British embassy staff in Iraq are to be given a new home made from flat-pack lightweight materials. Work began three weeks ago and is due to be completed in September.
The Foreign Office worked with consulting engineer Peter Dann and manufacturer Carier on the designs. The temporary accommodation is being built in the gardens of the old embassy in Baghdad, which was badly damaged during the second Gulf War.

Carier produced the main components for the embassy at its factory in Braintree, Essex.

Twenty-nine units are to be constructed, including office, residential and recreational accommodation.

They are made from a light pressed steel framework, to which cladding, insulation, plasterboard and floorboards are attached.

Each of the units measures 3 m by 6 m and has a minimum headroom of 2.3 m. The temporary accommodation cost £500,000 to develop and has a shelf life of up to five years.

Work on the embassy is expected to finish in mid-September after a 12-week production cycle.

Carier, a private company with 150 staff, has traditionally concentrated on providing bulk material handling equipment for the agricultural market. The decision to enter the prefabricated construction market is a new departure for the firm.