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The building and construction sector has never been under more pressure to improve the efficiency of the build process, as well as the quality and performance of completed buildings. The housing shortage, together with issues such as climate change and the environment are all high on the Government’s agenda and it is looking to the building and construction industry to provide solutions.

Initiatives such as the 2006 Design for Manufacture competition, which challenged the housing industry to design, manufacture and build homes for just £60,000, and, more recently, the Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH) have been instrumental in encouraging the industry to take a fresh look at its approach to construction.

The most recent scheme to be introduced is the 2008 Carbon Challenge, for which Kingspan Off-Site has been selected as the main supply chain partner. This initiative, which is being delivered by English Partnerships, aims to accelerate the housebuilding industry’s response to climate change and fast track the creation of new communities designed to meet the highest level of the CSH.

While, in the long term, these initiatives and new regulations will deliver significant and much needed improvement, in the short term, they present a big challenge for the building industry.

Moving forward, it is widely recognised that modern methods of construction provide the industry with proven and effective solutions that will enable it to meet these demands to modernise.

Innovative steel and timber based building systems are already being used across the country to create both residential and non-residential projects that go far beyond current standards when it comes to energy efficiency and environmental standards, for example.

Currently, the most significant demonstration of the capability and performance of modern methods of construction is the Kingspan Lighthouse. This innovative house design was the first to achieve level 6 of the CSH, its highest level and the standard to which all new homes must be constructed by 2016.

Importantly, the success of Lighthouse has highlighted the crucial role that modern methods of construction are playing in the modernisation of the building and construction industry.

It has also proved that to reach a level of build quality and performance that will satisfy current and future regulations, it is essential that all the key partners in a project’s design team work closely together right from the outset to maximise its performance potential and streamline the build process.

Choosing the right build method is an essential part of achieving optimum results on both counts and, while one type of system may be ideal for one project, it will not necessarily provide the most appropriate solution for another.

As such, architects, housebuilders and developers need to be able to identify and work with a partner that can provide expert advice on the full range of high performance modern methods of construction available, from timber based systems to steel based systems, to enable an informed decision to be made on what the most effective solution for a project will be.

This pooling of information was one factor behind the formation of the ‘super’ off-site division, which is dedicated to the innovation and delivery of innovative, high performance modern methods of construction. In addition to the timber and steel frame offerings, the division also provides a host of architectural façade systems, a collection of low carbon technologies and a range of balcony offerings.

Kingspan has been at the forefront of developing modern methods of construction in the form of timber and steel solutions for some years but previously this was handled by separate organisations.

The formation of Kingspan Off-Site brings this work together to create a specialist in off-site manufacture and modern methods of construction that has the expertise, knowledge and capacity to develop solutions that optimise the performance of any size and type of project, and, importantly, help architects, housebuilders and developers to meet the tough new challenges the industry now faces.