How Modern Methods of Construction can Help Sustainable Design

The construction industry has always had a high carbon footprint. In fact, a report from the United Nations Environment Programme accounts over a third of CO2 emissions to this industry alone.

With more information shedding a light on the damage our emissions are doing to the planet, there is more desire to create buildings and projects that are sustainable and adhere to a zero carbon design.

Here at Studio Anyo, we have sustainability at the front of our minds with every project we undertake.

We use modern methods of construction in many of our builds, and this helps us keep up our sustainable approach.

But just how does using MMC methods help?

Let’s take a look.

Sustainability Benefits of Modern Methods of Construction

There are many ways MMC can be a big boost when it comes to designing and constructing buildings in an energy efficient way, including:

Off-Site Construction

By creating your materials and manufacturing them off-site, you often get a much more efficient use of materials.

There is minimal wastage (waste is often reduced by around 30% if adopting this approach), and the manufacturing process can be heavily optimised.

Once you have your materials, the only process they need to undertake on site is assembly.

By using this method, you are making every process much more efficient, not just in time and energy, but also in the materials used.

There is also the added benefit that any materials that are deemed surplus to requirements can simply be loaded back into the inventory and can be used again.

Reduced Travel

If all of your components are being manufactured in one place which already has workers assigned to it, you can save a lot of time.

Your materials can be stored there and there is no need for long journeys so external workers can get to grips with manufacturing the components.

There is also less time to be spent driving to the site as less work is needed there, as well as less deliveries being transported there.

All of the manufacturing work will be done in controlled conditions, making it the ideal environment to get a job done quickly and therefore this will minimise the carbon footprint of this process.

You often find that local workers work in these places as well, which is not just a big boost to the local community, but also reduces the distance workers have to travel to get to work.

Less Space Required

There is much less space needed around the building site which results in a much smaller carbon footprint.

This can aid sustainability as we don’t have to touch too much of the surrounding area compared to if we were assembling all items on site.

With much less site disturbance, any eco-friendly elements of nature that surround the build can remain intact, and there is also much less disruption to the local community.

As well as space, there is also much less time required for the area to be a building site, which can also be a big help in cutting down the disturbance to the land.

More Use of Sustainable Materials

With manufacturing of your components taking place off-site, you can source and procure your needed materials much more efficiently.

This means that you can spend more time focusing on the sustainable aspects of the materials you are using, looking for recycled or renewable materials to build with for example.

Standardisation is a key element of MMC, and if you can create a component that is to be reproduced many times over and involve sustainable materials in the building of this then this can be a big boost not just in the project you are working on now, but also in future projects.

Add to this the recycling benefits mentioned earlier and you have another great benefit of MMC on sustainability.

Focus on Energy Efficiency

While many traditional methods of construction have not been created with efficiency in mind, MMC has.

This means a lot of the components used are designed to provide eco-friendly qualities to the building they are assigned to not just during construction, but throughout the entire lifespan.

By designing and producing structures that are energy efficient, zero carbon, or even off grid (which means it can survive alone, producing it’s own energy), MMC is producing buildings for the future that will emit much lower carbon than more traditional, historic builds.

There is also a focus on nature, and by adopting measures that boost natural light and water energy throughout a project, the final result is often much more sustainable and energy efficient than if MMC wasn’t involved.

Sustainable Design from Studio Anyo

We have used modern methods of construction to boost sustainability across many of our projects.

For example, our Riverside Student Quarter project saw us design a leaisure area in the heart of Canterbury.

We created the design to be open plan but featuring a modular grid to reduce transfer requirements. We also used a modular lift and staircase that was assembled off-site to boost efficiency and speed in construction.

We also provided advice and designed a modular system for the B11 Royal Arsenal, which was a complex project but one that yielded great results.

A great example of how efficient an MMC build can be is our Excelsior Spectrum House project.

This was a large block of modular units that were to be used as luxury apartments. We constructed 80% of the units off site and transported them to the site where it only took three weeks to construct 42 units.

This meant minimal disruption for the local area and reduced travel and labour.

We have many other projects that are designed to be functional, visually pleasing, and sustainable, so check out our portfolio to learn more.

Get in Touch with Studio Anyo

We are a team of experience and professional MMC advisors, and we would love to discuss your next project with you.

If you would like to learn more about how we can adopt modern methods of construction into your next build, or how we can help you produce a building that is sustainable and zero carbon, then get in touch with our team today.