News

04/03/2008 – Yorkon Releases Performance Figures Showing a Dramatic Increase in Demand for Steel-framed Modular Building

Figures released by award-winning off-site construction specialist and Portakabin subsidiary, Yorkon, indicate that the demand for its steel-framed modular building system is increasing dramatically.

The value of orders has increased by 50 per cent in the past year and more than 75 per cent of Yorkon's business is now from past customers - further evidence of the reliability of off-site construction to deliver quality buildings on time and on budget.

The increases are consistent in every sector. The value of contracts now underway in the health sector is in excess of £20m and turnover in the education sector is set to double this year.

Enquiries from the Yorkon website are 120 per cent up on last year, following the successful relaunch of the website, which is a valuable source of information, case studies and reports about off-site construction.

As an integral part of its commitment to quality and service, Yorkon carries out customer satisfaction surveys for every completed building, achieving an average score of 96 per cent in the last 12 months. Every customer said they would use Yorkon again and would recommend the approach.

David Johnson, Director and General Manager of Yorkon, said, "Our performance demonstrates that organisations in every sector are recognising the benefits of off-site construction and that it has gained acceptance as a mainstream method of building."

"As a business, we have continued to innovate, which has been a major factor in helping us to further increase market share. We have introduced new architectural features and design tools to meet the needs of building end users, contractors and architects."

"Shaped modules, 12m clear internal spans, and a wider range of cladding, glazing and ‘green' options mean that modular construction does not compromise design flexibility and can create genuinely exciting, statement buildings."

He added, "We have also seen sustainability grow in importance and the Yorkon approach offers significant environmental benefits, which has been another factor in the increased demand for our building system."

Off-site construction is a highly sustainable alternative to traditional construction methods:

It generates fewer vehicle movements, helping to reduce congestion and carbon emissions
Material waste can be reduced by up to 90 per cent compared to site-based construction (source: WRAP)
Modular buildings are more thermally efficient and consistently perform up to 70 per cent better than Building Regulations requirements, in full-scale tests for air permeability
Research has shown that up to 67 per cent less energy is required to produce a modular building compared to a traditionally-built project (source: Arup Research and Development).

Projects now under construction include:

a £12m ProCure21 contract awarded by Medicinq Osborne for West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust to build the UK's largest modular healthcare scheme
modular convenience stores for Tesco Express
a new science block for Christ College in Brecon - one of Britain's oldest schools
a £1.3m terminal building at Cambridge Airport.