Pods are the future of mass builds, says firm

Unipods has showcased its luxury 4x3m kitchens and bathrooms at this year's Big 5.

The future of large-scale construction lies on the factory floor rather than on the building site, according to one off-site build specialist.

Opting for pods makes construction on a project cheaper, requires less labour, produces a higher quality and reduces build times, said Unipods sales and marketing director Mike Usher.

“Last year at the Big 5 it was still fairly conceptual but this year we’re here with out four-by-three-metre luxury bathroom and kitchen pods,” said Usher.

“These are the largest we can produce due to transport but anyone visiting our stand can see just how big they are.”

The main message that Unipods is trying to deliver at the Big 5, said Usher, is just how broad a range of pods could be produced by the firm in its giant Ras Al Khaimah factory.

“It’s ideal for student dormitories, such as those we’re producing for two Abu Dhabi universities; however, we go right across the spectrum.

“From

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dorms at a pair of Abu Dhabi universities through to pods with Villeroy and Boch fixtures and fittings, we can go as luxurious or as simple as the client requires. The King’s Palace in Riyadh, for example, has 40 pods and we’ve done top-end 7-star hotels.”

The key, explained Usher, is that pods need to be implemented from the design stage to have most impact and they should only be used on projects that require repetition.

“High-rises and hotels are perfect, but they’re also ideal for big villa developments if the villas are based on a repeated template. In villas, the developer might choose a heavier wall, such as concrete, while lighter steel pods make high-rises and hotels much easier.”

Usher said that bathroom and kitchen pods took around two to three months to manufacture, from design stage to delivery, with installation on-site requiring just 15% of the labour normally required. Once dropped in place, a simple ‘plug and play’ system makes installing MEP a painless process.

“If you’re physically building bathrooms and kitchens on-site, it leads to so much waste – both direct and indirect,” continued Othmar Wutscher, CEO of Al Rajhi Holding, the group to which Unipods belongs.

“Then there’s the quality control element – on-site simply can’t compare. Kitchens and bathrooms require so much interaction between all the professionals, no two constructed on-site will ever be the same.

“The quality of pods is always identical and exactly on spec.”
 

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