Benefits of building off site

This Issue This is a part of the Productivity feature

By - , Build 118

Some local prefab buildings include sustainable choices and show innovative thinking.

The Milford Sound chalets were constructed off site in Invercargill and trucked to Milford Sound.

Prefabs bring to mind light-weight classrooms that are too hot in summer and freezing in the winter, but building off site can be beneficial.

The Milford Sound Chalets designed by Sorted Architecture in Wanaka were constructed off site in Invercargill and trucked to Milford Sound. They were demounted onto a fork-truck with a specially designed cradle to travel through the Homer tunnel – it was tight, with only 200 mm clearance at the narrowest point.

Building off site reduced environmental impacts on the Milford Sound landscape. Trades carried out work at Invercargill, rather than bringing materials, and waste, on site. Overall, this is an excellent example of stunning prefab buildings.

Shipping containers for students

Build Green is also involved with a student accommodation project in Christchurch close to the University of Canterbury. Shipping container modules will be constructed off site, then erected on site to form the complete building. Shipping containers offer an opportunity to use recycled material, utilise their structural capacity and are a standard size for transporting.

The Milford Sound chalets were constructed off site in Invercargill and trucked to Milford Sound.

The design orientates the buildings to the north to obtain passive solar design and includes a high level of insulation using New Zealand wool. The proposal has 5-bedroom units to maintain the Kiwi student living experience, with two bathrooms in each unit. Each unit will be designed to have all-day sun in the living areas.

The main advantage of using prefabs in this case is the short construction time on site so the new occupants can move in for the start of the university year in February 2011. Recycled, natural and healthy materials are proposed. Overall, the vision is to create a high-quality, sustainable residential development.

For more

On prefab projects, visit www.buildgreen.co.nz.

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The Milford Sound chalets were constructed off site in Invercargill and trucked to Milford Sound.

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