Developer Essential Living has teamed up with modular specialist Elements Europe to develop new homes in Greenwich, south London.

The Creekside Wharf projects includes 249 homes and each module can be completed within seven days.

Elements will send 632 modules to Creekside Wharf from February 2017.

The steel-framed modules will fit around the scheme's concrete core to give the project lateral stability while the stacked modules carry its weight back to the ground.

Elements uses traditional construction methods in a controlled factory environment where 60 per cent of the total work is carried out. It will halve the time spent on site to 32 weeks.


Offsite construction brings a number of benefits for build to rent operators. Developments can be finished more quickly since modules can be completed while works begin onsite.

At 23 storeys tall, Creekside Wharf will also be one of the tallest modular buildings in the UK. The Assael Architecture project will also be the first in the country to cater for families, with buggy storage, acoustic noise insulation and an on-site nursery for parents with young children.

Ray Theakston, Construction Director at Essential Living, said: "We're pleased to be able to appoint Elements, veterans of the modular world, on what promises to be an innovative scheme in Greenwich. Having the potential to collect rent six months earlier than a traditional build is appealing. This is achievable because you can commence work on the modules off site at the same time as constructing the traditional concrete core on site - which the steel-framed modules then plug into.

"We're creating a portfolio of 5,000 rental homes across London and the South East. Modular may well play a role in some of our future schemes, but it’s important to stress that we remain committed to working with traditional contractors who will continue to play a key role in delivering our projects."