ABSTRACT
At Beechwood West, Swan Housing Association’s landmark regeneration of the 1960’s Craylands Estate, a uniquely customisable new neighbourhood harnesses all the benefits of modular construction. Modular construction was considered from an early stage in the design process; the team consulted regularly with Basildon Borough Council throughout 2015 and 2016 to agree how best to enable the custom-build aspirations for the site while still ensuring a high-quality and coherent new neighbourhood would be delivered. The project is under construction with the new homes being pre-constructed as modular, cross-laminated timber pods, in a factory close to the site, utilising local labour. Offsite construction is commonly used overseas and the homes are indistinguishable from ones that are built using more traditional methods. But the concept of customised home is being used at Beechwood West as a marketing tool to create interest and demand, attracting residents that might not otherwise consider the development.
