Modular commuter village to be built

Project Etopia will build 47 homes in what it claims is London's first modular 'commuter village'

47 homes in Corby will be constructed with a structurally insulated panel system, which is manufactured in a factory and transported to site.

Groundwork on the £14.6m project will start this month. Construction of the 47 homes - 31 houses and 16 apartments - will begin in February.

Corby is one hour and ten minutes from London by train and the homes are expected to be purchased by commuters.  A four bedroom house is expected to sell for between £320,000 and £350,000.

Joseph Daniel, CEO of Project Etopia told Construction Manager:

“Old building techniques are exacerbating the housing crisis and it’s totally unnecessary.

“Corby is leading the way in showing how villages of the future should be built. Modular building is now so advanced, it is senseless to cling to bricks and mortar, which takes longer to build and is far more expensive.

“With a desperate need for more housing stock around the country, it is vital developers and investors finally let go of preconceptions of modular building. These are homes people really want to live in and they present huge environmental benefits from being energy neutral to requiring less on-site traffic during the build."

Image: Modular building construction at another site. Credit Algeco GmbH.