Building Awards 2019: Offsite Project of the Year

Runners-up

Bollo Lane

Entered by PRP

Bollo Lane W4 is a modern building in west London featuring 84 discounted first-time-buyer “Pocket” homes, 28 private-sale apartments and flexible office space. With a site bounded on three sides by railway tracks, modular construction was the obvious route. The speed of construction resulting from the modular approach saved money, brought in sales revenue much earlier and provided a better-quality product with far fewer defects than traditional construction would have done. PRP was deeply involved in the design, the development of the construction system from concept through to delivery and finally the client fit-out on site, delivering the scheme on time and to budget.

Corben Mews

Entered by Click Above

Click Above’s Corben Mews is an airspace development in the Vauxhall, Nine Elms and Battersea regeneration area of London. Comprising two penthouses, the project unlocked value for the owner of the existing residential block on which the new homes were constructed and delivered them with minimal disruption to the existing residents. It also brought improvements to the communal areas of the building.  

Grosvenor House

Entered by NG Bailey

A landmark development in the heart of Sheffield, Grosvenor House is a cornerstone of the local council’s plans to transform the area, creating a new retail and commercial quarter. Delivering large schemes in a busy city centre poses challenges, but these were overcome with the help of NG Bailey’s in-house offsite manufacturing expertise – saving time, improving safety and with consideration for the community. NG Bailey’s offsite manufacturing operation worked closely with its engineering team, developing a series of bespoke mechanical, electrical and plumbing service module solutions, enabling the fast-track project to be delivered within a tight one-year timescale.

Newfoundland

Entered by WSP

Newfoundland is a new 60-storey residential building in London’s Docklands. Built by contractor-developer Canary Wharf Group, its diagrid structure is a direct response to the factors that constrained the site. Located above the Jubilee line, alongside a 19th-century grade I-listed dock wall and at the end of a large body of water, the tall, slim tower makes the most of its narrow footprint. The project team blended offsite and on-site construction methods, finding the optimal design and process to navigate the tricky site and a demanding programme. 

Royal Albert Dock

Entered by Farrells

In a departure from the firm’s historical workload in masterplanning, Farrells has delivered seven projects on site in the past year in roles ranging from novated architect to compliance monitoring, work that represented a substantial upskilling and the building of a robust technical team. Farrells’ BIM team has been accredited by the BSI for offering BIM level 02 services, a model that on its Royal Albert Dock project fostered a collaborative consultant environment and reduced risk and design changes on site. The Royal Albert Dock scheme also saw the practice’s first experiment with modular technology, delivering a cost-effective series of commercial buildings designed with conversion to residential in mind.

Savoy Circus

Entered by HTA Design/Tide Construction/Vision Modular Systems

The last year has seen HTA Design – a long-time champion of modular housing projects – complete two more modular student housing schemes at Savoy Circus and Holloway Road. The firm is also responsible for the 45-storey George Street modular tower scheme, now under construction in east Croydon, which when complete will be the tallest modular structure in the world.