Build to Rent (BTR) now accounts for 1 in 4 new build residential units in the UK. By all accounts the sector looks set for continued growth and the long-term investment models driving BTR provide shelter from current economic headwinds. However, there are real challenges for the Construction Industry in delivering the 'B' of BTR.
Rising material prices are an obvious issue, but of equal importance is the challenge of meeting the environment, social and governance (ESG) requirements of investors.
Cold rolled steel (CRS) building systems, such as offered by MetStructures, are well placed to provide solutions. However, this depends on working in collaboration from the earliest possible stage with the BTR operators, and the key elements of the supply chain required to deliver a CRS structure.
CRS systems provide structures of up to 15 storeys with concrete floors, satisfying the demands for long-term robustness of BTR operators. Working collaboratively, it is possible to reduce time to practical completion by as much as 24 weeks, providing savings in prelim costs, as well as reduced finance costs, plus earlier rental income. Taken together these speed benefits provide some mitigation against rising material prices.
Perhaps the biggest benefit of CRS will be in meeting the ESG demands of investors. Finding ways to reduce the weight of structures is one of the most important tools in reducing embodied CO2. CRS structures are half the weight of concrete frame equivalents, with the added benefit that steel is fully recyclable, and re-usable.
For more information, visit MetStructures
Read the full article, go to Light Steel Frame Magazine
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