British Offsite has announced its first UNisystemLB (Load Bearing) project with Weston Homes. The deal is for the housebuilder’s Tayfen Court scheme, a 171-home development in Bury St Edmunds, and has a contract value of 3.8million.
This project marks the first deployment of the UNisystemLB, designed for buildings up to six storeys with a maximum finished floor height of 18 metres. UNisystemLB is a load-bearing, structurally self-supporting system comprising UNipanelLB (external wall panels) and UNiwallLB (internal compartmentalisation walls), capable of rapid deployment of low-rise housing and mid-rise buildings. UNisystemLB aims to save significant build programme time, potentially 30-50% or more, and provides a suitable option for use on mid-rise apartment blocks, healthcare, education and student accommodation projects.
British Offsite’s UNisystemLB panels, pre-installed with head shutters, windows and doors tailored to Weston Homes’ specifications, form the backbone of Tayfen Court. These panels come complete with internal and external insulation and brick tie channels, ensuring airtightness, thermal efficiency, acoustic performance and fire safety.
In total, the Tayfen Court project has utilised 513 UNipanelLB panels for external walls, 397 UNiwallLB panels for internal compartmentalisation and the UNifloor system, all seamlessly integrated, forming UNisystemLB. The offsite manufacturing significantly accelerates the construction timeline, enabling faster compartmentalisation of floors and earlier customer viewings, thus enhancing asset value for developers.
Due to the lightweight nature of this load-bearing system, pad foundations and vented voids can often be omitted in favour of a ground-bearing slab providing further programme and cost efficiencies. The panels are supplied with weather sheathing boards and fire panels on both sides and filled with insulation that provides thermal, acoustic and fire performance as well as project-specific glazing. Each panel is manufactured using standard construction materials to a standardised SFS wall build up and can be adapted to the specific structural, thermal, acoustic and fire requirements, designed on a build-by-build basis.
External cavity insulation, external cavity fire barriers, weather-seal membranes and tapes and internal battens can all be altered to meet specific needs. Panels can be manufactured to a maximum width of 8.4 metres and a maximum height of 3.2 metres. Requirements outside of these parameters or odd-shaped panels such as gable ends can also be accommodated.
A comprehensive internal fit-out is also being undertaken by British Offsite and includes bespoke elements tailored to Weston Homes such as 225 bathrooms with bespoke vanity units, taps, shower trays, screens, baths, tiles; 146 wardrobe systems with mirrored sliding doors and timber decors; and 146 quartz kitchen worktops, precision-engineered with laser templating and CNC machining, including sink, hob, tap, and instant boiling water installations.
Shaun Weston, managing director of British Offsite, said: “We are thrilled to announce that the first UNisystemLB panels have been delivered and installed on-site in Bury St Edmunds. Tayfen Court showcases the potential of our UNisystemLB technology in delivering high-quality, energy-efficient homes swiftly and reliably. Our product is fast, flexible, reliable and competitive, making it an ideal solution for modern construction needs. This partnership exemplifies our commitment to innovation and excellence in offsite construction.”
