Offsite Solutions’ latest project for Grainger is to manufacture 567 steel-framed bathroom and shower pods for Exchange Square in Birmingham, which McAleer & Rushe is currently building.
Pod deliveries to site will begin towards the end of 2021 under the £2.8m contract and will be completed by summer 2022 as the building’s structure develops.
Exchange Square is being developed by Nikal for Grainger plc and will provide 375 homes for rent in a 37-storey tower.
Designed by Stephenson Hamilton Risely Studio, the £68m scheme is opposite the HS2 Curzon Street Station in central Birmingham. Completion is scheduled for summer 2023.
The bathroom pods will have dark grey, large format porcelain wall and floor tiles with staggered ‘brick bond’ tile joints to the walls. The bathrooms will be fully fitted in the factory with a three-door mirrored cabinet, a solid surface vanity shelf, semi-pedestal wall hung basin, bath with glass hinged shower screen, heated ladder towel rail, and floor mounted toilet. The shower rooms will have a two-door mirrored wall cabinet and a sliding shower door.
Offsite Solutions is also manufacturing pods for Enigma Square in Milton Keynes – another Grainger build-to-rent scheme which is under construction by Bowmer & Kirkland.
Grainger development manager Helena Tsiantes said, “We fully support the use of offsite manufacturing and for the bathrooms, it gives us the unique opportunity to check the pods in the factory before going into full production. This allows us to review the design detailing and make any minor changes, which is just not possible on site.”
She said: “Following our recent visit to Offsite Solutions’ factory, we were very impressed with the quality of the finishes, particularly the grouting and tiling. The quality was spot on and will result in a better quality product for our residents. Fitting out the bathrooms in a factory which has much more space and light than on site, definitely impacts positively on quality. It is also much easier for us to deal with a single supplier for the bathrooms.”
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