Wednesday, May 05, 2010 09:00

UK First for Skanska - first ModernaHus project announced

Skanska today announces it has signed a contract with Notting Hill Housing worth £13 million to construct its first ModernaHus development in the UK. ModernaHus is Skanska’s low energy, MMC residential solution and for many years, the company has been delivering this pioneering residential platform in Scandinavia. During the last two years, the Skanska UK team has been developing ModernaHus – which has achieved Code For Sustainable Homes level 4 to meet the growing need for affordable, sustainable, high-quality housing in the UK market.

This first project, which comprises 108 residential units, will be constructed on a site in Coldharbour Lane, Brixton, London. The new development aims to rejuvenate the site, which has previously been occupied by a meat wholesalers, a derelict bakery and a car park. The development includes 108 affordable homes over two separate buildings offering, one, two,
three or four bedrooms offered to tenants over a mix of shared ownership and social rented properties.

Key elements of the development:-
 All apartments will be 44 per cent more energy efficient than standard homes and will help to reduce carbon emissions throughout operation.

More info

 A well insulated building envelope combined under-floor heating system will not only save tenants money on heating bills, but also help to combat climate change.
 Central biomass boiler feeding site wide district heating scheme.
 To the rear there will be provision for eight disabled car parking bays and cycle storage for every apartment.
 extensive landscaped gardens will be provided for use by all residents
 Within the landscaping scheme, there is also the provision for allotments, so residents will be able to grow their own food.
 Most apartments will have access to either a private terrace or spacious balcony.
 Inside, the rooms are spacious and finished to a very high specification with plenty of room for storage.
 the use of efficient fittings will mean that less than 105 litres of water per person per day will be used (in typical homes this can be as high as 212 litres)

The development will be constructed using modern methods of construction, sited on piled foundations. Many elements of the apartments are being created in the factory environment before being delivered to site for installation thereby aiding site safety and product quality and finishes. These include:
 665 concrete wall panels and 239 concrete floor panels,
 bathroom pods complete with floor & wall finishes,
 Cast in services,
 Triple glazed factory finished windows.

To construct this project, Skanska is putting together an in-house team, which includes expertise in construction, piling and foundations, and mechanical and electrical installations.

Demolition of existing buildings to make way for the new development has begun with main construction due to start Spring 2010 and completion of the project scheduled for October 2011.

Commenting on the award, Mike Putnam, Chief Executive of Skanska UK said, “I am delighted we are announcing the first ModernaHus project in the UK. This success is the culmination of much research and development over the last couple of years to develop a solution, which not just meets, but exceeds criteria for housing developments in the UK and delivers a truly sustainable residential solution. We look forward to working with Notting Hill on this exciting project.

John Hughes, Development Director at Notting Hill Housing comments: “We are delighted that Skanska has chosen to deliver this UK industry first with Notting Hill Housing. With inevitable cuts to the housing budget ahead, the UK building industry can learn a lot from this green, Swedish housing concept. It’s eye catching, it’s quick to construct and it’s substantially cheaper to live in than the standard housing being built in the UK today.”