Structural Insulated Panels
SIPs: the UK context
The urgent need for alternative
building materials
The UK construction industry is in
a state of transition. New housing
stock is needed urgently; particularly
affordable homes. Successive
governments have similarly failed to
live up to targets pledged. The need
for more commercial and industrial
building is also well-publicised.
Yet the construction industry has
been failing to meet these needs,
due to a combination of factors. A
chronic shortage of skilled labour, the
unpredictability of British weather,
and arguably the biggest factor – an
unwillingness to change.
Now, however, the changes are
beginning, and architects, developers
and contractors are all considering
how to adopt Modern Methods of
Construction (MMC). The House
of Lords Science and Technology
Committee report Off-site manufacture
for construction recommends a
presumption in favour of MMC when
granting planning permission for new
developments.
Widespread use of SIPs throughout
the world
MMC requires not only new
methodologies, but also different
materials. Whilst SIPs are not new
(they were first developed in the
1950’s and 60’s), growth in their use
in construction in the UK follows
widespread usage and predicted growth
throughout the world, and is to be
welcomed for a variety of reasons.
Let us now consider the benefits of
SIPs in greater detail, each of which
together demonstrates the significant
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contribution SIPs can make in the
future of UK construction.
Flexibility in Building
Design
Designed and custom-built
Those unfamiliar with new building
technologies tend to confuse SIPs
buildings, with last century’s rather
ugly, prefabricated constructions.
SIPs enable the creation of buildings
where design possibilities are almost
endless.
Complicated shapes can be produced
economically using SIPs. Each building
can be uniquely designed and custom-
built to architect or designer-provided
specifications.
The unique design flexibility of SIPs
enables town-planners, along with
their architects to create buildings to
complement local styles, needs, and
trends.