Innovaré’s Structurally Insulated Panel (SIP) system was used in a new social rental accommodation scheme at Merstham in Surrey.

The scheme, which is owned by Amicus Horizon, consists of nine two-bedroom terraced houses and one three-bedroom house with wheelchair facilities including a walk-in shower. Innovaré’s SIP system was the preferred choice of project contractor, Osborne Homes, as it allows a complete dry structure to be erected rapidly which significantly reduces construction schedules.

The SIP system is also a Modern Methods of Construction as it permits a high degree of construction to be completed Offsite. This was a significant advantage for the Merstham project where restricted space meant that only a limited amount of construction materials could be stored on site.
 
Amicus Horizon is an umbrella organisation for social landlords which provide homes and services to communities across London and the South East. Project manager, Debra Richards commented: “Innovaré managed to meet an extremely tight deadline with little onsite space to work with. We are really pleased with the speed at which this product was erected, which in turn enabled us to meet delivery time scales.”

Project architects HNW of Chichester, West Sussex worked closely with Innovaré on the project. HNW’s Ken Watson said: “The houses had to be built on suspended ground to allow the free flow of flood water, this was a requirement highlighted by the Planning Authority. With this in mind Innovaré’s SIP system seemed the obvious choice with most of the construction work done offsite.”

Andrew Orriss, Innovare Systems’ Managing Director, comments: "We were also interested in this scheme from a design point of view, as it allowed us to demonstrate the design freedom you can achieve with the Innovare SIP building system. Working closely with the main contractor we were also able to plan well ahead on the build to ensure we completed the project on time and to budget."