East Yorkshire construction firm delivers sustainable higher education facility for TEDI London

East Yorkshire based offsite specialist Premier Modular has delivered a £2.6m contract to provide a bespoke, sustainable higher education facility at Canada Water in London.

Occupied by The Engineering and Design Institute London (TEDI-London), the building is the first phase of an innovative new modular campus for research and development.

The new facility was designed and built in just nine months in time for the first cohort of students. Premier’s modular solution allowed its “rapid and sustainable” construction, whilst minimising disruption to the local area.

Designed by architects Hawkins\Brown, the building will be in use for the next seven years to allow British Land to work with TEDI-London to develop a permanent home for its students. Minimising impact on the environment was therefore a key part of the project brief.

David Harris, managing director of Premier Modular, said, “This use of modular construction brought a number of important environmental benefits to the project. As with all our buildings, this scheme was manufactured by Premier at our factory in Brandesburton with zero waste to landfill.

“When the Institute relocates to its permanent home, the modular structure can then be dismantled for sustainable re-use or recycling. The lightweight nature of the Premier steel-framed offsite system also meant the campus building could be sited on the existing concrete base of a disused car park, avoiding the need for intrusive foundations.”

David Walters, programme director at British Land, added: “We are using modular construction in a really different way on this campus. It is enabling our tenants to grow with us, only taking the space they need at any one time, with the knowledge that we can respond rapidly to expand the building when they need to add more space.

“This is achieved with the least possible disruption, and an architectural quality that enhances the surroundings enormously. This project successfully demonstrates excellent design, a highly efficient building system, and outstanding collaboration at every stage.”

Sarah Whittaker-Gilbey, head of facilities, health and safety at TEDI-London, concluded: “This is a wonderful building. All the feedback has been so positive. It encourages interaction and collaboration, and has a strong community feel - exactly what we wanted. We all just love it!”