Work will begin in April 2019 on a weather- and fire-resistant modular demonstration home at the BRE’s Innovation Park in Watford.

Project Etopia's modular house at the BRE.

Project Etopia, the manufacturer behind the project, hopes it will be the first to be awarded BRE’s BPS7014 Standard for modular systems for dwellings. 

The building will showcase how the latest technology can be used to create energy-efficient modular homes that use significantly less electricity. It will also be tested for its ability to withstand hurricanes, fires and floods.

The 108sqm three-bedroom detached home will cost around 20 per cent less than a conventional home at around £140,000 (£1,200/sqm) for a smart home. This compares with build costs of around £162,000 (£1,500/sqm) for a basic brick and mortar home.

Its panelised walls will achieve a 0.13 U-value, compared with 0.16 for a typical well-insulated wall in a new-build brick property. 

All of the exterior wall superstructure will be constructed in an on-site time of 20 hours (16 hours for walls, 4 hours for scaffolding) compared with as much as three weeks for a traditional home. The Etopia build system is also not weather dependent. 

Project Etopia’s smart home will have its own solar cladding in conjunction with Great British Voltaic (GBV), solar and tiles, triple glazing, a Daikin Altherma Heating and Cooling System and E-Smart’s plug-and-play smart home system with Samsung smart appliances. 

The new BPS7014 certification is designed to ensure modular buildings adhere to the highest sustainability and building credentials by certifying construction systems and components. The certification will be unveiled by BRE this summer. 

The British Research Establishment was set up in 1921 and is the world’s leading building science centre. Gaining certification and meeting the required standards earns developers global recognition for high-level performance. 

Joseph Daniels, CEO of Project Etopia, said: “Modular homes are now not just as good as bricks and mortar but better, with smart energy-efficient technology woven into their very fabric.” 

Read more about BRE Innovation Park

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