Image Credit: McCarthy Stone uses Modern Methods of Construction to provide a low cost home ownership solution for a project in Failsworth, Oldham.
United Kingdom retirement housing developer McCarthy Stone announced it has broken ground on its tenth project using prefabricated cold-formed steel (CFS) framing and other modern methods of construction.
The developer plans to build a total of 40 senior housing community sites using modern construction methods to speed project delivery by up to 40%. Such methods will also reduce carbon emissions, through improved building performance, compared to traditional construction methods.
In this video, McCarthy Stone installs a prefabricated wall panel, made from cold-formed steel (CFS) framing, using Modern Methods of Construction for a project in Failsworth, Oldham.
Steel Framing: A Path to Sustainable Communities
McCarthy Stone is the first U.K. developer to use offsite construction to build and deliver retirement homes on a national scale. Through a partnership with Remagin (formerly Sigmat), a European manufacturer of CFS components and panelized structural steel frames, McCarthy Stone has developed cost-effective and sustainable structures.
“[Remagin’s] unique solution will further increase our build quality, control our costs and most importantly, build more energy-efficient and greener communities,” says John Tonkiss, chief executive officer at McCarthy Stone. “This [partnership] paves the way to a more cost-efficient and sustainable future.”
Tonkiss says McCarthy Stone’s goal is to build 50% of its retirement communities using CFS components and panelized structural steel frame technologies.
Benefits of Modern Methods of Construction
Modern methods of construction focus on off-site construction techniques. MMC includes mass production processes and factory assembly as alternatives to traditional building.
Modern methods of construction:
- Speed up construction by 30%
- Reduce labor costs by 25%
- Eliminate construction waste
- Improve construction quality
- Increase energy efficiency
40 Steel-Framed Retirement Communities By 2025
McCarthy Stone opened its first MMC retirement community using CFS framing in Hexham, Northumberland in Northern England. CFS framing helped to reduce McCarthy Stone’s typical build-time by 15%. The company expects to reduce build-times by an additional 25% as it gains experience with the technology – a total of 40% over traditional construction methods.
McCarthy Stone opened its first retirement community using CFS framing in Hexham, Northumberland. Credit: McCarthy Stone
“This is a hugely exciting collaboration for both McCarthy Stone and [Remagin],” says Paul Smith, managing director of Remagin. “We are delighted to have been selected as McCarthy Stone’s light-gauge steel framing partner of choice on their journey to fully embrace MMC and the benefits it brings.”
McCarthy Stone and Remagin continue to refined their strategy, integrating windows, external doors, and external insulation directly in the factory to minimize risks and delays. Their future endeavors will increasingly embrace a streamlined closed panel solution, aiming to optimize the advantages of MMC.
“MMC is helping us to further increase our build quality, control our costs, and most importantly, build more energy-efficient and greener communities,” said Peter Forsyth, director of strategic initiatives at McCarthy Stone. “Our focused approach to MMC and our secure pipeline of consented land means we have found the right formula to enable us to use it to accelerate housing delivery.”
McCarthy Stone plans to build 5 senior housing communities in 2022, 10 in 2023 and 25 in 2024.
“I am pleased to see McCarthy Stone will be expanding their commitment to deliver more retirement housing using modern methods of construction,” says Construction Minister and Member of Parliament Lee Rowley. “Their cleaner and cheaper construction method is helping the U.K. meet its net zero targets while also providing high-quality housing for our aging population.”
McCarthy Stone and Remagin Receive NHBC Accreditation
The National House Building Council has given McCarthy Stone and Remagin the NHBC Accepts accreditation for their unique apartment system using CFS.
NHBC is an independent provider of warranty and insurance for new homes in the U.K…
The NHBC Accepts accreditation will enable fast-tracking of benefits for customers including improved environmental performance and reduced impact from construction work on communities.
“We are delighted to welcome the McCarthy Stone MMC system to NHBC Accepts,” says Richard Lankshear, NHBC senior technical services manager.
“McCarthy Stone is one of the first developers to obtain this certification in collaboration with the U.K.’s largest CFS supplier,” Lankshear says. “And we know from feedback that once a product is given the NHBC Accepts green light that this creates confidence in the quality, long-term durability and traceability.”
Additional Resources
- 4 Reasons Prefabrication is Here to Stay
- Prefabrication Reaches Mainstream Status with Steel Framing
- 9 Ways Construction Firms Are Dealing with the Labor Shortage