrooms, for sprayhose and instant boiling water taps and digitally controlled ‘smart’ taps, baths and showers. Another part of the Weston philosophy: a standard higher specification that differentiates it from the opposition. This is a big part of what Braintree Logistics Centre does, bringing assembly inhouse with the precision equipment and digital tracking there to ensure each item is produced to the highest standard with minimal problems. The computer system can link any future problem with an item
to precisely when and by whom it was made. “Quality control is absolutely a key part of what we’re doing here,” says Shaun Weston, “and we constantly use the tracking results to review procedures to bring down future errors still further.” As the Group’s chief executive Bob Weston, says: “The new Braintree Logistics Centre is a highly advanced distribution and build-offsite centre and represents the future of the volume housebuilding industry. “Within the next 10 years, technology will allow for new homes to be fully manufactured offsite by robots and computer-assisted engineering tools; customer specification choices fully automated; with factory-made components then built onsite using machines like a highly advanced Lego system.” “This step change will help enhance site safety, quality control and automotive-like precision. Our blue-chip factory at Braintree is another pioneering part of the process.” It is certainly a forward-thinking facility that shows the industry that increasing both volume and quality standards can and should go hand-in-hand. sh
Images: Stuart Frazer Photography
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David Greenstreet Project Manager Development: Preston Hall, Aylesford
BUILD YOUR CAREER WITH US #jointeamweston
Join Weston Homes Plc and be part of a team creating beautiful homes in London, Home Counties and beyond. We are looking to recruit additional talent to join our Engineering, Planning and Design, Technical, Commercial and Construction teams.
What we do Weston Homes Plc create bespoke, expertly crafted, high quality residential property developments across the Home Counties and the South East where people desire to live.
How we do it We keep everything in-house, from design to planning, manufacturing and construction. This not only allows us to ensure quality at every stage of the development process, it means accountability stays with us, keeping our standards high and instilling company-wide pride in our work and passion for our product.
Why we do it We care about quality, about creating places that endure, and places that people are proud to call home.
Be part of our future Weston Homes Plc are gearing up for further growth with aspirations to become a ÂŁ1 billion business. To achieve this, we are recruiting talented professionals across all disciplines including: Engineering, Planning and Design, Technical, Commercial and Construction. We are looking for people with a variety of different experience levels. Our diverse portfolio includes conversions, refurbishment and new build residential, creating great opportunities for employees to both widen and develop their careers. We believe our success is achieved by employing, developing and retaining the best talent within the industry. If a sustainable career with a progressive, employee focused property developer excites you, a wealth of opportunity awaits. Register your interest on our website:
weston-homes.com/future
hybrid houses | offsite construction
In association with
In his element He has swapped rugby boots and ice skates for a hard hat and hivis jacket. But Kyran Bracken has always had property in his blood, as RUPERT BATES discovers.
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He has won the Rugby World Cup, triumphed in Dancing on Ice, and trained as a solicitor. But don’t ask the director of Hybrid Houses to make you a coffee. Kyran Bracken might not cut it as a barista – think saggy coffee sachet and a sea of floating granules – but through a combination of talent and sheer hard work, he has made a success of most things; and with the rugby boots and the ice skates in the back of the cupboard, it is full speed ahead with his timber frame property business, working alongside his brother John Bracken. We meet at his home in Hadley Wood, north London; the rhythm of family life mixed with business around the kitchen table and a property he renovated and extended himself. His previous Hertfordshire home was for a time rented to Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino and the X Factor contestants – although not at the same time. On the way to the Bracken house you pass The Shire Golf Club, with its Seve Ballesteros-designed course and a roadside advertisement to watch Premiership champions Saracens – Bracken’s former club – play rugby. Sport is never far away for a man who played scrum-half for England
51 times and was part of the 2003 World Cup-winning squad. Four years later he won the ITV show Dancing on Ice. It showcased Bracken’s remarkable diversity of skills, not to mention wardrobes, but alongside the sport, even in his days as a professional rugby player, there was always property. “It is in the blood. My father, Joe Bracken, was originally a dentist with a practice in Liverpool, but understood the value of property investment, doing up houses and trading them and he is now in Jersey, where I lived for a while as a teenager,” said Bracken. “My dad instilled the virtues of property into us at a young age and there is an entrepreneurial spirit in all his children.” After training, Bracken would head to the building site where he might be developing flats, renovating a property, or project managing a scheme. Bracken was born in Dublin and the family has traded land and built houses in Ireland and it was there that his brother John first set up a timber frame business to serve the Irish market. When the property crash hit, Bracken suggested to John that they took their timber frame offering to the UK’s
hybrid houses | offsite construction
PHOTO CREDIT: Kevin McKay / Rex Features
In association with
housebuilders and Hybrid Houses currently works with the likes of Crest Nicholson and Beechcroft and is keen to engage with more SME developers and promote the merits and efficiencies of factory-controlled modular construction. “The Hybrid Houses vision is to use timber frame technology and bring it to the next level by factory fitting as many trades as possible into the panels.” Hybrid Houses (hybridhousesltd.com) has a factory in Northampton accredited by the Structural Timber Association (STA) as Gold standard. The company can build two houses a week and has put a lot into research and development to refine and innovate its timber frame and modular propositions, always looking to add value, be it for a one-off build or a larger residential scheme. “We have now developed Hybrid New Generation timber frame, where we factory fit everything, delivering an airtight solution ready for second fix,” says Bracken. Render board for external cladding; internal plaster boards; external doors and windows pre-fitted in the factory; insulated walls, floors and ceilings; electrics pre-wired; and roof panels pre-insulated and felt and battened
King & Co
ready for the tiles. “Onsite waste is dramatically cut and we believe build time can be reduced by up to 60%,” says Bracken. “This is about the production and assembly of house components – walls, trusses, floors, roofs – with internal and external finish, in our controlled factory environment, before being transported and assembled onsite.” Bracken also works as a strategic land consultant for Hertfordshirebased King & Co, a property development and investment company, finding and unlocking both residential and commercial sites, as
well as doing its own projects. Bracken is in demand as an afterdinner speaker, be it fun or motivational, drawing on his experience across sport and business and how leadership and teamwork are key to both. My son’s rugby team is urged by the coaches to shout ‘timber!’ when a maul is going nowhere and a ruck is required. Timber frame specialist, world-class athlete on grass and ice and with a lawyer’s eye for the small print in the building contract too – so many different elements, a hybrid indeed. If only Bracken knew what went into a decent cup of coffee. sh
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ilke homes | offsite construction
In association with
Of that ilke Promising ‘a solution to the housing crisis’ is a bold claim but, using offsite construction, it’s one that ilke Homes is determined to fulfil. GINETTA VEDRICKAS visits the modular housebuilder’s Yorkshire factory to find a company leading the way
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ilke homes | offsite construction
In association with
Standing in the bleak depths of rural Knaresborough with wind and rain lashing down, the benefits of building homes in a warm and cosy factory have never seemed so obvious. Here rain hasn’t stopped play and workers are doing what they do best, building homes at a rate of knots. Ilke Homes aims to be building 2,000 new homes a year at the factory within the next 24 months, with plans to scale up to produce 5,000 homes per year over the next five years. The state-of-the-art factory uses innovative, modern methods of construction to build eight modular homes each day and specialises in the latest offsite manufacturing techniques. The energy-efficient homes are then transported to developments across the country and, once onsite, can be installed at a rate of six homes a day, cutting the time of a traditional build programme in half. Opening the factory, ilke’s CEO, Björn Conway (below), explained that the site would be helping to deliver “muchneeded, energy-efficient housing” that will help developers, local councils and housing associations respond to the current housing shortage. Communities secretary James Brokenshire attended the opening of the 25,000m² modular homes factory, testing the innovative 3D modelling technologies used by ilke’s manufacturing team and seeing
modules at various stages of the production line. Brokenshire, who hopes that the new factory will play an important role in the delivery of highquality affordable homes in Yorkshire and across the UK, stressed his government’s commitment to modular housing: “I am determined to build a housing market that works for everyone. Innovation in housebuilding is a key part of scaling up delivery, which is why I am keen to support increased modular build. “We’ve already got an established pipeline of 1,000 homes for 2019, and are working in partnership with local authorities, housing associations and developers to ensure that there is a steady supply of affordable housing available across the UK for those who need it most,” said Brokenshire, who wants to see more modular housing factories, which he believes will “improve standards and increase output” to fulfil the government’s target of building 300,000 homes a year by the mid-2020s. “We need to scale up and build more, better and faster. And that is precisely what this facility is about.” Already 250 workers are employed at the site in roles such as manufacturing and supply chain, design and engineering, and the next five years will see 500 more jobs created. Everyone is aware of the skills shortage currently
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facing the construction industry but at ilke Homes it isn’t an issue: 85% of roles are from a non-construction background and this is one business that does not see itself suffering from a lack of skilled labour, says Nigel Banks, ilke’s product and marketing director. “We see ourselves as resilient. Most of our materials come from the UK, we are trying to keep the supply chain as local as possible,” says Banks, who adds that further automation at the factory will not result in employees being laid off. “We are looking to upskill people and we will always need people to do some of the work.”
A factory tour reveals galvanised steel frames from Scarborough and kitchens made in Rotherham. Steel rather than timber allows for “greater construction of precision-engineered homes,” explains Conway, pointing to houses that are being assembled on an efficient production line. The homes are loaded as single storey modules, complete with kitchens and bathrooms, onto low-loader lorries for nighttime delivery right across the country to their destination where they are then bolted together onsite. The factory cost of a two- or threebedroom, 80m² home is around
ilke homes | offsite construction
In association with
Bjorn Conway with James Brokenshire
£65,000 to £79,000, depending on spec, and, while traditionally it proved difficult to secure mortgages on these kinds of properties, today all homes are fully mortgageable and tenure blind so that they are adaptable to both private market and housing association requirements for all forms of sale and rent. “It used to be much more problematic,” explains Conway, “but we now know of homeowners who’ve had no problems at all getting mortgages.” Ilke homes says that its products are “fully customisable” and the housebuilder currently offers a range of 26 house types designed to serve the needs of modern living. Homes will have flexible layouts with over 100 possible variations, from two-storey terraced houses to three-storey semidetached properties, and blocks of apartments up to four storeys. This year will see the launch of its new apartment portfolio, offering partners a choice of two and half and threestorey apartments. So far, reaction to these modular homes has been positive and last year the housebuilder won a coveted Sunday Times readers’ award for Terrace of the Future for its Hundred House, created in collaboration with HTA Design and housing association
Everyone is aware of the skills shortage currently facing the construction industry but at ilke Homes it isn’t an issue: 85% of roles are from a non-construction background... “We are looking to upskill people and we will always need people to do some of the work” Sovereign. The house took its name from its sustainability credentials as it takes less than 100 onsite hours to build and costs less than £100 a year to heat. “The Hundred House represents what ilke Homes stands for – using modern technology to produce wellpriced, efficient houses for the 21st century. A great deal of work and passion goes into what we do and receiving this recognition motivates us even further to continue delivering high-quality, modular homes to those that need them most,” says Conway. Sovereign currently manages around 57,000 properties and last year it built over 1,600 new homes. The housing association intends piloting modular housing technology at its West Berkshire site in early 2019, explains Dale Meredith,
executive director of development and commercial: “Offsite building techniques can play an important role as housing associations expand their programmes, building more of the homes that we need, more quickly. We want to make sure that we provide quality, affordable and brilliantly designed homes that are fit for the future.” Ilke Homes launched its first two properties for sale at Keepmoat Homes’ Dominion development in Doncaster. One house was for open market sale, one affordable, and both properties were installed in just a day. Keepmoat’s CEO James Thomson says that customers will “not be able to notice a difference” between a traditionally built property and a factory-built home: “It’s exciting to see the properties by ilke Homes onsite
and amazing that it is possible to install and prepare a new home ready to be moved into in just two weeks.” Last year saw ilke also gain a place on the Efficiency East Midlands’ (EEM) modular homes dynamic purchasing system, making it part of EEM’s supply chain, delivering high-quality residential homes on behalf of clients for those in the region who most need them. The not-for-profit procurement consortium was set up eight years ago to generate efficiencies for its membership through collaboration, combined volumes, quality products and high-level construction services. The members have collectively built 1.4m properties in addition to constructing buildings for the NHS and a regional police force. Björn Conway sees his ongoing mission as “addressing the UK’s chronic shortfall in affordable housing” and creating consistently high-quality, energy-efficient modular homes at scale to the people that need them most: “The homes at Dominion are examples of affordable and private market properties that can be delivered for our partners like Keepmoat Homes. Using precision engineering and inspiring design, we look forward to working with our partners to create future homes for families across the UK.” sh
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The future of Housing @FuturebuildNow
Introducing Futurebuild 2019 Futurebuild is the evolution of ecobuild. It will bring together opinion-shapers, decision-makers and product innovators from across the built environment, under a common purpose to explore the latest technologies and approaches, and debate the biggest issues facing the industry – now and in the future – both in the UK and overseas. Futurebuild is home to six focused Hubs dedicated to knowledge sharing across key elements of the built environment and an industryleading content programme driving meaningful debate on the biggest industry issues.
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Strategic Partners
Tackling the under-supply of housing in the UK is one of the issues that will be high on the agenda at Futurebuild - not only will the conference programme include sessions dedicated to the future of housing, but the Offsite Hub, in partnership with Explore Offsite, will also demonstrate the technologies and solutions available for the delivery of new homes through examples of full-scale builds..
Be part of the future
+44 (0)20 3011 2540 info@futurebuild.co.uk www.futurebuild.co.uk
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FuturebuildNow
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news | offsite construction
Core values The government is backing offsite manufacturing, virtual reality and digital design to the tune of £72m through its Core Innovation Hub. The Hub aims to make the UK a world leader in the latest construction techniques and create jobs across the UK. “It is a key deliverable of the government’s Industrial Strategy and Construction Sector Deal and will support essential research and development in digital and offsite manufacturing technologies,” said business and industry minister Richard Harrington. “The increased use of technology will enable the sector to design and build faster, cheaper and more sustainably. Smart sensors and digital systems will be incorporated into buildings and infrastructure, so they can manage and maintain themselves and the data they gather will enable the government and industry to make our towns and cities better places to live, work and travel in,” added Harrington. “From the introduction of virtual reality to offsite manufacturing, our modern Industrial Strategy is helping the UK construction sector to develop new techniques and skills, modernising the sector and delivering the homes and buildings our nation needs.”
Tallest towers Tide Construction has reached a new milestone in delivering the world’s tallest modular towers in Croydon, by completing their core structures. The developer’s offsite company, Vision Modular, will install the fully fitted modules around the concrete cores, using one of the most modern and robust offsite construction systems. The two towers at 101 George Street will be the tallest structures to be built offsite using modular construction methods, and will reach heights of 44 and 38 storeys. The development, which has been forward-funded by Greystar and Henderson Park, will be operated by Greystar and will offer 546 high-quality homes for rent within the build to rent market, providing residents with shared amenities, a professional management team and a 24/7 onsite service. The short construction process, of just over two years, is made possible through Tide Construction’s efficient delivery, with the modules being manufactured in the Vision Modular Systems’ Bedford factory, and then transported onsite. Following the rapid completion of the concrete cores by Tide Construction, Vision Modular will install the precision-manufactured modules and securely position them into place. Designed by HTA Design, the building will also benefit residents and the local community, who will enjoy amenities ranging from winter gardens, an art gallery, an incubator hub for local businesses and an onsite cafe. Each tower will also contain gyms, club rooms and garden terraces.
Local authority pilots modular Homes England is encouraging partners to develop and use modern methods of construction through a range of initiatives and the provision of development finance. One local authority, Nuneaton and Bedworth Council (NBBC), has just completed its first modular build having secured £120,000 worth of funding from Homes England. The pilot development consists of four modular semi-detached two bedroom properties, built on former garage sites, and has been used to test the feasibility of using modular housing to increase the pace of housing delivery. Mat Byrne, head of development for NBBC, said: “We identified modular development as an efficient and cost-effective solution to respond to the growing demand for housing. We started from scratch and worked with a local firm to develop a working model for our homes. It’s been a long process and we’ve learnt a lot along the way but as a result of the pilot, we’ve found that we are able to reduce the build time by approximately 10-12 weeks when compared with traditional build.” “This model has enabled us to deliver homes in a reduced timeframe, without compromising
Christy Hayes, CEO of Tide Construction, said: “We are very pleased with the progress we are making in building the world’s tallest modular towers. We are delivering the development according the set timescales, offering muchneeded project certainty to our clients. “Completing the concrete cores means that we are ready for the next stage of the project, by bringing the first module onsite in Croydon. The modules are built in our factory in Bedford, undergoing strict quality controls, and will create high-quality homes to rent for Londoners. “Building with our Vision Modular System has also led to a higher quality finish, with 80% less waste and construction traffic, fewer onsite workers and greater certainty on costs and time. It is clear that modular is the future as this a method of construction that can quickly install units of high-quality architectural design, in a safe and controlled environment.” Tide Construction currently has 1,500 residential units under construction across the Greater London area. Tide Construction and Vision Modular Systems are also working in partnership with Greystar on the first phase of the Greenford build to rent scheme in Ealing, delivering 400 homes within an 18-month programme. They have recently completed a 100-unit apartment building for Pocket Living in Wandsworth – Mapleton Crescent – that again was developed on a constrained urban site, and are currently delivering a 120-unit modular, residential scheme for Pocket in Ealing. Simon Bayliss, partner at HTA, said: “The Vision
on quality, with the added benefit of minimising disruption to residents living nearby as the time onsite is significantly reduced.” NBBC is also in the process of establishing a procurement framework to provide suppliers with more assurances and greater volumes and can achieve economies of scale. Caroline Cormack, head of home ownership & supply in the Midlands for Homes England, said: “At Homes England we are committed to promoting modern methods of construction across the industry, so it’s great to see organisations such as Nuneaton & Bedworth Council who are willing to not only conduct their own pilot but also to work with partners to secure a supply chain.” Dawn Dawson, director for Housing, Communities and Economic Development at NBBC, said: “There is still some work to be done around modular construction to dispel myths that it is comparable to the 1960 prefab homes. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Modular construction has provided us with high-quality, energy-efficient, well-designed housing that will provide much-needed homes.”
Modular Systems product allows for a highquality design that is not limited by the way the modules are created.101 George Street will be testimony to flexibility in modular construction design and architectural creativity.” Mark Allnutt, senior managing director of Greystar UK, added: “Modular will play a central role in the future of construction and this development has been a fantastic opportunity for Greystar to become an early adopter. For Greystar it ticks a lot of boxes, delivering a high-quality product, at speed, in a safe and controlled environment.”
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site security | feature
THE GUARDIAN ANGLE How can housebuilders protect their sites and save on business rates? Residential guardians just might be the answer, says GINETTA VEDRICKAS
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Development sites can be fraught with problems, and few things are worse than spending the budget on evicting squatters and cleaning up vandalism. Expensive 24-hour security is typically the solution but, increasingly, housebuilders are discovering that using live-in guardians can offer a cost-effective alternative. Take Telford Homes, which has submitted planning for the development of its Cambridge Heath Road site in Bethnal Green and expects the application to go before the committee this year. The building originally belonged to the London Electricity Board before privatisation in the 1990s. Tower Hamlets Council then occupied the building but it then lay empty apart from being used as a film location for police dramas until Telford Homes bought it as an unconditional sale during a tender process. Six months ago, the housebuilder employed Live-in Guardians to take over the site while seeking approval for planning, saving, explains Telford Homes’ contract manager David Diggons, “thousands of pounds in security costs”: “We were worried about the site being vulnerable, especially as we’d had a call from the police informing us that travellers had been evicted from a nearby site and were looking for somewhere. That’s the last thing we wanted to happen, so we decided to get Live-in Guardians in.” Numerous companies are setting themselves up as guardianship companies but finding an effective and reputable firm is vital, says Diggons: “We chose Live-in Guardians because of the attractive set up time to turn it into temporary living space and the flexibility of terms. The fact that we know that we can get it back quickly when we need to start work was a big deciding factor in who we used.” Telford Homes’ own site survey revealed that some of the buildings were more vulnerable to squatting and vandalism than others. The
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site security | feature former LEB building has a railway line at the rear which turned out to be a positive: “At least people, and vehicles, can’t access the site that way, although the building’s layout proved to be a complex challenge for us to transform into housing,” explains Danny Schindler, Live-in Guardians’ chief operating officer. “This is quite a tricky building, which is why we have a 24-hour security concierge on the front desk. This is unusual as our guardians normally perform that role. If a building has just one entrance it’s a lot easier, but this has several, making it a challenge.” Hiring security is costly but employing a guardianship company has no cost to housebuilders who also save on business rates as having tenants in a building changes your tax liability. Guardianship companies convert buildings into residential at their own cost so calculating cost of refurbishment, versus how long they can retain the building, can be challenging. Schindler explains that the Telford Homes’ site involved a complex conversion thanks to its several floors of open-plan spaces but his company will carry out major works if the building will be in their care for a period that makes it profitable. “We are a business after all,” says Schindler, who admits
that the former LEB building is their most significant spend so far at a cost of around £60,000. And don’t assume that guardians’ properties are just one step above squatted properties. A site tour reveals well-ordered accommodation with simple but adequate kitchens and bathroom facilities. Bedrooms are sizeable and can be rented to individuals and couples. “The rooms are too big really, as most guardians prefer smaller rooms which are cheaper,” Schindler explains. Guardians typically pay between £300 and £1,000 a month, many are young professionals relocating to London. “People are often surprised by the calibre; there are all sorts of professions from accountants to doctors, graphic designers and artistic directors. We meet amazing people through doing this and each of them has a story to tell,” says Schindler, who organises an annual Christmas party for all guardians. Housebuilders need not fear that their sites will be misused and there are wider benefits to the local community. A strong sense of community typically arises among sharers and in the neighbourhood. “This brings in a boost to areas as guardians use local shops and businesses” says Schindler, useful
THIS PIC Arthur Duke RIGHT Darren Tubb
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for any housebuilder contemplating commercial spaces. Head guardians are appointed at larger schemes to establish cleaning rotas and report outstanding issues. Most guardians have been with the company for at least six years, they must be in full-time employment, aged over 21 and not receiving benefits. It’s a ‘win-win’ for developers hoping to save on security but it’s also an insurance against lengthy court proceedings to evict squatters, which could interfere in the planning and construction process. “And it’s a positive way of housing those who would struggle with London rents,” says Schindler, whose current waiting list is over 2,000. Housebuilders are typical clients as are councils, local authorities, NHS trusts and even individuals. A former site, Tintagel House in Lambeth, was owned by the Duchy of Cornwall; acquired in 2011, Live-in Guardians handed the building back in 2015 – taking two weeks and having saved the owner £2,313,500 in business rates and £919,800 on security. “One of our strengths is being able to move guardians in quicker than anyone else, says Live-in Guardians’ founder Arthur Duke, a former commercial lawyer.
site security | feature
“First and foremost, the guardians are there for security. If we have a vacant building, it’s important it is secured to ensure squatters don’t get in, but guardians have also helped us make substantial savings on business rates”
Duke undertook a Freedom of Information request across 22 London authorities to assess the capital’s empty buildings, resulting in what he describes as a “conservative estimate” of 10,666 empty buildings in zones 1-3. “It’s like The Titanic not filling all its lifeboats, thousands of buildings that can create affordable means of living are lying empty,” says Duke, who wants the government to look into its empty building portfolios when it comes to improving housing availability. The figures reveal the worst offenders: the City of London, with 3,409 empty buildings; Hammersmith & Fulham with 1,288 empty buildings; and Ealing with 1,147 vacant commercial properties. Notably, Kensington & Chelsea and Newham councils did not respond. Duke struggles to find the figures acceptable. “Especially when there is an increased amount of red tape forecast and fines of up to £20,000, which will mean higher costs to get these buildings in a condition where they are suitable for guardian occupation. These buildings could be housing Londoners who are struggling to afford quality accommodation in the central London zones.” Trevor Racke, acquisitions and asset manager for Galliard, has used Live-in
Guardians at five developments: “First and foremost, the guardians are there for security. If we have a vacant building, it’s important to ensure it is secured to ensure squatters don’t get in, but guardians have also helped us make substantial savings on business rates.” Some companies are expanding their security offering. Ad Hoc Property Management describe itself as “Europe’s leading provider” of property guardians but the company recently launched its new division Ad Hoc Security UK Limited, to strengthen its security service for owners of empty buildings. Focusing solely on security and technology, affordable security guards and Cyclops-powered Smart Camera Tower System and Smart Alarm System are at the forefront of its property protection solutions. Operating out of its Birmingham office, Darren Tubb heads the division, and he finds that housebuilders often prefer to use the guardian scheme for new builds, as this provides an onsite, visible presence during the later stages of the build process. “One particular project in Telford comes to mind, where many of the completed properties were being broken into prior to sale or let with boiler fittings that had been stolen or damaged, as well as
general fixtures and fittings having been tampered with.” Sometimes a combination of guardians or traditional security measures can work at different build stages. At the Telford site, Tubb recalls that prohibitive costs had prevented the housebuilder using 24-hour security guards and regular security patrols had proved ineffective. “Ad Hoc Guardians were utilised in two properties at either end of the small development to begin with, and this quickly eliminated the thefts.” But Tubb says that some developers, particularly in the earlier build stages, opt for CCTV or SmartAlarm systems: “Once the building stages had progressed, we placed guardians into some of the completed properties and were subsequently able to scale down our alarms and cameras on the site. Whatever the owners preferred choice of security happens to be, Ad Hoc reviews measures with owners during every project and tailors solutions accordingly throughout the process. That often means a combination of measures, either at different stages of the development and/or different parts of the site. A feature of our service that developers find invaluable is our ability to provide full management support with any project we are involved with.” sh
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finance | comment
by David Smith
SHOWHOUSE
IN THE CITY Y
ou may or may not have already had enough of predictions for the housing market but it would be remiss of me not to provide an outlook at this time of year. The challenge, which is a considerable one, is to find something cheerful to say. PG Wodehouse, who gave us Jeeves and Wooster, once wrote that: “It is never difficult to distinguish between a Scotsman with a grievance and a ray of sunshine.” Substitute housing forecaster for Scotsman and you see the scale of the challenge. I may be being unfair. The Halifax, while warning that the outlook is crucially dependent on the Brexit outcome, thinks house prices will rise by between 2% and 4% this year, which is marginally better than 2018, when prices ended the year just 0.3% up on its measure. The sting in the tail in its housing forecast is that the main thing keeping prices rising at a slightly faster pace this year is what it describes as “a shortage of homes for sale and low levels of housebuilding”. The Nationwide recorded that house prices fell by 0.7% in December and rose by just 0.5% over the course of 2018, the weakest since early 2013. If you think that is downbeat, then how about RICS, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors? Its monthly residential market surveys are a must-read, at least for me, and provide a backdrop to its assessment of the outlook for 2019. The volume of housing sales will fall by around 5% this year, it thinks, while nationally prices will be broadly stable, though prevented from falling by lack of supply. RICS, it should be remembered, is concerned with turnover in existing homes rather more than new-build – I have commented here before on the different experience in the two markets – but as it puts it: “In the past two years sales activity has declined and annual completed transactions remain significantly below the 1.7m high in 2006. Given the obstacles in the current market it is anticipated that activity will weaken further.” Elaborating on this, Tarrant Parsons, a RICS economist, said: “Demand has tailed off over recent months, with Brexit uncertainty causing greater hesitancy as the withdrawal deadline draws closer. That said, the current political environment
is far from the only obstacle hindering activity, with a shortage of stock continuing to present buyers with limited choice, while stretched affordability is pricing many people out. “For the year ahead, this mixture of headwinds is unlikely to dissipate, meaning sales volumes may edge a little lower. On the back of this, house price growth at a UK level seems set to lose further momentum.” Samuel Tombs of Pantheon Macroeconomics, who topped the Sunday Times annual league table of economic forecasters for 2018, expects house prices to rise by 2% this year, on the government’s measure, alongside a modest rise in official interest rates from 0.75% to 1.25%. So where’s the optimism? All these forecasts, it should be said, assume that Britain will have an orderly Brexit on March 29, rather than the no-deal exit the government is now belatedly preparing for. That may be wishful thinking or a realistic assessment of the unwillingness of politicians to inflict too much damage on the economy. Under a no-deal Brexit, a significant fall in house prices, perhaps of around 10%, could be expected. Some would welcome that. Most would not. The fact that forecasters see steady rather than falling prices is a positive. There are also some other positives from RICS. “Sentiment could be lifted if a deal were to be reached on the withdrawal agreement before too long,” said Parsons. “Furthermore, mortgage rates are set to remain favourable, with any changes in monetary policy expected to be minimal over the next 12 months.” There is another positive for housebuilders. Despite the distractions of Brexit, the government is determined to get on with the task of delivering more new homes. Kit Malthouse, the latest in a long line of housing ministers, said: “2018 was quite a year and 2019 looks like being the same. Among all the Brexit drama, in my ministerial role I’m very focused on what is, in my view, our most urgent national mission – to build the homes people need and deserve. “ Malthouse said the “year of delivery” for the industry should mean 222,000 new homes, as a
milestone along the road to the government’s target, which still looks hugely ambitious, of delivering 300,000 new homes a year. Progress is indeed needed. A new report from the Centre for Policy Studies (CPS), the right-ofcentre think tank founded by the former Tory cabinet minister Sir Keith Joseph and Margaret Thatcher, highlights the challenge. As it pointed out: “With one year to go, the 2010s will see housebuilding figures come in below any decade since the Second World War – part of a 50-year pattern in which each decade has seen fewer new homes built than the last. Despite the government’s recent efforts to boost construction, new-build housing completions between 2010 and 2019 are set to be approximately 130,000 per year – well below the 147,000 of the 2000s or 150,000 of the 1990s, and half of the level in the 1960s and 1970s.” Adjusted for population size, the picture is even worse, the CPS noted. In the 1960s, the newbuild construction rate over the decade was the equivalent of one new home for every 18 people. In the current decade it is close to one for every 50. It concedes that the picture improves a little when conversions are added to new-builds but even then, this decade will be worse than the one that preceded it. The message is clear. There is continuing and considerable pressure for more new homes. Though delivering them is no easy task, that is a bright spot amid the winter gloom. sh David Smith is the economics editor of The Sunday Times
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finance | news edited by Suzanne Frost (scf@globespanmedia.com)
Wheatley Group secures £76.5m investment Wheatley Group has secured £76.5m of investment to build hundreds of new affordable homes. The 25-year debt funding deal was provided by Scottish Widows, through its partnership with the Bank of Scotland’s Real Estate and Housing team, and is the first of its type in Scotland. It will enable Wheatley’s commercial subsidiary, Lowther Homes, to buy 560 mid-market rent properties currently owned by three of the group’s RSL divisions. This in turn will allow the housing associations – GHA, Cube and Dunedin Canmore – to use the proceeds to build 700 new homes as part of Wheatley’s wider ambition to complete 7,500 affordable houses and flats through to 2025. Wheatley chair Alastair MacNish said: “This is a significant milestone in our ongoing efforts to boost the supply of affordable homes across the country in support of the Scottish government’s More Homes Scotland agenda. It is a massive vote of confidence by Scottish Widows and the Bank of Scotland in both Wheatley and the affordable housing sector, and one that will lead to hundreds of new, affordable, highquality, energy-efficient homes.” Jason Morris, director of loan investments at Scottish Widows, said: “Structuring this long-term loan provides
Wheatley Group with the certainty of fixed-rate funding for the next 25 years. We are delighted to support the provision of much-needed affordable homes building on our previous commitments to the housing sector.” Alan Brennan, relationship director at Bank of Scotland Real Estate and Housing, added: “We worked closely with the management teams at Wheatley and Lowther Homes to structure a bespoke deal that provides them with both long-term funding stability and significant capacity to increase their development programmes. We’re proud to continue playing a major role in the delivery of new affordable housing in Scotland and to have cemented our relationship with one of the country’s most significant housing groups for the next two decades and beyond.” This latest investment follows £185m of funding from the European Investment Bank earlier this year and brings the total raised by Wheatley since 2013 to nearly £930m. MacNish said the group is on track to fulfil its objective of raising £1bn of private and public investment. Wheatley is the largest developer of social-rented homes in the UK, having completed 2,130 since April 2015. It is building or working on plans for almost 3,000 more affordable homes on 58 sites across Scotland.
Inland Homes acquires east London site with planning consent for 325 homes Inland Homes has exchanged contracts to acquire a major development site in Dagenham, east London, which has an anticipated gross development value of circa £95m. The four-acre brownfield site, which was previously part of the former Ford manufacturing plant, lies within the London Riverside Opportunity Area, a 3,000ha major regeneration zone designated in the London Plan to deliver up to 26,500 homes and create 16,000 jobs across the boroughs of Barking and Dagenham. The site has existing planning consent for 325 homes and 1,600m² of commercial space. Inland Homes is in negotiations to deliver the homes in a joint venture with a top five housing association, with 116 homes intended as affordable housing and the remaining 209 units sold on the open market. Completion of the purchase of the site is expected in March 2019, with construction of the first units due to commence in the summer. Stephen Wicks, CEO of Inland Homes, commented: “This is a significant acquisition for Inland Homes of a prime development opportunity in east London. Dagenham has some of the most affordable house prices out of all the London boroughs and this site will increase the provision of good quality, competitively priced homes, in an area benefiting from fast connectivity into central London. “The opportunity fits in well with our strategy of providing lower cost homes in areas of high demand. At the same time, the proposed joint venture with a major housing association will provide Inland Partnerships with a significant new build contract opportunity, adding to our existing forward order book of nearly £100m.”
LendInvest lends record £83m to property investors in December LendInvest lent £83m to professional property investors, developers and landlords in December 2018, marking the business’ best month on record. The company’s record-breaking loan origination for December was bolstered by a number of key product changes for its Buy-to-Let and Bridging products in the last quarter of the year, and a string of hires across all teams on the lending side of the business, with 13 new hires in the Buy-to-Let team alone in 2018. LendInvest secured further significant capital investment throughout the year to meet the increasing demand for property loans, including launching a second Retail Bond on the London Stock
Exchange; followed by the close of a £150m funding deal with Nomura, Asia’s global investment bank, and Magnetar, the multi-strategy alternative investment manager. Ian Thomas, co-founder and chief investment officer at LendInvest said: “In what was a short month in terms of business days, we have achieved a fantastic new record of loan originations for the business. This year the team have truly gone above and beyond in ensuring we are delivering the finance our borrowers need, at speed – our focus now is keeping this momentum going into 2019.” LendInvest has now lent a total of over £1.7bn to property investors and developers. These professionals buy, build and renovate thousands of
new or improved properties all over the UK, helping to replenish the
underserved housing market with essential stock for sale and rent.
Ian Thomas, left, with co-founder Christian Faes
showhouse January 2019 |93
finance | news
Government announces £38m fund to tackle homelessness Thousands of extra homes will be made available for vulnerable Londoners at risk of becoming homeless, communities secretary James Brokenshire has announced. Through an innovative new scheme – the first of its kind – London boroughs will join forces to provide safe accommodation for families on the edge of homelessness, backed by almost £38m of funding from the government’s £1.2bn overall investment in tackling homelessness. The government said the additional homes made available through the Capital Letters scheme will “help provide a long-term, stable solution for vulnerable families struggling to find secure accommodation, providing a safety net for those who may otherwise feel they have nowhere else to go”. The £38m will cover three years until 2022. Currently, all London boroughs are responsible for providing accommodation for those at risk of homelessness both inside and outside their area. However, this can often lead to areas competing for the best accommodation – driving up prices and slowing down the provision of quality housing for the most vulnerable. The joined-up approach will boost the available accommodation and will also give those at risk of homelessness the chance to stay closer to
where they currently live, meaning that disruption to their employment or education can be reduced. James Brokenshire MP said: “Everyone deserves a safe and secure home. I’ve seen for myself how hard each of the London boroughs works to provide those that are homeless with the support they need and a roof over their heads. “This radical new way of working and unprecedented collaboration between the boroughs and government will make a real difference – providing more accommodation for the vulnerable and helping them to get back on their feet and away from homelessness for good.” To date, 11 London boroughs have signed up to the scheme, with more expected to come on board in the future. Over the next three years, the scheme is expected to help over 35,000 households within Greater London out of homelessness.
London Councils, which represents London’s 32 boroughs and the City of London, is now working to establish the not-for-profit company that will deliver the Capital Letters programme. It will be tasked with providing this vital service on behalf of the boroughs and will undertake the management of the homes which are provided. Capital Letters is being supported by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government as part of the government’s commitment to addressing homelessness and encouraging collaborative solutions to tackle the issue.
Grainger agrees to forward fund and acquire Birmingham PRS scheme for c.£77m The new scheme will be directly opposite Birmingham Curzon Street HS2 station
94 | January 2019 showhouse
Grainger plc, the UK’s largest listed residential landlord and leader in the UK private rented sector (PRS), has agreed to forward fund and acquire a 373-home PRS development at Exchange Square in Birmingham for circa £77m. The developer is Nikal Limited. The transaction is subject to a number of conditions that the developer must meet, including securing planning consent. When these conditions are satisfied, the transaction will become unconditional, anticipated in mid 2019, after which the scheme will be fully secured, and construction will commence. The scheme will form part of a new urban village at Exchange Square. The building will be directly opposite Birmingham Curzon Street HS2 station, which will link residents to London in 49 minutes. Grainger expects this investment to generate a gross yield on cost in excess of 6.5% once stabilised, with completion anticipated in 2022. The scheme builds on Grainger’s existing portfolio of PRS investments in Birmingham which will provide scale and operational efficiencies once practical completion has been achieved. Helen Gordon, chief executive of Grainger, said: “We are delighted to announce the
acquisition at Exchange Square in Birmingham for c.£77m, which will deliver 373 homes for rent in a great central location in one of our top target cities. Birmingham has exciting growth plans and we are pleased to be part of it. Once Exchange Square is complete, Grainger will have 529 purpose-built PRS homes in Birmingham worth c.£105m, including our other PRS development scheme, Gilders Yard in the Jewellery Quarter.” Waheed Nazir, corporate director, Birmingham City Council said: “The skyline in Birmingham city centre is changing rapidly and investment and confidence is at an all-time high. The desire for people to live in the city forms part of our exciting future. This investment by Grainger is testimony to the global positioning of Birmingham. The residential development at Exchange Square reinforces the direct benefits of HS2 and the Curzon masterplan.” Nick Payne, managing director, Nikal Limited, added: “We are delighted to be working with Grainger on the final phase of Exchange Square. The announcement is made after months of careful design to create an exemplary PRS development. We hope work will begin in mid 2019.”
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A message from Show House Jobs ambassador Lawrence Dallaglio, founder of www.dallagliorugbyworks.com For housebuilding jobs go to showhouse.co.uk/jobs
marketing and media by Ginetta Vedrickas
Sales space becomes arts area Sales suites are often just temporary structures designed to create a visual story of a development, but at London Square Bermondsey the sales space will become a permanent base for independent Bermondsey-based charity Tannery Arts. The 16,500ft² building has vaulted ceilings, glazing and is flooded with light, making it the perfect venue for its future use as a home for the Drawing Room gallery and artists’ studios. Based in Bermondsey since 1993, Tannery Arts, will lease the space for a discounted rent as part of the scheme’s Section 106 obligations. Final layouts have been agreed with most costs borne by London Square. The charity nurtures new artists and makes contemporary art accessible to the public through exhibitions and educational projects. Designed by Coffey Architects, the first phase of the £220m regeneration, The Tannery, has now launched. Comprising a striking new building plus the restoration and conversion of the original 1920s Tannery building, the site was once home to a Crosse & Blackwell factory and is a striking example of industrial architecture. London Square Bermondsey is the showcase scheme in a major regeneration plan for the area, set to bring thousands of new homes, schools, jobs, parks, public areas and two new tube stations for the Bakerloo Line extension. London Square’s sales
and marketing director Rebecca Littler says that Tannery Arts’ long-standing presence in Bermondsey makes SE1 an interesting place creatively and culturally and is one motivation for the housebuilder’s commitment to “nurture the local arts community” and retain the neighbourhood’s
authenticity: “The sales suite is a stunning space for us to showcase London Square Bermondsey and it is fitting that it will become a permanent home for Tannery Arts. This reflects our commitment to bringing new life to former derelict sites in places where people want to live.”
Encore! named property management company of the year The team at Encore Estate Management is celebrating one of the company’s most prestigious awards to date, Regional Property Management Company of the Year in the annual Property Management Awards, sponsored by News on the Block. The company was also highly commended in both the New Build Property Management Company of the Year category and in the Customer Service award as well as being a finalist in the Best Managing Agent of an RMC/RTM Block and Employer of the Year categories – the only managing agent to have successfully reached the finals in all five company categories. Nine hundred property management professionals attended the awards at a glittering New York Christmas-themed party in London’s Finsbury Square, making it the most popular event since the awards started in 2011. Attendees enjoyed a gala dinner and Broadwaystyle entertainment with trophies for the 16 awards handed out by radio and
TV personality Roger Tilling, best known for University Challenge, as well as being the reassuring voice of Range Rover and Jaguar sat-navs. Receiving the award, Encore’s founders Neil Robinson and Stephen Chard were delighted to have achieved further industry recognition for their “distinctive style of customer-focused property management”. “We set up Encore almost 15 years ago when, as leaseholders, we had experienced poor customer service from the industry. We believed then that there was a better way of doing things, and to have achieved recognition in five categories of these major industry awards shows that we are getting it right. We now have 250 members of staff on board, all committed to our aim of managing every property as if we lived there ourselves, and we hope that every one of them is feeling as proud as we are at this achievement,” said Stephen Chard.
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marketing and media
One takes two at Manchester’s Young Talent Awards Two marketeers from leading integrated marketing agency One have been recognised at the Manchester Young Talent Awards. Alex Hamilton, head of PR and social, was named Digital, Media or Creative Professional of the Year, with PR account director Katie Beckham crowned winner of the Sales, Marketing, Business Development and PR Professional of the Year category. Run by networking group JCI, the awards reward outstanding Manchesterbased professionals between the ages of 18 and 40 and the ceremony took place at Manchester’s Science and Industry Museum. One’s managing director, Wayne Silver, said: “The work the whole team here at One do is truly outstanding. Alex and
Katie have had a huge impact on PR and social during their time at the agency, in terms of business, client and team development. While we’ve always known just how talented they are, it’s fantastic to see them receive recognition for their hard work and achievements.” Based in Greater Manchester, integrated communications agency One was established in 1973. With a mission to “find the right mix of message to make meaningful connections between brands, businesses and customers”, the agency takes a unique approach to marketing communications with its ‘Brand Magic’ identity. One’s current client roster includes brands such as Taylor Wimpey, the Hoover Candy Group, Bertazzoni, Gorenje and Moduleo.
AD OF THE MONTH ThinkBDW’s ‘Boxing Gloves’ campaign The brief? The brief was part of a long-running campaign to alert housebuilders, housing associations and others in the property industry to the services of creative property marketing agency ThinkBDW. Employing over 200 people across four UK offices and with over 30 years of experience, the agency works for a wide variety of clients including housing associations, niche private developers and volume housebuilders and it offers a full range of marketing services in-house: from branding, signage, advertising, digital marketing, brochures and media planning to innovative sales environments and the latest touch technology installations.
Who was behind it? ThinkBDW’s director Mark Leigh and creative director Dale Hooper worked closely to devise the ad’s strapline and image. The strongly visual ad reads: ‘Property marketing is not a game. In a tough market you need to punch above your weight.’ “We’ve had space in Show House magazine as part of a campaign to show what we can do,” Leigh explains. “It is a tough market out there and we want to show housebuilders how they can win.” Hooper explains how he chose the striking image: “I was looking for a boxing library image that didn’t look like a cliché library image, something that was a bit unusual. To make the shot even more striking I converted it to black and white and then tinted the
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gloves to match the ThinkBDW purple. That way, we take ownership of the shot.”
Who’s seen it? The ad has been running as part of a wider campaign in Show House, which perfectly suits the target market Leigh explains: “This publication is the one which best allows us to get straight to the readers we want to target, housebuilders and housing associations.”
What do they say? The ad is based on a long-standing campaign linked to sporting events says Leigh: “We work quite far ahead so we can see what’s coming up.” ThinkBDW has based its ads around events such as boxing, F1, gymnastics, cricket and football. “The ad is graphically very strong, but it contains little text apart from our contact details. It’s hard-hitting and grabs the attention immediately. We believe that this is
all an ad needs to do, it needs to make you stop and if it does, then it’s done its job,” adds Leigh.
How successful has it been? Leigh finds that this type of advertising doesn’t always mean immediate results but there are long-term benefits. “We don’t necessarily think that anyone will pick up the phone on the strength of seeing one ad, but we hope that it resonates and on seeing the second or third ad then they might, and a recent client told me that he had done exactly that. We’ve picked up quite a bit of interest on the strength of the ad so for us it works.”
Ginetta Vedrickas can be contacted at Ginetta.V@ntlworld.com
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property technology | comment
MATERIAL Smart building materials are altering the fabric of the housebuilding industry. ISLA MACFARLANE reports
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mart building materials are rewriting the DNA of new homes. Housebuilders are already looking ahead to the days when homes will fix themselves, serve their residents and tell us how we can build them better. “At Go Homes we’ve got our eyes on the implications of wireless electrics on the housebuilding process and overall living experience,” says Oliver Hookway, CEO at GO Homes. “It’s a real possibility that it won’t be long until we can use conductive paint and a sensor board to control our homes. Tapping on a wall will replace shouting at Alexa and wall mounting a TV will be a cinch. “Consequently, with no running of wires, the first fix will be sped up considerably. The benefits are endless. With technology developing all the time we’re also daring to dream about pipeless water!” While housebuilders gaze into the future, researchers have been turning to the past for inspiration. Over the last few years, the DNA of concrete has been decoded and rewritten by scientists to make the material that built the Roman Empire fit for the future. Hendrik Jonkers of Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands first developed self-healing concrete, then Basilisk Concrete commercialised it. Since then, it has been pouring closer and closer to the mainstream. The magic solution uses a bacteria that produces limescale when it comes into contact with oxygen or water, filling the crack and essentially healing the wound. However, the real excitement will begin when concrete can continually monitor, regulate, adapt and repair itself without any help. Smart materials promising to make this a reality include nanomaterials, multifunctional materials and biomimetic materials, which will essentially transform
concrete into a living skin for the built environment. At Rice University in Texas, researchers are working on programmable concrete, modified to be greener, more durable and flexible. “We call it programmable cement,” says Rouzbeh Shahsavari, an assistant professor of materials science and nanoengineering at Rice University. “It’s the first step in controlling the kinetics of cement to get desired shapes. It’s a hot area, and researchers are taking advantage of it. But when it comes to cement and concrete, it is extremely difficult to control their bottom-up assembly. Our work provides the first recipe for such advanced synthesis.” Another ancient building material that is coming back in vogue is straw. Researchers at the University of Bath have proved straw to be a durable, affordable and environmentally friendly building material. The scientific research has paved the way for homebuyers to get insurance and mortgages for straw homes, meaning these eco houses are likely to be the cream of the crop in future. Straw walls provide two times more insulation than required by current UK building regulations, and can reduce fuel bills by up to 90%. Walls are built using ModCell technology: prefabricated panels consisting of a wooden structural frame infilled with straw bales or hemp and rendered with either a breathable limebased system or ventilated timber or brick cladding. This technology combines the lowest carbon footprint and the best operational CO² performance of any system of construction currently available. In fact, as an agricultural co-product, straw buildings can be carbon negative, as straw absorbs CO² when it grows. Professor Pete Walker, head of the Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering at Bath University, says: “As a construction material, straw is a low-cost and widely available food co-product that offers real potential for ultra-low carbon housing throughout the UK. Building with straw could be a critical point in our trajectory towards a lowcarbon future.” Glass is also being re-engineered to be much tougher than it looks. HUF HAUS recently launched the HUF Connector, which allows glass to be woven into the structure of a building.
PICTURE CREDIT: HUF HAUS
world
“The result of over five years of research, this unprecedented innovation is set to revolutionise the way glass is used; it is now possible to connect glass to timber, without the need for a buffer, so that the glass forms an integral component of a structure – and functions beyond the aesthetic,” says Peter Huf, lead architect for HUF HAUS in the UK. “For the first time ever, we’re able to use to use glass in the same structural way as our traditional walls, affording an unprecedented design freedom. Because of this technology, all internal and external walls can be made of glass.” In a reversal of traditional roles, it could soon be common for windows and solar panels to be made from wood. Researchers at Stockholm’s KTH Royal Institute of Technology developed a new transparent wood material that’s suitable for mass production. Lars Berglund, a professor at Wallenberg Wood Science Center at Stockholm’s KTH Royal Institute of Technology, says: “Transparent wood is a good material for solar cells, since it’s a low-cost, readily available and renewable resource. This becomes particularly important in covering large surfaces with solar cells.” The optically transparent wood is a type of wood veneer in which a component of the cell walls, the lignin, is removed chemically. “When the lignin is removed, the wood becomes beautifully white. But because wood is not naturally transparent, we achieve that effect with some nanoscale tailoring,” says Berglund. Among the work to be done next is enhancing the transparency of the material and scaling up the manufacturing process. “We also intend to work further with different types of wood,” adds Bergland. This research from around the world confirms that our primal need to gather materials for shelter is largely unchanged. However, thanks to enormous leaps in technology, we will soon be living in genetically modified homes that might even be able to tell us what their next evolutionary step will be. sh
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property technology | news edited by Isla MacFarlane (im@showhouse.co.uk)
Groundwork to begin on London’s first modular commuter village
Hugg Homes launches first pop-up housing scheme
London’s first modular commuter village will be constructed in Corby, Northants, by modular homes provider Project Etopia. A development of eco-homes had been planned for the site but Project Etopia stepped in to buy the land after the project stalled. By constructing the exterior shell of the homes in a factory and transporting the parts to Corby, the development will be finished incredibly quickly. This in turn lowers the cost to the homebuyer; a fourbedroom house is expected to sell for between £320,000 and £350,000. The first four homes are due to be completed by the end of March and each unit should take no more than six to eight weeks to build. The previously planned traditional development was expected to take two years to complete. Community interest company Electric Corby was the first to begin laying down plans for a development of new homes on the site that would be totally energy self-sufficient in 2013. Working with an eco-home provider, it secured funding from an EU scheme that supports the incorporation of energy and storage technology. But institutional residential property investors, which often prefer traditional methods of building, and other financial backers did not materialise. It left the project, which received planning permission from Corby Borough Council in 2016, at risk of folding altogether. After an 18-month search, and almost at the point the project would have to be scrapped, Project Etopia stepped in and bought the site, with a commitment to complete the project. Joseph Daniels, CEO of Project Etopia, commented: “With a desperate need for more housing stock around the country, it is vital developers and investors finally let go of preconceptions of modular building. These are homes people really want to live in and they present huge environmental benefits from being energy neutral to requiring less onsite traffic during the build.”
Hugg Homes, a new modular housing concept aimed at supporting local housing need across the south-east, has completed its first development with Southampton City Council. The initial phase of 22 properties at Hugg Southampton in the Chapel Riverside area of the city is now available for occupancy, with the first residents moving in before Christmas. Stephen Wicks, chief executive of Hugg Homes, a subsidiary of award-winning developer Inland Homes, said: “As a group we have a long-standing partnership with Southampton City Council via our other developments in the city, Meridian Waterside and Chapel Riverside, so we’ve been able to work creatively together to secure planning permission and bring these high-specification, modular homes forward. “Rather than having dormant land lying empty for years, we thought it made much more sense to better utilise the land to meet the need for high-quality housing locally. It’s wonderful to have something tangible here now for everyone to see.” The Hugg Southampton scheme will be available until the long-term use of the land is reinstated and final development plans are being rolled out. Hugg Homes is now offering its pop-up developments in key locations across the south-east.
Yourkeys wins Best Tech Start Up 2018 Proptech company YourKeys has beaten 840 submissions to win Best Tech Start-up at the 2018 GoTech Awards. Yourkeys allows buyers to purchase their new homes online, from start to finish, from anywhere in the world. Furthermore, it provides control, oversight and transparency at all 64 stages of the buying journey. Yourkeys is also an operating hub for all stakeholders in the process including mortgage brokers, estate agents, marketing suite staff and housebuyers. The platform has digitised the entire sales process, with all parties viewing a live timeline where they can communicate directly with each other.
It is a one-stop shop that allows the new build house developers to sell directly to the consumer and allows the consumer control over the entire process, from initial browsing right the way through to exchange of contracts and legal completion. CEO Craig Massey, said: “A huge thank you to the 20 judges in the GoTech Awards, who stated we won due to our disruptive technology and robust business model and we’re humbled to be chosen first, out of 840 submissions. Winning the top award of Best Tech Start-up 2018, is simply fantastic – and great validation of our whole team.”
Google invests in AI-powered property management platform AskPorter has announced an investment from the Google Assistant Investments Program for its AI-driven property management platform. As part of the investment, AskPorter will have access to support and resources from Google’s technical, product, and business development teams. Tom Shrive, founder and CEO of AskPorter, said: “It’s incredibly exciting to be able to work with the experts at Google to improve the AI and machine learning technology that powers Porter. We will be using the funds to attract more world-class talent into our team and build out product in preparation
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for our Series A early next year, for which we are seeing strong interest from investors.” AskPorter has also announced the launch of its Porter Pioneers programme, a group of 15 property agencies and institutional landlords across residential, commercial and other specialist property sectors. Lasting for six months beginning January 2019, the AskPorter technical and property team will work closely with these agencies, property managers and landlords in automating their unique workflows, covering anything and everything involved with class asset management.
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product news edited by Kate Hamilton (kh@globespanmedia.com)
Surface area
Showing its metal Caple’s new Sense C2401GM pyrolytic oven has an A-rating for energy efficiency. This state-of-the-art electric oven also features stylish touch controls on a white LED display and 13 functions for easy programming. The C2401GM has a 67-litre capacity, which means ample room for cooking and exceptional results, with Caple’s signature MotionHeat+, which helps cook food evenly without the worry of flavour or aroma transfer. The outer glass is cool to the touch thanks to quadruple glazing, and two telescopic runners are included, as standard, for easy access. The oven also has a pyrolytic function, which will lock the door and heat the interior to 475°C, carbonising any baked-on grime into fine ash, which users can simply wipe away with a damp cloth. “Our C2401GM multifunction oven features our new gunmetal finish, which is the most recent metallic colour trend to have entered the kitchen industry,” said product manager Luke Shipway. “This striking model matches our new collection of ovens, a fridge-freezer, wine cabinet, sink and tap for those who require a cohesive look in their hub of the home.” The C2401GM pyrolytic single oven measures 595mm(w) by 540mm(d) by 593mm(h) and costs from around £866. www.caple.co.uk
Dekton by Cosentino has announced two new launches, Bromo and Milar. These dark, matte shades are ideal for a range of internal and external design projects. Bromo, with its natural and organic appearance, and Milar, with its more industrial aesthetic, have been designed to complement a wide range of design schemes; both have a vintage, rustic feel, and can be combined with more contemporary elements for a unique look. Created by Cosentino through an innovative ultra-compaction process, Dekton offers hardwearing benefits including a high resistance to heat, scratches, staining and UV rays. Suitable for use both indoors and out, its surfaces can be used for a range of projects, such as kitchen and bathroom worktops, flooring and wall cladding. Available in a variety of thicknesses (8mm, 12mm and 20mm) and large-format slabs up to 320cm x 144cm, a multitude of creative possibilities are possible for Bromo and Milar. Bromo is a deep blue/black shade, inspired by homogeneous metamorphic rocks such as slate. Subtle, faded veining, a tactile finish and a natural aesthetic define this new colour, which would suit both modern and traditional spaces. www.dekton.com
Follow the yellow brick road
Top brass Kitchen manufacturer Eggersmann has expanded its high-end UNIQUE collection with a new door, made from 3mm solid brushed and waxed brass. Leading the way with one of the hottest trends on the kitchen catwalk, the door will react with the elements over the course of time, gradually developing a natural patina. The result is a door that lives up to its name in every sense of the word, as every
design is a one-off with a genuinely unique finish that stays true to the ethos of a range that focuses on individuality and exceptional materials. Made from a single identical material throughout, in this case brass, the UNIQUE range introduces various surfaces and textures into the kitchen, from natural stones, to Corian and Fenix, along with solid stainless steel and even mineral materials. www.eggersmann.com
After several years of research and development, Imperial Bricks has announced a genuine replication of the original ‘London Stock’ brick. This traditional handmade yellow brick features a strong colour with characteristic shade variations and an authentic coal-spotted face with distinctive textures. The bricks are suitable for restoring, renovating and extending of buildings in and around the capital, as well as new-build developments. Weathered Original London Stock is also available in a standard Original London Stock, and a Dark Weathered version that was created due to popular demand. All are available in imperial and metric sizing. Jason Hughes, managing director of Imperial Bricks, said: “The Original London Stock is a blend that has been imitated, but not truly replicated, until now. It took a significant amount of development and testing to ensure the perfect coal-spotted appearance, which would have originally come from the waste materials added to the clay. It’s ideal for heritage projects and conservation areas, as well as ‘in-fill’ developments across London and is fully frost resistant to BS EN 771-1. The new brick complements Imperial’s existing Yellow Stock and Reclamation Yellow Stock ranges. Our Brick Matching team are able to advise architects, developers, contractors and selfbuilders on the closest brick match, via our Brick Matcher app, over the phone or with samples and onsite visits.” www.imperialbricks.co.uk
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product news The only way is down KitchenAid has launched a new ventilated induction hob, which discreetly incorporates a downdraft extraction system. The sleek and stylish KitchenAid 900mm ventilated induction hob (KHIVF 90000) features four induction zones and an integrated, downdraft extraction system that is both powerful and discreet. KitchenAid appliances are designed to enhance the cooking experience and the ventilated induction hob guarantees outstanding results by combining precision, speed and energy efficiency. With a dynamic surface that features two flexible cooking zones, the black glass induction hob accommodates large cookware and also makes it easy to manage multiple pots and pans, useful when entertaining
guests or experimenting in the kitchen. The downdraft extraction system, located in the middle of the hob, benefits from perimetral extraction and a 600m³/h maximum air flow, which ensures grease, steam and odours are all effectively cleared, protecting furniture and improving the air quality of the home. Perimetral technology extracts vapours from around the edges of the extractor, rather than the centre, creating a faster airflow and increasing grease extraction by 10%. The discreetly integrated system adds a touch of prestige to the kitchen and is ideal for a kitchen that is sleek and minimal. Four speed settings and a boost option to maximise extraction performance, while operating at a quiet 63dB(A) noise level. www.kitchenaid.co.uk
In the spirit
Feeling flush Building on the success of its Heritage Flush Window, Deceuninck has launched a new Flush Door to its Heritage Collection. The Flush Door has the only dedicated open-out flush door sash on the market, complementing the Heritage Flush Sash. The new Flush Door combines style with outstanding performance. It has been designed to replicate traditional timber and aluminium and comes in 26 colourways from stock. Deceuninck’s latest product is also great for weather performance and energy efficiency, with Class 4 600 Pa air permeability, Class E1050 Pa water tightness (full frame) and Class A3 1200 Pa wind resistance. The doorset achieves an ‘A’ energy rating with U-Values as low as 1.0 W/m²K with triple glazing and 1.3 W/m²K with double glazing. The Flush Door also comes with dedicated PAS24-approved hardware and is Part M compliant for easy access. Deceuninck’s managing director Rob McGlennon said: “Following the success of our Heritage Flush Window we’ve added another product to the Flush family. Our new Flush Door looks fantastic and is best in class for performance. We’ve designed the door to look and perform the very best, which was made possible thanks to the bespoke PAS24 hardware. The Flush Door suites with the Heritage Flush Window for a seamless, highend look that enhances both traditional and contemporary homes. Like all products in our Heritage Collection it is available in 26 colourways from stock, which we’re extending to 30 colourways in 2019.” www.deceuninck.com
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Multi-award winning appliance specialist Caple has added four high performance Spirit wall chimney hoods to its extensive extraction collection. With an A-rating for energy efficiency, these extractors are suitable for the modern home, with a striking glass and stainless steel or black and smoked glass aesthetic. Featuring touch controls, three speeds and aluminium grease filters, the Spirit hoods have a maximum sound level of 66dB. Two 1.5W highintensity LED lights also enable the homeowner to keep a close eye on what you are cooking and you can choose from a 600mmW or 900mmW hood to match your hob size. Caple’s product manager Luke Shipway says: “We have introduced Spirit hoods to our collection with state-of-the-art touch controls to make extraction adjustments easily. You can also choose from two colour ways and two different widths for a more versatile extraction offering for the kitchen.” The Spirit wall chimney hoods measure 600/900mm(w) by 500-980mm(h) by 500mm(d) and cost from £349 for the SP612 (600mm version) or from £367 for the SP912 (900mm version) in either finish. www.caple.co.uk
Slimming down Whirlpool has introduced its refreshed range of slimline dishwashers. The Whirlpool freestanding compact dishwasher (WSFE 2B19 UK) benefits from 10 place settings, a fully flexible interior and a new, contemporary design. Also available as a fullyintegrated model, the redesigned Whirlpool 450mm wide, slimline dishwasher boasts an ‘A+’ energy rating, five programmes and fits into the increasingly compact space of the modern kitchen. The refreshed design sees the introduction of LED indicators and neat, subtle control buttons, offering ease of use while complementing modern, minimalist kitchen spaces. The durable interior has been designed to use every inch of space available.
Three is a magic number Sensio has integrated its TrioTone LED technology into a new plinth light fitting, expanding its line of plinth lights with the Halo and introducing TrioTone technology into a new area of the kitchen. Sensio launched TrioTone in 2017, an innovation that allows the choice of three LED colours – warm white 3000K, natural white 4000K and cool white 5000K – from one light fitting. TriotTone enables a designer/homeowner to select the shade and it also reduces the required stock holding as there is no longer a need to stock the same light fitting in different LED colours. Halo TrioTone is ideal for use in the kitchen or, with its IP67 water ingress rating, the bathroom too. Each 30mm fitting offers a diffused 28 lumens LED light and is framed with a stainless steel trim that has been designed to create a halo effect. www.sensio.co.uk
The removable upper rack allows the user to create extra space when needed, as well as accommodating large pots and pans. Furthermore, the slimline dishwashers from Whirlpool also benefit from a variety of delayed start options allowing users to set the dishwasher to begin its cycle at a convenient time, or to take advantage of lower energy tariffs, where available. Sinead O’Brien, brand marketing executive, Whirlpool, says: “Thanks to technological advances, compact living no longer means having to compromise on functionality or performance. Consumers can cut down on the amount of time spent doing the dishes without taking up too much space in the kitchen.” www.whirlpool.co.uk
product news In harmony Sip and save Fresh still and sparkling water on tap is now easier than ever to enjoy thanks to the launch of a smart home app that pairs with the GROHE Blue Home WaterSystem. Still, sparkling or semi-sparkling water that is filtered and chilled to the optimum drinking temperature is provided directly from this elegant kitchen tap. Following on from the launch of the first popular Blue Home, GROHE’s newest model comes complete with a pull-out ‘mousseur head’, available from this month. And thanks to the GROHE Ondus app, users will be directly notified when the filter or CO² bottle needs to be replaced. The app also ensures easy handling when reordering at the GROHE Blue Online shop; with just a few clicks the purchase is ordered and delivered, meaning you’ll never be left without sparkling water. For the health-conscious, the GROHE Ondus app offers an additional benefit: daily water consumption can be logged and tracked helping even the busiest homes keep hydration front of mind as part of a balanced lifestyle. At the same time, GROHE Blue Home also saves money; in comparison to the consumption of branded bottled water, costs are reduced by up to 60%. Using GROHE Blue Home in private households only costs about £0.13 per day. Importantly, the environment also benefits, as CO² consumption is reduced by approximately 61% compared to households using bottled water, and there is also less plastic and packaging waste. www.grohe.co.uk
On form The Easington Collection is one of four new handleless kitchens from LochAnna Kitchens that together are known as FORM. “Traditional British design meets Italian craftsmanship for our new Easington Collection,” said Paul Jenkinson, founder and MD of LochAnna Kitchens. “This painted shaker kitchen has a unique chamfer cutaway detail on the reverse of the door. It’s soft and silky to the touch, exuding premium luxury, yet it’s durable and hard-wearing enough to withstand everyday life in a busy kitchen. In a creative twist, Easington can even be mixed and matched with other door collections in the FORM range, such as the modern veneered slab Strato collection, which contrasts yet complements the traditional shaker look for a unique design.”
Active duty Hotpoint has launched a new range of induction hobs that feature ActiveCook technology, which combines sensor technology, assisted-cooking and a fully-flexible cooking surface to provide a more
The Indesit Aria collection of built-in cooking appliances boasts easy-touse features that save time and effort. With a 71-litre cooking capacity, the ‘A+’ energy rated Indesit Aria single built-in oven (KFW 3844 H IX) is ideal for cooking a large roast, complete with all of the trimmings. Boasting 11 cooking functions, including the Turn&Cook option, the oven simplifies cooking. Turn&Cook allows users to effortlessly cook a selection of recipes without the hassle of choosing the right cooking programme. With just one turn of the control knob, the oven automatically sets the cooking time and oven temperature to cook over 80 recipes in just one hour. The oven then automatically switches off at the end of the cooking time so the dish will not spoil. The Indesit Aria 600mm induction hob (VID 641 B C) offers versatile cooking zones for pots of different shapes and sizes. In addition, the bridge zone function allows you to combine zones for large saucepans. www.indesit.co.uk
The Easington Collection is available in Stone, Bone and Light Grey. Quirky design features such as the bespoke gin bar make the kitchen the social destination of the home; smoked glass wall units combined with open shelving modernise the shaker look without straying too far from its heritage. Price is another attractive feature of this collection. “The Easington kitchen sits in our more premium price band yet is still completely affordable compared to other British heritage brands or big European names,” said Jenkinson. “We are constantly pushing the boundaries of what we can do with design at LochAnna Kitchens to show that an expensive and lavish looking kitchen is not exclusive to the elite. We do this without compromising on quality.” www.lochannakitchens.co.uk
versatile and flexible approach to cooking with induction. The range is led by the 770mm model (ACP 778 C/BA), which features eight individual cooking zones that can each be precisely controlled with 18 different power levels. Thanks to Hotpoint’s Total Flexi technology, the entire surface of the hob can be used for cooking, with users able to create bespoke cooking zones. The entire surface can also be combined into one cooking zone, making space for large pots and pans. The range of ActiveCook induction hobs also feature the Active Heat programme, which divides the entire surface of the hob into four separate cooking zones. Each zone is simultaneously activated at a different
preset level and allows the user to move pans from one zone to another, without the need to adjust the power levels or settings. Flexible cooking zones encourage the user to utilise the hob’s surface to accommodate individual needs and preferences. For those who are less confident in the kitchen, the Hotpoint ActiveCook hob also features the My Menu programme, which is a step-by-step interface that facilitates assisted-cooking for up to 63 different recipes. My Menu guides the user through cooking processes. Integrated sensor technology sets and maintains the pan’s temperature to achieve the best results. www.hotpoint.co.uk
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supplier news edited by Kate Hamilton (kh@globespanmedia.com)
RML expands manufacturing capacity
Blum showcases range With a circulation of more than 240,000, Blum’s 700-page product catalogue provides detailed information on Blum’s product range including product innovations and offers new possibilities for furniture design. Innovations include the latest hinges for thin doors and mirror doors from the Clip top Blumotion series – the Clip top Blumotion hinge in onyx black and the Blumotion S runner for three different motion technologies. What is more, Blum meets the latest design trend of ‘thin frontals’ and now offers a single solution for doors, pull-outs and selected lift systems with its new Expando T fixing mechanism. Blum’s catalogue assists cabinetmakers with day-to-day operations in many ways. The reference book not only provides information on the company’s
latest product range but also supports users along the entire process chain – from planning, design and ordering to assembly, sales and aftersales support. All the services offered are geared to the individual needs of cabinetmakers, providing a firm basis for success. Digital connectivity also brings enhanced convenience and new possibilities to Blum’s product catalogue. QR codes, short URLs and web codes printed right next to products give cabinetmakers quick and easy access to more detailed information, instructions on assembly and setting, useful digital services or direct access to pre-configured applications in the product configurator. The online catalogue is on Blum’s homepage and can be downloaded in the Download Centre. www.blum.com
In a major expansion of I-Beam manufacturing capacity, Robinson Manufacturing Ltd (RML) has agreed terms on a 25,000ft² manufacturing unit in Willenhall, between Walsall and Wolverhampton in the West Midlands. RML will occupy the site from the beginning of this month and plans are already in place for it to be up and running quickly, giving it the capacity to manufacture an additional 400 floor sets each week within just a few weeks. This major expansion, RML’s sixth factory across the UK, is part of the firm’s commitment to support a variety of regional and national housebuilders who have requested additional supply in this area. “This investment is in response to specific direct feedback that housebuilders need support in this area due to struggles accessing the product during 2018,” explained Robinson Manufacturing’s chief operating officer, Simon Kidney. “This level of capacity combined with our reputation for service, reliability and transparency, should restore housebuilder confidence in revitalised joist supply in this market.” The new I-Beam factory comes with 4,000ft² of office space, which RML will use to concentrate its floor design into a new centre of excellence, mirroring its highly effective truss design structure in Wellingborough. The Robinson Manufacturing customer service model, which has underpinned the company’s significant growth in recent years, will also be applied to housebuilders choosing RML for joist supply. rmuk.co.uk
GROHE goes green For the third time, GROHE has achieved a leading position at the German Sustainability Awards in the Big Companies category, making it one of the top three Most Sustainable Big Companies in Germany. The awards ceremony, which took place in December, was part of the concluding celebrations to the German Sustainability Day, which was honoured with a festive gala in Düsseldorf, Germany. The German Sustainability Award foundation honours companies that combine economic success with social responsibility and environmental protection in an exemplary manner. It is Europe’s biggest award for ecological and social commitment in different categories. “I am delighted about the outstanding recognition that we, thanks to our commitment, received from one of Europe’s key sustainability initiatives,” said Thomas Fuhr, executive director operations at GROHE and the board member responsible for sustainability. “The fact that we were able to achieve this excellent result for the third time confirms the continuity and intensity with which we at GROHE pursue sustainability. We will continue to develop and produce innovative and sustainable products that enable our customers to use water and energy efficiently.” www.grohe.co.uk
Redrow recognises Moores Moores has won the Redrow Supplier of the Year Award for its North West Region. As a key supply partner, Moores has been rewarded for its exceptional working practices and for delivering consistently on every project. The company’s focused approach and high standards in developing key relationships all contributed to this accolade. Senior key account manager for Moores, Sam Mandle, collected the award at the Redrow subcontractor/supplier buffet lunch and awards ceremony in Liverpool at the end of last year. Michael Barrett, group sales director for Moores, said: “We are very pleased to have won the Redrow Supplier of the Year Award, ahead of 201 other subcontractors and suppliers to the title. This award is testament to the exceptional hard work of our team here at Moores. We value our partners and pride ourselves in always delivering the highest standard in all our projects. We are happy to have been recognised for our proactive approach and look forward to continuing our joint success with Redrow.” www.moores.co.uk
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supplier news New recruit for Andrew Henry Interiors Andrew Henry Interiors has appointed Claire Betty as design account director. Betty, who has been running her own interior design consultancy for the past 10 years, joins the team with a wealth of both design expertise and previous corporate sales experience. She will be working alongside Andrew Henry, in looking after both existing client
Saint-Gobain acquires SIG Roofspace Solutions Saint-Gobain UK & Ireland has completed the acquisition of SIG Roofspace Solutions, finalising on 14 December 2018. The business, which was set-up in 2008, provides a turn-key panellised roofing and room-in-roof solution to
housebuilders. Mike Chaldecott, Saint-Gobain UK & Ireland CEO, commented: “We’re delighted to welcome Roofspace to Saint-Gobain. They are a great business that provides solutions to customers that saves them time and streamlines the construction process. We know that the construction industry has to be more efficient, more
Rangemaster targets specifiers
The CTSI approves the CCHB
Rangemaster has unveiled its new 16-page, full-colour sinks and taps pricing supplement – The Inspired Price Guide 2018 – which features a comprehensive round-up of the company’s latest stainless steel, composite and fireclay sinks, which are available in various inset and undermount options. Full specification details and product codes are included, while the full range is listed at the back of the brochure along with suggested retail prices. “We are delighted to release the new Inspired Price Guide 2018 to specifiers,” said Rangemaster sales director James Cunningham. “The brochure sets out clearly and concisely all the products in the Rangemaster sinks and taps range, and it also enables retailers to present customers with a generous 10% discount, in order to help increase their sales.” www.rangemaster.co.uk
The Consumer Code for Home Builders, which sets customer service standards for the marketing, purchase and sale of new homes, has been approved by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI), after completing the CTSI Consumer Codes Approval Scheme (CCAS) process. This is one of the largest industries ever covered by a CTSI approved Code, and has undergone particularly robust scrutiny as a result.
CTSI executive director, Leon Livermore (right) presents CCHB chairman Noel Hunter with the CTSI Certificate of Approval
productive, more innovative and embrace offsite manufacturing. Roofspace are already offering customers these benefits and have delivered roofs for over 2,500 new build homes in the last year.” SIG Roofspace Solutions will now be known as Roofspace. www.sigroofspace.co.uk
The CCHB is the leading provider of service standards for the new homes market, covering over 90% of homes built in the UK. Homebuilders covered by the main warranty bodies, NHBC, Premier Guarantee and LABC Warranty, must comply with the Code’s requirements, which are designed to make the homebuying process fair and transparent. Being a CTSI code sponsor gives homebuyers added confidence that the Code is robust and meets the high expectations set by CTSI. “Securing independent approval from CTSI endorses the work done by the Consumer Code to date to drive up customer service standards in the homebuilding industry and provide the tools and training housebuilders need to offer the best service to their customers,” commented CCHB chairman, Noel Hunter. “The detailed inspection completed by CTSI offers considerable assurance that the Consumer Code is sound, both to homebuyers looking for support, and to builders and their agents seeking to improve standards.” www.consumercode.co.uk
Tiles UK to target housebuilders Ian Crowther is to lead a push by Tiles UK to target the specification market. Crowther is joining the management team as managing director of the contracts and house developer division – ProSpec. Crowther brings with him a wealth of experience in the tiling industry, including extensive expertise in specification sales, with more than 40 years in surface finishes for the specification market. Ian Kershaw, Alison Bold and Dave Sowden head the management team at the company, all of whom are highly experienced in the tiling sector; Crowther, like Kershaw and Bold, is a former chair of The Tile Association. “This is a great opportunity for me, to work with colleagues whom I respect greatly and to be part of this exciting venture for Tiles UK,” commented Crowther. “I’m confident that we can bring the same level of innovation and service to the specification market that Tiles UK has achieved in the distribution sector.” www.tilesuk.com
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relationships, as well as developing exciting new ones. Commenting on her appointment, Andrew Henry said: “Our business is all about its great working relationships and designing inspiring show homes. This is a key appointment in our growth and expansion plans and I am delighted Claire has settled in so quickly, to become an integral part of the team.” www.andrewhenry.co.uk
supplier news Classic Folios expands team
Caesarstone claims design victory Caesarstone, the global manufacturer of premium quartz surfaces, has announced its victory at the FX International Interiors Design Awards 2018, in the Surface category. The award goes to its recently launched Metropolitan Collection, comprising nine innovative, industrial-inspired surface designs. “Winning this award is a huge cause for celebration for our R&D team, who have dedicated a lot of time and resources in creating this complex collection that truly pushes the boundaries of quartz material. We are delighted that the judging panel of high-calibre architects, design experts and industry peers can see how this collection is really driving innovation in the surfaces industry forward,” said Jon Stanley, VP of marketing at Caesarstone UK. “The Metropolitan Collection is quickly establishing itself among specifiers across residential, commercial, retail and hospitality projects. It is the first surfaces range to thoroughly investigate the unique styles of the popular industrial trend, offering finishes never before available on the market.” www.caesarstone.co.uk
Classic Folios has announced the appointment of Rebecca Hall as sales executive. Hall will be meeting with developers throughout the UK, helping them with their customer journey solutions. As well as showcasing its luxury tailored folios, she will be demonstrating Hoozzi, Classic Folios’ awardwinning online portal, which helps save time and money for both sales and aftersales teams. Hall has a wealth of account management experience, which developers will find invaluable as she helps to solve their handover needs. Classic Folios provides handover solutions and aftersales welcome gifts that enhance customer interaction and customer satisfaction. Hall’s comprehensive knowledge in packaging the correct solution for clients, be it digital, print or both, makes her a good fit for the business, says Classic Folios, helping to strengthen the customer experience and generating referrals and repurchases. www.classicfolios.com
Awards success for Deceuninck Deceuninck has won the G18 Product of the Year award with its Linktrusion technology. This is the second year running Deceuninck has scooped the top prize for product innovation at the prestigious G-Awards. Described by judges as “a truly innovative product”, Linktrusion is a completely new, patented composite technology that combines pultruded glass fibre with PVCu in Deceuninck’s 5000 composite system. Windows and doors made with Linktrusion are light and strong with slim sightlines and outstanding thermal performance. Fully recyclable, Linktrusion windows and doors are the first to remove the need for traditional steel reinforcement so developers can specify very tall
New Contract for Vital Vital Energi will deliver a £2.3m energy scheme for The West Works, Redrow’s latest development in Southall. Vital will be taking a phased installation approach to grow the solution in line with Redrow’s construction plans. Vital will be providing the design, supply and installation services for the scheme, which consists of a 185kW CHP engine, three 533kW gas boilers, two 8,000-litre thermal stores, low temperature hot water system and district heating. Vital will also be responsible for supplying the heat interface units for the development, which consists of 313 new homes, alongside commercial units. Vital adapted the design by Redrow’s consultants to provide a more financially beneficial and efficient solution. This was achieved by reducing the number of CHP engines from four with a
windows and large doors. Deceuninck’s MD Rob McGlennon said “Linktrusion is a real innovation and it is already making a big impact in the commercial sector. Our 5000 window and doors with Linktrusion combine outstanding performance with a flush, contemporary appearance that specifiers love. We’ve had a fantastic year, with sales up 17%, but winning Product of the Year is the icing on the cake. It follows our win in 2017 with the standout Heritage Flush Sash, and it’s great to get the recognition from peers and industry experts. I’d like to thank the Deceuninck team for all their hard work, and our customers for their ongoing support.” www.deceuninck.com
thermal storage of 20m³, to one CHP with a thermal storage of 16m³, which not only reduces the cost of plant and maintenance, but also provides a more accurate size solution for the development’s energy demand. Rob Callaghan, regional director for the south for Vital Energi, said: “After working with Redrow on previous projects such as their Padcroft and 500 Chiswick Road developments, we are pleased that we have been selected to provide the energy scheme for this new development. We have carried out a detailed design to ensure the most financially beneficial and efficient solution has been provided and look forward to seeing the project implemented.” The West Works development comprises one, two- and three-bedroom luxury apartments and is due for completion late 2019. www.vitalenergi.co.uk
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Barratt Homes – Ronnie Norris Barratt Homes North Thames is continuing its positive work to support local employment, by creating a new role in the construction industry for a Buckinghamshire apprentice. Ronnie Norris will be learning the carpentry trade on the homebuilder’s flagship Kingsbrook development, where he also lives after his family purchased a property there. After seeing the development process first-hand during his family’s move, Norris made the decision to start his apprenticeship with the company. “My family have recently bought a Barratt home at Kingsbrook and, having seen the process for myself, I was impressed by the quality of the property as well as the professionalism shown by the company,” he commented. “The support shown throughout the process of purchasing, and since we moved in has been great. This is what attracted me to Barratt Homes as I knew it would be a great company to work for.” Norris is now attending Aylesbury College as well as working onsite at the development to achieve his Level 2 Diploma in Carpentry. Ilir Gjini, construction director at Barratt Homes North Thames, said: “The construction industry is continuing to grow and this is an exciting time for anyone with an interest in housebuilding to join a market-leading company. As one of the country’s top developers we are absolutely committed to developing raw talent and I believe that we have a duty to provide these kinds of apprenticeship opportunities.”
Redrow Homes – Sarah Carr Redrow Homes (Yorkshire) has appointed Sarah Carr as planning director. Carr will help grow Redrow’s business across the Yorkshire region through identification of forward land that can be optioned and run through the planning process over a period of several years, while at the same time supporting the existing land team that’s more focused on short-term land. “My main role is more akin to a marathon than a sprint,” she commented. “I’m mostly looking at sites that may not have been earmarked for housing yet, but have the potential to be developed in the future. I’ll work with landowners and local authorities to get them allocated, through to a planning consent and beyond.” A prime example of the kind of site Carr will champion is the 146 acres of land at Monks Cross North, in York, where Redrow hopes to develop almost 970 homes and a new primary school as part of a new garden village. “We’re currently involved in the dual process of pursuing an outline planning consent and working with the local authority to bring the land forward for adoption in the York Local Plan,” she added. “I’ve always admired the Redrow product, from the quality of the homes they build to the sites they choose and their commitment to creating a sense of place, so when the chance to join them arose, I jumped at it.”
Bloor Homes – Dan Castle Bloor Homes Southern has appointed Dan Castle as design and technical director. Castle has stepped into the role at the housebuilder’s regional office in Newbury, bringing with him 23 years’ experience in the industry. He aims to make the Southern region’s technical team one of the best in the company and says he is excited by Bloor’s growth potential. Castle, who started his career as a trainee land surveyor with George Wimpey before going into private practice, has spent the last 10 years as technical director at Taylor Wimpey Southern Counties. “I’m thrilled to be taking on this role and I’m looking forward to using my experience with a large volume developer to help grow the business,” he said. “It’s an extremely exciting challenge and a wonderful opportunity to further my career. Bloor Homes has got a fantastic reputation for the quality of their product and that was a major factor in my decision to join the company. In many ways, I see them as a local builder as they offer more of a personal touch than you would find with a national builder. My goal is to enrich the technical team in the Southern region and to help Bloor achieve the company’s vision for quality and growth. The region has a great land bank with sites in fantastic locations so the potential here is huge.”
Vanderbilt Homes – John Knevett Vanderbilt Homes has appointed John Knevett, formerly group chief commercial officer and deputy chief executive at A2Dominion Group, as a non-executive director to its board. The appointment comes at a pivotal stage for Vanderbilt Homes, as it implements a new growth strategy and embarks on plans to more than double its annual delivery by 2020. Enhancements to the business model, investment in talent and a ‘digital first’ approach are enabling improved productivity, quality and auditing capabilities, while new funding agreements will allow an investment of more than £45m in new land acquisitions. “This is an exciting time to join the board at Vanderbilt Homes,” said Knevett. “The business has innovated to create strong capabilities that underpin a clear growth strategy. I look forward to contributing to the successful delivery of the business plan and helping realise Vanderbilt’s ambition.” Edward Spencer-Churchill, chairman at Vanderbilt Homes, added: “I’m extremely pleased to welcome John to the board. Our people and partners have always been the foundation of our success, and John’s wealth of experience and network will be invaluable to Vanderbilt Homes’ plans for further growth as we move forward.”
Origin Housing – Gloria Yang Origin Housing has announced the appointment of Gloria Yang as finance director. Yang takes over from Chris Trebilcock and joins from Clarion Housing Group, where she has been working as a consultant advising on system implementation and integration following the merger of Affinity Sutton and Circle Housing. Prior to that, Yang was the director of finance for East Thames Housing Group, a G15 member, where she was responsible for the core finance functions and led the finance transformation programme and previously worked in a range of roles for Wandle Housing Association, Metropolitan Housing Partnership and Affinity Sutton Group. Gloria is currently an independent member of the Audit Committee for Phoenix Community Housing, the first resident-led housing association in London, and she is a Fellow member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants. “I am delighted to be joining Origin at this exciting time, and be part of such a vibrant and thriving community,” she said. “I look forward to working with our residents and partners to deliver more great homes and build resilient communities.”
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Persimmon Homes – Cherryann Woolgar Persimmon Homes Anglia has promoted Cherryann Woolgar to the role of field sales manager. “I’ve had a lot to learn quickly, but fortunately the training and support from Persimmon has been brilliant,” said Woolgar, who has previous estate agency experience. “Initially I was working alongside a very experienced sales advisor, but after six months I was trusted to take charge of my own development. I really enjoyed the interaction with customers and the sales negotiation process. I can honestly say I enjoy every day.” Her new role sees her managing a team of sales advisors on five developments in the Norfolk area but still maintaining direct communication with customers. Persimmon Homes Anglia sales director designate Michelle Baker said: “There are so many opportunities in this industry for people who want to progress and, as a company, Persimmon is always keen to promote from within. From the day Cherryann joined us she has been focused and committed to delivering high quality customer service, so we are delighted to support her career development.”
urbanbubble – Gemma Price Gemma Price has been appointed head of property management at residential property manager urbanbubble. With more than 20 years of experience across a wide range of business sectors including property, leisure and hospitality, Price joins the Manchester-based business from her role as head of operations at Recom Solutions and a director at Hardcastle and Hogarth Ltd. Prior to her three years at Recom, she spent seven years at commercial property group Bruntwood in a head of property role. Her role at urbanbubble sees Price focus on leading the property teams in delivering the highest levels of customer service across the firm’s block management portfolio. The plan is that the role will evolve as the company continues to grow, with Gemma developing the service delivery teams across several new customer groups. “Choosing urbanbubble was an easy choice for me. Not only is the company at a very exciting point in terms of business growth, but it also has a very strong values culture and a customer centric business where the customer is at the very heart of it,” commented Price. “Customer service is what I am passionate about, so there is a genuine fit between my own personal aspirations and those of the business.” Michael Howard, founder and managing director of urbanbubble, said: “Gemma brings with her a veritable wealth of experience in the property sector and we’re excited by what she can bring to her new role. We have every confidence that Gemma will be a great asset to urbanbubble.”
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Westleigh – Sonia Bunn Sonia Bunn, who has been appointed as a sales consultant at Westleigh’s newly launched Forest Green development in Huncote, says she is loving the opportunity to guide purchasers through the homebuying process. “I felt as though I wanted a change and started to look into other housebuilders in the region,” she commented. “I had interviews lined up with a few major developers but I knew that the job with Westleigh was the one I wanted. The company was very approachable and I got a really good feeling about it. I spent the first few days working at the head office and I found everyone to be so friendly and I was made to feel really welcome. I didn’t feel out of place once and I saw quickly that they have your needs in mind all the time, which I’ve not found to be the case with other employers in the industry. What’s more, Westleigh offers a fantastic package and the standard of their product is exceptional and is delivered to a high specification.” Lisa Morris, new homes manager for Westleigh, said: “We are delighted to have welcomed Sonia to the team at Forest Green. She has brought her experience, as well as her passion for and commitment to helping purchasers through the homebuying experience to the role and I have every confidence that she will continue to thrive with us.”
Aster Group Housing association Aster Group has made a series of board and committee appointments, as it continues to strengthen its governance arrangements. The group, which has a portfolio of 30,000 homes, has appointed technology entrepreneur and business adviser Michael McCullen as a non-executive director and Julie Kortens, a board member and former head of corporate services at Channel 4, as an independent member on two committees. Former housing ombudsman Mike Biles becomes senior independent director and three members who currently serve on Aster’s committees have been appointed to new roles. Andrew Jackson, group chairman of Aster Group said: “I’d like to welcome Michael and Julie to the group and congratulate those who have been appointed to new positions. These appointments are the culmination of a thorough selection process and underline our commitment to robust, best-in-class corporate governance. Our new members and appointees bring a balance of skills and experience in business-critical areas like risk, compliance and digital transformation. These will support our boards and committees in making mindful, informed decisions. It’s also important to us that they are drawn from different backgrounds and sectors, providing the experience, challenge and rigour to ensure we continue to provide reliable services and build more high-quality homes across a range of tenures.”
Bovis Homes – Roger Morton Bovis Homes has promoted Roger Morton to group performance director. Formerly head of talent, Morton will work with build, technical, commercial and customer care teams to improve performance at the company. “It’s not just about construction and build, it’s company-wide – how we can get everyone in the business thinking about improving quality,” he said. “If I can harness the experience I have gained at Bovis already and help improve standards, customer satisfaction, and put the business at a level that others in the industry aspire to be at, then I will be achieving my goal. We have had some really impressive short-term success and we now want to ensure this continues far into the future. This is the start of a flight path that takes us to the top.” As well as focusing on the quality of new-build homes, Morton will oversee the standard of the housebuilder’s drawings, detailing, planning and the performance of materials, suppliers, partners and colleagues to look for opportunities for improvement. A former Royal Engineer, Morton joined Bovis in 2016 following 25 years in the army. Bovis Homes has signed the Armed Forces Covenant and is striving to achieve a gold award in the government’s Defence Employer Recognition Scheme in 2019, which recognises companies that employ staff from the armed forces community and proactively demonstrate forces-friendly credentials.
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preview
Preview – Show House February
Finance – Pounds and personalities
Interior Design – Dressed to impress
Doors & Windows – Open for business
A look at all aspects of development finance and funding. Hear from both big banks and specialist niche lenders, backing housebuilders, large and small, or with skin in the new build supply chain. We talk to the key players, be they builders or backers. Plus David Smith’s exclusive monthly view from the City.
The show home is an enduring sales and marketing tool for housebuilders, promoting not just the best use of space but a lifestyle too, from kitchen to bedroom, catering for different markets according to purchaser profiles. We talk to the best dressers about what’s new and on trend inside the home.
Innovative design, sustainable solutions, product development and manufacture, latest trends and cutting-edge techniques to create the right look at the right price. We speak to leading industry suppliers about their housebuilder relationships and how their doors and windows fit into the new build market.
For editorial opportunities contact Rupert Bates: rb@globespanmedia.com For advertising opportunities contact Adrian Talbot: at@globespanmedia.com or 020 7940 1070
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BREXIT READY WITH OMEGA CONTR AC TS
PROVIDING PEACE OF MIND As the outcome of Brexit is fast approaching, many housing developers feel overwhelmed with information. Uncertainty exists as to how the changing economic environment is going to affect them and their business, especially when it comes down to their supply line. You might find yourself in a similar position, worried that the effects of Brexit will result in kitchen orders being delayed, which will in turn have an adverse effect on the completion times you have promised. Omega has been planning meticulously to ensure the effects of Brexit to their clients are as minimal as possible and their recent investment is a testament to that. Omega’s £20 million expenditure on leading technology plant and the building of a state of the art warehouse facility in the heart of Yorkshire has now taken their total space to 400,000 square feet. This extra facility caters for an additional 43% stockholding capacity, meaning they can now hold 5 months of stock. Every penny has been spent with their customers in mind, so you can be confident to install Omega kitchens, without worrying about achieving your housing completions. Omega is also home to brand new leading edge machinery, featuring the latest precision technology for innovation in product design and nurturing the finest in Great British craftsmanship. Omega has also put extensive measures in place to ensure a smooth transition through Brexit by continuing to work closely with their European partners. This close relationship is invaluable in working together to help maintain their promise of exceptional customer service.
To find out more about partnering with Omega and getting Brexit-ready, please call 01405 743 333 or email brexitready@omegaplc.co.uk.
Omega understands the importance of rapid lead times for remedials and achieves these within 5 days to support critical completion deadlines. They are constantly seeking to improve wherever they can for their customers, so you can rest easy installing quality British kitchens in your developments knowing that you have the comfort and security from a substantial, financially sound UK company.