Modular first

Fabricator Shelforce manufactured all the aluminium windows for Birmingham City Council’s first ever modular home – ModPod – which was unveiled in Hockley in June.

The property was manufactured by Just Solutions after the company recognised the national need for affordable housing as well as the need to use brownfield sites.

“The new ModPod looks great and for Shelforce to be playing a part in such a worthwhile project for the city is brilliant,” Howard Trotter, Shelforce’s business manager, said.

“Shelforce has always been about making a real difference for our communities and these modular homes will hopefully meet the housing demand in Birmingham.”

The ModPod comes in two units, the ground floor and first floor, both of which are essentially steel frames with the necessary insulated walls and customisable facades.

It features a 4mm-thick acrylic brick finish on the bottom and a corrugated aluminium exterior on the top.

Sleeping up to four people, it has everything expected of a modern home, including an upstairs and downstairs bathroom, while the master bedroom boasts a balcony.

The unit took an hour to crane into place on a pre-prepared site and was available for tenants to occupy on the same day.

It took around 20 weeks to build. However, on a live production line Just Solutions has said this could be shortened to just two weeks.

A further 54 units across six sites over the next 12 months have been approved, subject to planning consent.