Products

Product innovation: cool cubes

Richard Horden, director at Horden Cherry Lee Architects, has collaborated with German practice Lydia Haack + John Hoepfner Architects to develop a modular home that combines state-of-the-art technology and low-energy use. Called the Micro Compact Home, the 2.65 m3 module made by Gatterbauer in Austria uses insulated vacuum aluminium panels and high-quality insulating glass to minimise energy consumption while keeping a lightweight structure. The design is inspired by the layout of traditional Japanese tea houses. The first six cubes have been installed in Munich for the local student housing authority and are divided into zones for toilet, shower, kitchen, dining area and sleeping space. The team behind the project is currently reviewing the dwelling’s energy consumption. Units can be combined and mounted on an external aluminium frame in vertical and horizontal formations around central lift and stair cores. Micro Compact Home Production is working with several developers and private clients to build on a range of sites including a snowboarding village in the Alps and projects in Switzerland, Germany and Austria.

Micro Compact Home
www.microcompacthome.com
www.building.co.uk/enquiries 301

Movers and makers

• Yorkon has launched a software tool that compares the whole-life costs of the Yorkon system with other modular and traditionally constructed buildings. The program uses whole-life costing techniques and 3D building simulation software to enable specifiers to evaluate the implications of design options on carbon emissions, energy consumption and running costs.
• Foremans Relocatable Building Systems has launched the www.constructionspace.co.uk website for the sale, hire and purchase of pre-owned modular buildings. It provides information about the company’s stock of modular buildings and cabins, photographs, specifications, layouts and the relevant costs. The company says it will consider buying modular buildings that other construction companies no longer need.
• Precision-engineered metal systems maker SAS International and air distribution and static cooling innovation firm Krantz have entered into a partnership to develop bespoke integrated service modules that can be assembled off-site and incorporate heating, cooling, lighting, sprinklers and electronic amplification systems. The firms say they are able to design, supply and install a fully co-ordinated building interior that includes integrated service modules, matching architectural bulkheads, columns and acoustic panels.
• Advanced Panel Systems, the modern methods of construction division at Select Nicholls, has installed a production facility in Callington, Cornwall to produce 1000 kit houses a year. The APS system is said to be the only closed panel system to come with roof cassettes as well as insulation, drylining, windows, doors and floor cassettes.
• A continuing professional development seminar on off-site techniques devised by Ruuki UK, a supplier of metal-based products and systems, has been granted assessed material status by the RIBA. Off-site Solutions for the Modern Building Envelope is available as an in-practice seminar. It offers information on the rise of off-site building methods, assessment of their advantages, case studies and an installation guide.
• The MMC Alliance has been launched to promote the benefits of modern methods of construction and to provide a pool of off-site resources. The association comprises 40 members, including companies such as Levolux and Saint-Gobain. It represents every sub-sector of off-site manufacturing.