26
MARCH 2015 PRO INSTALLER
PRO ALUMINIUM
www.proinstaller.co.uk
Could prefab homes be the future?
Fashionable in the aftermath of the Second World War,
prefabricated properties could be set to make a comeback in an
attempt to tackle the UK’s severe shortage of affordable housing.
Speaking at an ALFED meeting in Westminster, Professor Michael Stacey of the
University of Nottingham
claimed that aluminium is
becoming the first choice
material in a wide range of
sectors. The meeting was attended by a group of senior
parliamentarians and business leaders.
A 1940s AIROH (Aluminium Industries
Research Organisation on Housing) house
Likening the lack of affordable
housing in Britain today to the
housing crisis that followed World
War Two, Professor Stacey suggested that the use of aluminium
could again hold the key to overcoming the housing shortage.
He said: “The aluminium industry’s response back in 1944
was the Aluminium Prefabricated
Home, of which more than 50,000
were produced. Some of these
homes have lasted more than 60
years, indeed there is a group of
30 still occupied in Redditch, in
the centre of England.
“I therefore would like to propose the following initiative, the
Affordable Aluminium House, an
initiative embracing education,
skills and training, while producing affordable and liveable homes
to house the next generation.”
Will Savage, CEO of ALFED,
said: “The supply of affordable
housing is currently one of the
UK’s biggest challenges, as the
amount of available properties
continues to fall well below demand. This is an opportunity for
the aluminium sector to make a
big difference and, by using modern design it is more than possible to very quickly create a large
number of affordable yet desirable
properties.”
Mr Savage added: “Aluminium’s
qualities of lightness, durability
and low maintenance make it the
ideal material for the next generation of prefabricated housing. And
at the end of the building’s life,
the aluminium from which it is
constructed can be totally recycled
with no deterioration in its properties, using just 5% of the power
originally required to make it.
“Professor Stacey’s research
shows that aluminium performs in
buildings for many decades, so it
can have a key role to play in the
homes of the future.”
The breakfast briefing, attended by MPs and Lords including
Lord Boswell and David Mowat
MP, was one of several organised
by ALFED with the aim of raising
awareness among legislators of
the importance of the aluminium
industry to the UK economy.
It is currently estimated that
35,000 people work in the UK’s
aluminium sector, which has an
annual turnover of £3.2bn.
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