Labour has certainly pledged a go-hard-or-go-home approach to infrastructure growth. Red tape will be ‘slashed’ to supercharge rail and road projects as part of a planned 10-year infrastructure strategy.
However, is a big and bold plan enough to keep new schemes on track? Speed and agility will be essential for building momentum behind projects – from the workforces building new infrastructure to the suppliers providing their accommodation. Modular solutions could just be the missing cog to get the UK moving.
What’s the road ahead for UK infrastructure?
Labour’s intent to overhaul rail and road – from maintaining and renewing roads to improving rail connectivity across the North – is a hopeful shift in gears for UK infrastructure. Key commitments from its pre-election manifesto included:
- Developing a 10-year infrastructure strategy that aligns with the industrial strategy and regional development priorities.
- Creating a new National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority to set priorities and manage projects.
- Reforming the planning regime to drive new rail, road, reservoir and other key infrastructure projects.
So far so good – especially as a recent survey from Made UK of 390 firms found that three quarters felt road networks were vital to supply chains and more than half said the northern leg of HS2 should not have been scrapped.
With the government facing tough calls to prioritise certain infrastructure schemes in the shadow of a £22 billion “black hole” in public finances, projects that make the cut must be delivered without delay.
Modular in motion
Time is of the essence when it comes to meeting the UK’s infrastructure needs. Project supply chains must be streamlined and there is a small margin for setbacks. As a highly efficient method of building, modular manufacturing is the perfect cog to keeping wider infrastructure schemes moving.
Main contractors are masters in plate spinning, but sometimes, even they need help. Fast and flexible on-site accommodation is paramount for ensuring work can continue as normal and the health and wellbeing of workers is kept front and centre. Scalable, sustainable and delivered at speed, modular solutions can be made bespoke and installed to tight deadlines ahead of a large workforce starting on site.
But that’s not all – let us show you what we can do:
- Site constraints? Modular solutions can be adapted vertically or horizontally and scaled up or down for a perfect fit.
- Quality requirements? Modular solutions are produced in controlled conditions and designed to provide a ‘permanent feel’, high-quality internal environment.
- Changing workforce? Modular solutions can be reconfigured and repurposed after completion to suit workforce needs.
All aboard the modular movement
For a great example of how modular can be used to streamline infrastructure growth, look no further than the project Premier Modular delivered for civil engineering specialist SCS JV as part of HS2 phase one.
To support the firm in constructing a variety of structures, Premier Modular’s rental division worked tirelessly to produce more than 15,000sqm of building solutions, providing everything from open plan offices and welfare space to meeting rooms, shower facilities, first aid rooms and canteens.
The mammoth scheme comprised over 500 modules, with each phase turned around on a short programme that ensured SCS JV’s significant workforce could be accommodated on time, and in the best possible environment.
Low energy lighting, low water-consumption showers and rainwater harvesting systems were all incorporated into the solution to curb the impact on the environment over their five-year period of use.
The infrastructure behind Britain’s infrastructure
With future of the UK’s rail and road networks at a crossroads, modular building will serve as a reliable, sustainable pillar of support, keeping up the momentum of new infrastructure schemes.
Precision manufactured with zero waste to landfill and contributing to a circular economy through its ability to be reused and repurposed, modular will also ensure that the UK remains on track with its sustainability commitments, by dramatically reducing construction carbon emissions across the built environment.
Want to get your next project on the road? Get in touch with our rental team today.
