Greater London Enterprise Awards 2021

43 | Greater London Enterprise Awards 2021 Off-site modular manufacturing and construction business, Tempohousing Modular UK Ltd, specialises in the supply of modular housing solutions for students, the hotel industry and private and social housing. The eco-friendly company is committed to providing timely and affordable housing solutions as an alternative to traditional building methods. Modular housing is not a new concept. In fact, it’s been around in one form or another since the 1600s. Modular accommodation has moved in and out of fashion over the centuries but has always been called upon in times of crisis. Notable examples in history are the Californian Gold Rush, where preassembled homes were sent across the country from New York; and of course, the UK’s own ‘Prefabs’ that were built in factories at the end of the Second World War to house those who lost their homes in the Blitz. The processes for building modular homes have advanced enormously since then - but in many cases, the needs for those houses are no less urgent. As London-based Tempohousing Modular UK Ltd picks up an SME award for the second consecutive year, we speak to Director, Deborah Smyth, to find out more about the company and the modular housing industry as a whole. Tempohousing specialises in providing expert housing solutions to those in immediate need. Examples of this are the post-earthquake accommodation in Haiti and homeless shelters for both the Salvation Army and Brighton & Hove City Council that the company has provided. Being advocates of environmental protection, all of Tempohousing’s modular buildings are eco-friendly, producing 90% less waste than a traditional build. With tackling fuel-poverty also high on the company’s agenda, the team aim to achieve zero energy costs and associated carbon emissions on all their build designs. Deborah says: “Our mission is working towards ending fuel poverty. People shouldn’t need to make a decision whether to ‘heat or eat’.” Although modular buildings are constructed differently, the company still ensures compliance with all standard UK Building Regulations. Adopting minimum space standards, Tempohousing is able to guarantee levels of comfort and wellbeing, whilst at the same time satisfying the requirements of the UK’s planning departments for density of land use. Tempohousing uses a steel-frame system of construction. It’s robust and versatile whilst being resource-efficient. There is no waste and each building is fully recyclable at end of life. During the COVID pandemic, Tempohousing has been working with Innovate UK to develop its housing system specifically for the UK market. The funding the company received has allowed Tempohousing to re-assess every part of the development of its products from proof of concept through to the pilot phase. “The pandemic could have derailed the project, but we took a leaf out of the aviation rulebook,” says Deborah. “We turned to modelling to understand how our designs would work for energy use, thermal comfort and overheating, dynamic modelling, thermal bridging and acoustics. The results were very encouraging, justifying the design decisions and material choices. These results along with a durability study will contribute towards a 3rd party certification linked to a warranty enabling our homes to be insurable and mortgageable.” During this time Tempohousing also worked closely with Bristol City Council to create a pilot project demonstrating a zero-carbon housing scheme that can be used to address fuel poverty and homelessness. Looking to the future the company is working with BRE Global to pioneer a new net-zero carbon modular building certification. It has also teamed up with an energy company to provide sustainable energy solutions on its builds, further advancing its mission to fight fuel poverty. Its Tempo-Energy Platform will revolutionise energy provision in social housing to reduce costs and provide potentially valuable income streams for councils and social housing providers. Contact: Deborah Smyth Company: Tempohousing Modular UK Ltd Web Address: www.tempohousing.org.uk Aug21442 Best UK Modular Housing Construction Manufacturer 2021