In the past landowners have had to rely on two options when looking for medium-sized construction solutions for their site:



Either:



1-Expensive, traditional on-site construction with dated methods, costing a great deal of time and money.

Or



2-Low-quality pre fabricated, off-site constructed buildings with a short lifespan



However, over the last ten years, companies within the UK construction industry have been refining the capabilities of off-site construction in an attempt to move away from traditional construction methods in order to revolutionise the medium-sized construction sector. This article discusses the advances of pre-engineered modular building structures in the last twenty years, and whether these changes are about to play a big part in the UK construction industry, or are just sideshow gimmicks or fashion trends.



Lifespan



It’s a well known fact that, in the past, the lifespan of off-site constructed buildings has been seemingly unredeemable, therefore considered as only temporary building solutions. However, in this day and age, buildings that have been made off-site and assembled in a factory environment, can actually last as long as permanent, traditional buildings due to the modern methods of construction endorsed by manufacturers.



Quality



Modular building solutions are based around using materials which are easily transportable from factory to site, previously meaning a slight compromise in the structural integrity of the supplied buildings, ultimately resulting in a low quality solution. Due to the robust nature of modern construction materials, and the smart manipulation of timber and aluminium, pre-made structures are now as sturdy as on-site built buildings yet remaining light and economic to transport.



Economics



Differing from costly onsite construction methods, buildings made in a factory environment affords the rare luxury of being able to stick to the budget and deadline set by a landowner, meaning the final product is a cost-effective building solution compared to other options available to development companies.



Putting the pieces together



Groundbreaking in assembly, modular buildings can be erected ‘flat-pack’ style upon delivery, and with flexible specifications, landowners can personally oversee the assembly of the building using architect style instructions.



The Environmental Discussion



Thanks to the modern technologies, high fabric performance, and low infiltration rates employed by pre-engineered building companies, modular buildings readily receive a BREEAM Excellent rating. This combined with the materials used in modern construction (previously mentioned), these structures are now the most environmentally friendly medium-sized buildings readily available to landowners in the modern era of construction.



Suitability



Whilst money is lost in standard construction projects whilst specifying the nature of the project to the construction company, pre-engineered buildings have the ability to adapt at the concept stage, meaning that these building solutions are suitable for many applications including housing, schools, nurseries, conference centres, police stations, council headquarters, and leisure facilities.



To summarise, speculation has been given as to whether we are just going through a new, temporary phase in construction, with critics slating that in a couple of years we will see the return to more traditional construction methods. However, landowners are voting with their feet, and becoming increasingly more aware of the financial and time benefit of pre-engineered building solutions, and the environmental benefit that they have.

For more information please visit Pre-engineered building manufacturer

For more information please visit http://www.ecocanopy.co.uk