Elements Europe Pod innovations at Interbuild

Two life-size structures, the Roompod and the Ty Unnos house will feature in The Village - a self-contained area showcasing sustainable solutions for today's built environment.

Elements Europe is investing in a triple show presence to launch its latest innovations at Interbuild 2008 (26-30 October at Birmingham's NEC).

The pioneering pod company is complementing its stand in Hall 5's 'Offsite Solutions' with the provision of two life-size structures within new show feature, The Village - a self-contained area showcasing sustainable solutions for today's built environment.

Here, visitors will be privy to a sneak preview of its newly developed affordable housing offer, Ty Unnos, which literally translates from Welsh as 'House Overnight' - so-called because of its Welsh timber frame superstructure and the speed of its construction.

Accompanying this will be an example of Elements' revolutionary Roompod - a volumetric modular solution swiftly taking off across the hotel, care home and student accommodation sectors.

Roompod will be revealed in the form of two adjoining hotel rooms which are set to host the show's Press and VIP areas.

These two Elements' structures will also sit alongside a retail outlet and a traditional build 'eco' house, to collectively form The Village.

In-line with the interactive exhibit's environmental focus, Elements will be demonstrating its optional 'eco' fixtures - such as greywater recycling, aerated taps and sensor operated lighting - which make meeting even the highest environmental regulations a realistic expectation within relatively modest budgets.

"We took the decision to do 'all or nothing' at Interbuild this year," says Chief Operating Officer for Elements Europe, Darren Richards.

"The short time it takes to complete a 'live' build made it entirely feasible that we could provide the structures for The Village".

"Not only does it give us a great opportunity to highlight the environmental benefits of building this way, but it also offers an impactful demonstration of just how quickly results can be achieved".

"A 60-bed hotel, for example, can be installed within a week and, as the name suggests, a house can be erected overnight and ready for occupancy within a few days".

"Furthermore, we viewed The Village as a quirky initiative to support our presence in the main body of the show".

Elements Europe will be exhibiting a comprehensive selection of pods from its wider range in a sizeable stand-alone space, located in the same vicinity as The Village.

Its original Solopod and Copod concepts will be joined by relative newcomer Strucmet and the just-launched Strucpod, each offering specific benefits for both residential and commercial builds.

Solopod is an individual kitchen, bathroom or en-suite showering facility - widely specified for student accommodation and similar applications; while Copod offers a combination of these living areas and can include optional staircase integration.

Roompod takes this to the next level offering a complete load-bearing room module, which can be adapted to individual operator requirements; comprising fully fitted en-suite and dressing facilities, electricity, carpets and all fixtures and fittings.

Harnessing hybrid construction methods, Strucpod is a super-efficient, load-bearing version of Solopod.

Its load-bearing properties enable the pods to be stacked seamlessly, without the duplication of floors, walls and ceilings.

Keeping structural materials to a minimum means a reduction in construction time and costs compared to earlier pod technologies and offers vast savings over traditional building methods.

Lastly, Elements' innovative line-up at Interbuild is completed by Strucmet - a fully integrated light steel frame structure incorporating insulation, internal and external finishes, fixings and claddings to meet the latest thermal, acoustic and fire safety requirements".

"Pod technology has really come in to its own over the past five years," says Darren Richards.

"The high quality fixtures, fittings and sturdiness of today's modular builds far exceed the expectations of some parts of the industry, blinkered by the 'pre-fab' perceptions of old".

"Ty Unnos and Roompod are representative of the next step solutions currently shaping offsite construction and we look forward to presenting a sneak preview of their potential at Interbuild".

These latest developments are the result of ongoing research and development at the company's headquarters in Oswestry, Shropshire.

For further information go to www.elements-europe.com or see real-life pod applications on Stand L159/M160, Hall 5 at Interbuild (26 - 30 October at Birmingham's NEC).

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