Modern Building Services

FEATURE PIPED SERVICES MODERN BUILDING SERVICES JANUARY 2021 15 Not only can preassembly provide a remedy to the skills shortage, it can assure the consistency and quality of manufacture that is nigh on impossible to replicate onsite. Offsite construction has an array of advantages over traditional build methods – speed of installation, fewer site workers and, perhaps most importantly of all, a higher quality finished product. Quality control has been a key focus in construction over the past few years. Changing regulations have placed greater responsibility on contractors to install systems that hit the mark on excellence. Creating products in a factory- controlled environment ticks a huge box in this respect; offering the consistent manufacture of systems that comply with and meet the high levels set by British Standards. Quality control Maintaining a high level of quality onsite can be difficult when traditional trades are employed – particularly on sites prone to inclement weather. Annual precipitation in the UK averages at around 133 days a year, which can cause disruption on construction sites. Utilising offsite manufacturing however means products are manufactured in a factory-controlled environment that isn’t exposed to the same weather conditions as traditional methods. Not only is the project completed in less time, but it often yields a better result that hasn’t been potentially affected by the damages caused by rain, storm, or snow — something that a building owner may not learn until further down the line. Minimise risk Working in construction comes with its fair share of risks. Over the past decade or so, the industry has been putting a number of measures in place to improve safety for workers and mitigate risk. Whether it be operating heavy machinery, working at height, or handling dangerous materials, these risks have to be prevented to ensure health and safety remains uncompromised. With offsite construction, there is less labour to be done onsite, reducing the number of injuries and health hazards. Studies show that traditional construction still has more serious and fatal injuries than manufacturing. The accident rates are 29% less for major injuries and 52% less for fatalities in manufacturing. Furthermore, products tested in a manufacturing environment to a high-quality standard are less likely to experience problems including leaking. This can help contractors save on costs as they are not having to revisit the site after the final installation to fix any snags onsite, often disrupting the tenants. Less waste Sustainability continues to be a key pressure point for the construction and manufacturing industries. To put it simply, offsite manufacturing leaves fewer waste materials onsite, with the likes of Polypipe’s Advantage Service offering able to reuse and recycle materials that are cast away during the manufacturing process. More than just a fabrication service, Polypipe Advantage is an end-to-end solution for the UK commercial market. Devised by Polypipe Building Services, the Advantage Service supports construction teams from design and planning to ordering, delivery, technical support and customer service, to simplify complex processes. In the manufacturing area, all pipework is cut to the size specified on a customer’s drawings. Any cut-offs are repurposed for other jobs. A process such as this ensures every piece of material is used to create an alternative product or recycled into the next line. This streamlined approach not only minimises the amount of waste created, generally, it makes everything that little bit more efficient. Furthermore, completed drainage SVPs are delivered on wooden stillages which can be recycled or returned back to Polypipe Building Services, further reducing waste onsite. This pays in dividends for contractors onsite where traditionally extra sums of money would have to be paid to remove the waste. A solution such as the Advantage Service, therefore, delivers precisely what customers need and nothing more, with no spare parts or unnecessary extras to dispose of. Offsite manufacturing and preassembly are making huge differences to construction projects. Not only is prefabrication ensuring contractors and the like can meet ever tighter deadlines, manufacturers can create and supply systems to the highest standard, guaranteeing compliance in the process. All of these products pass through rigorous testing before being delivered to site. Prefabrication is, thus, offering contractors the flexibility and speed they need for projects to excel. It’s streamlining what were once onsite inefficiencies and boosting productivity in key areas too. With such clear benefits on offer, utilising preassembly is simply a no brainer.