28 Jun 2011

Cutting edge modular construction techniques have given a disabled four-year-old boy a new lease of life in a move that could pave the way for an explosion in the deployment of the technology.

Shropshire-based Building Components created a custom-made Modular Adaptation Pod (MAP) to extend the home of Scott Smith, who lives in Wirral, with his own bedroom and bathroom. Within one-and-a-half hours of lifting it into place at the family home the instant extension had the lights on and hot water coming out of the taps.

Scott is afflicted by Myotubular Myopathy which has left him confined to a wheelchair and unable to breathe without a ventilator. His mother had been forced to resort to giving him showers at school because Scott could not be carried up the stairs in his home, but their house was not suitable for conversion.

Building Components was able to provide the solution having created streamlined processes allowing it to maximise the degree of completion of each pod in the factory and minimise the time on site.

Director of Building Components, Ray Philpin, explained: “Every person requiring our Modular Adaptation Pod has different needs, meaning we pay close attention to the detail of their unique requirements and can very efficiently create the right environment for them first time, every time. This makes the process vastly less intrusive for them than the traditional approach of either retro-fitting their home or using traditional extension building techniques to meet their needs. In this case we were on-site for just two weeks before the installation which was carried out in one day.

“It is also a much more cost-effective way for councils and housing associations to spend their budgets. A MAP could be in place for not much more than the £30,000 DFG grant and completed in two to three weeks. If you compare that to similar extension and adaptation projects using traditional building methods it could represent a saving of tens of thousands of pounds and months of work. In this case it has been a minimum of disruption for Scott and he now has all the space he needs in an environment that will make it easier for his family to care for him. It's a great feeling to be able to deliver that.”

Working with its customer, Wirral Partnership Homes, Building Components was able to specify the finished MAP for Scott and his family right down to matching the existing cladding on their home. The 7.5m x 3.5m pod has all of the necessary accessibility features, including ramps and rails, as well as 30 power sockets specifically to cater for the equipment needed to care for the four-year-old. The wet room is designed with a level-access shower capable of accommodating a 2m x 900mm shower trolley.

The MAP is constructed from light steel to meet all current building regulations, but in this instance the roof strength was increased to accommodate an electrical hoist capable of lifting 300kg. An 80-tonne crane was used to hoist the pod over the Smith family home and carefully position it on the ready-prepared foundations.

Brian Simpson, chief executive of Wirral Partnership Homes, said: “It is hoped that this property adaptation will go a long way to improve Scott's quality of life and aid his family in providing his care.

“The MAP is an innovative and affordable approach used to adapt properties to suit the needs of our disabled tenants. It can be moved, or further upgraded in the future, depending on the changing aspects of Scott's needs.”

Scott's MAP was the first installation of a growing number of orders for the individually specified pods for people with particular mobility or care requirements due to be completed in the coming weeks and months.

Building Components works at the leading edge of modular construction and other innovative construction techniques, supplying pods for a wide range of uses, including for domestic homes, student accommodation ,care homes and hotels. It has been involved in a number of ground-breaking projects, including the House in a Day scheme which saw the completion of a fully-functioning home in just 12 hours – a world first which showcased construction innovation.