Presupuesto base de licitación. Importe anual del contrato:

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• SMARTAudit – a measure of material waste • EcoHomes

• Constructing Excellence Key Performance Indicators – cost, build time and health and safety

• Sustainability Key Performance Indicators – energy and water use during construction, waste generated and biodiversity impact

Real-time information enables continual assessment and analysis of these measures. This can then be fed back into the build process and disseminated to improve skills used to deliver MMC.

Interim results taken five months into the build show that average resource input per plot is: 42 man hours for timber frame, 56 for steel frame, 94 for insulated concrete formwork and 150 for traditional construction. It has also highlighted issues such as errors caused by lack of training and lack of communication between design teams and manufacturers.

Homes using the polarwall insulated concrete formwork system are being constructed alongside those using traditional block construction, which enables accurate comparison of construction process and lifetime performance.

Modern methods of construction 069

Modern methods of construction (MMC) is the term used to describe a range of technologies and processes involving various forms of supply chain specifications, prefabrication and off-site assembly. MMC are recognised as delivering benefits in terms of making use of more effective materials, speeding up housebuilding, raising standards of design quality, and reducing resource consumption. They can reduce time spent on site and improve safety.

Although not specific to MMC, English Partnerships’ Design for Manufacture competition demonstrated that modern construction methods and pre-fabricated factory-built homes need not result in dull boxes.1 _{Modern methods of}

construction and standardisation can tailor technology to the context. The problem is not standard components, but standard thinking.

Waste management

Modern methods of construction have great potential in minimising the production of waste materials on site and generally improving the quality of the work environment. Less packaging leads to a reduced impact both on the site during construction and on the surrounding area. Recent research has shown that investment in better waste management could save £150 million each year in the UK.2 _{This can be achieved through on-site recycling,}

using methods such as SMARTWaste or the National Green Specification’s WasteCost Calculator. It is estimated that at Greenwich Millennium Village the planning requirement to reduce construction waste by 50 per cent saved the developer £150,000.3

Apprenticeship and training schemes 070

Local people should be able to benefit from a full range of employment opportunities in all new developments, both during construction and, more importantly, at completion. This will help to give the local community a sense of ownership of the scheme, which will encourage them to take care of it. Section 106 clauses that promote community involvement in construction and management through apprenticeship or training schemes can be formulated for all new developments.

4.4.3 Living with construction

Construction projects can cause stress and tension to established and growing communities. Quick-win initiatives aimed at improving the local environment and infrastructure before the start of a major project can help to ease the tensions and reduce the project’s overall impact. Thought should be given to ways of minimising the disruption caused by site works, through means such as phasing the project carefully, and restricting working hours and deliveries. Modern methods of construction may help. Important issues may include:

• The health and safety of public and contractors • Noise and working hours

• Dust and pollution

• Separate clean and dirty access • Phased implementation of bus routes • Safety and security of materials

• Early handover of completed parts of the public realm

• Providing trees and other landscape elements as soon as possible

• Close liaison with residents • Ensuring inclusive access • A considerate contractors scheme

Decisions on how these issues will be dealt with in each phase should be made in the light of the impact on the scheme as a whole. At Allerton Bywater the trees for the entire development were purchased at the same time from a nursery. This not only ensured that they would be consistent height and species when planted, but it also reduced costs.

Phasing and delivery of amenities 071

In new developments in particular, the first wave of residents must be provided with a safe living environment that helps to give them a sense of ownership and belonging. Successive phases can build on this. Community facilities and amenity spaces should be provided as early as possible in the phases of construction. The following are of particular importance in generating a sense of place beyond that of an incomplete building site: trees, areas for play, recreation and sport, community facilities such as nurseries, education and a health centre, convenience shops and services.

This award-winning scheme at Regent’s Square comprises apartments and three-storey detached, semi-detached and terrace houses which include feature buildings, focal points and node points. With stone and brick exterior walls featuring exceptional detailing and a traditional style that includes traditional sash style windows, this development demanded a high commitment to quality.

Miller Homes delivered the homes under building licence, thereby providing English Partnerships with the certainty that the required standards would be met. Miller Homes were able to execute the project vision through effective supervision and highly skilled workforce.

‘An essential starting point is the supervision on site’, says Sue Warwick, Managing Director for Miller Homes. At Regent’s Square, that standard was set by Bill Hughes, Site Manager.

Committing to high standards

Regent’s Square, Grappenhall