MET Homes.
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MET Homes Ltd
UK
LGS Structural Panel Building System - R&D to Accreditation
2022-2023
Confidential
Project Description
Recognising that offsite construction is fundamentally about economies of scale, MET Homes has adopted a manufacturing led approach which strips out duplication to allow developers to concentrate on areas where choice adds real value.
APPLY was commissioned to develop an offsite manufactured building system comprising a limited number of Category 2 structural panels to be stocked by builder’s merchants, that enable SME constructors to build a wide variety of house types with a development Pre-Manufactured Value (PMV) of more than 55%.
Description of our Work
APPLY has a well-developed process for investigating our client’s requirements from concept to accreditation which can be summarised as:
What is desirable?
What is feasible?
What is viable?
Working with a wide data set, we analysed the characteristics of a variety of available typologies to determine the critical factors common to each. These factors were aggregated to understand potential product features for both structural and partition walls, and floors. A conceptual framework for a wide variety of detached, semi-detached, terraced, 2, 2.5, and 3-storey houses and apartment buildings was established.
Design development of the 2D panel system using digital workflows allowed rapid 3D visualisation of alternative combinations resulting in a system comprised of just 13 standard variants - 9 LGSF closed wall panels and 4 LGSF open floor cassettes – that can be used in combination to deliver more than 50 house designs.
The second phase of the project took the panels through detail design and production information to illustrate their suitability for production by a variety of manufacturers and with a wide variety of cladding systems.
The Buildoffsite Property Assurance Scheme (BOPAS) was selected to provide system accreditation due to its independent role in providing assurance to lenders, developers, contractors, and homeowners that construction systems installed by accredited MMC providers, conform to industry best practice in terms of durability, and system integrity.
The system was accredited in 2023.
