Are you going to #MIPIM2019? Lets celebrate PRE Surveyings 10 Years in Cannes together!

The PRE Team are very excited to be attending another year at MIPIM in Cannes #PREMIPIM2019

This premier real estate event, gathers the most influential players from all sectors of the international property industry for four days of networking, learning and transaction through premium events, conferences and dedicated exhibition zones.

“2018 in Cannes was a great year for PRE.  since then we have become a multidisciplinary surveying firm, large enough to handle, small enough to care! We are getting very excited to catch up with long standing clients and make new connections for 2019.  PRE are celebrating 10 years in business with now 24 services – come join us at our brunch on the Wednesday morning”

Please contact one of us to arrange an informal meeting with one of our team through the week.  Fingers crossed for the weather!

JASON ANTILL BSc (Hons) MRICS DipNDEA
Managing Director
M:   +44 (0) 7855 520 223
E:    [email protected]

GARETH OWENS MSc, BSc (Hons)
Associate Director
Daylight & Sunlight, Rights of Light & Neighbourly Matters
M:       +44 (0) 7494 032408
E:        [email protected]

MATT McGETTIGANBSc (Hons) MRICS MCIOB
Associate Director
Building Surveying and Project Management
M:       +44 (0) 7903 167907
E:         [email protected]

In an industry which is under constant pressure to provide buildings efficiently, quickly, on time and of course on budget, one can understand that off-site construction may be the answer to all our problems.  Off-site construction is otherwise known as Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), although despite what this name may suggest, the concept is not a new idea.  Since the second world war, the UK has been under pressure to construct and provide buildings and hence have looked to off site and prefabricated approaches.

There have been some true success stories of projects which have embraced MMC, for example the Leadenhall Building which is more affectionately known as London’s ‘cheese grater’ with its modular-like construction enabled approximately 80% of its entire construction to be built off-site.

Although, when you look a little closer, the uptake of MMC is not as good as one would like to hope and is often resisted by developers. In fact relatively recent research has identified that only 7% of UK construction is undertaken using MMC. Grounds for the low uptake can include complexity of design, regulation compliance, approval delays, inadequate certification and training needs for site and professional staff. 

MMC does require you to take a different approach in comparison to the commonly used ‘traditional’ delivery of projects which can be outside ones comfort zone, which could be a deterrent in itself. 

MMC has (before now), proven to improve productivity, provide faster build programmes, improve construction detailing/build quality and in some cases enable a single firm/provider to become the main provider for a project (thus reducing complex procurement and supply chains).

One huge advantage is what MMC can provide in terms of sustainability.  For example, off site construction is more sustainable due to the fact that the level of waste is kept to a minimum in comparison to on site works which is understood to consist of an alarming 10-20% material wastage.  

Although, as with most decision-making situations, do the ‘pro’s’ outweigh the ‘cons’?  With Brexit imminent and a shortage of housing the off-site construction must surely hold some solutions.  There are trade skills shortages here in the UK for years now, so you would expect that MMC can offer something towards overcoming this aspect of the industry and potentially reduce levels of unemployment along the way. 

Some suspect the low uptake may be down to the fact MMC has yet to establish itself and develop a proven good reputation.  Success projects such as the ‘cheese grater’ no doubt will contribute to building a good and better reputation. 

Looking ahead, here in Croydon, the 101 George Street development is set to contribute to the MMC reputation by becoming the largest prefabricated building in the world.  The development is reported that the buildings will comprise 546 prefabricated concrete cubes, which would be transported to site and stacked around the towers core structure.  PRE will be tracking the project into 2019 so watch out for more news from us on our website https://presurveyors.co.uk/,  this year! 

Image: 101 George Street, Croydon, during construction (Nov 18)

PRE will be attending the annual RICS Building Surveying Conference this year on 2nd May, part of which will cover ‘Examining growing trends in off-site modular construction’ so we look forward to learning more then.   

MIPIM 2019 is also not to far ahead on the PRE calendar, please do get in touch with Jason, Gareth or myself if you are planning on attending and would like to catch up with us in Cannes.

PRE Surveyors were out in force for PropSki 2019! We want to thank the PropSki committee for putting on an excellent event.

We also enjoyed meeting up with clients and fellow property professionals old and new.

To PropSki 2020!

Current Daylight Sunlight Guidance

In the UK, the go to guidelines to assess the daylight and sunlight quality within habitable rooms (kitchens, living rooms and bedrooms) is:

BRE Report 209, Site Layout Planning for Daylight and Sunlight: A guide to good practice (second edition, 2011) [BRE Guidelines].

This article only considers the specific test used for daylight to proposed residential habitable rooms, that being the Average Daylight Factor test (hereon referred to as ADF test). The ADF test is one of absolute value i.e. it is not a before and after ratio test. The guidelines recommend the below ADF targets based on room use:

• Kitchens – 2% ADF target.
• Living rooms – 1.5% ADF target.
• Bedrooms – 1% ADF target.

It is not always the case that every single room will meet its specified target as planners have the discretion to make a holistic decision on the overall adherence of the development; daylight is just one consideration of many.

The property mix is changing with new types of developments coming to the fore such as co-living, build-to-rent and micro flats.

Changing Property Mix 

Co-living purpose-built facilities are still fairly new to the UK property scene but they are taking off quickly. Residents of these types of accommodation do not have an apartment in the traditional sense. Co-living residents  have a private room which will contain a bed, small desk, kitchenette and en-suite. All other facilities are communal such as large living areas, gyms and large sociable kitchens.

Are the private bedrooms more than bedrooms as they have a desk and kitchenette? If the answer is yes, the ADF target of 1% for bedrooms would seem too low a standard to apply but the 1.5% ADF target for living rooms could be considered too high as the private rooms could surely not be classed as a standalone living room? Perhaps the best thing to do is meet in the middle and apply a target of 1.25% ADF for these rooms.

If the large sociable living rooms and dining rooms are spaces where many residents would gather, should a higher threshold than the 2% ADF target for kitchens be applied to these spaces as they are communal? Perhaps an ADF target of between 2.5% or 3% would be more appropriate? These may not be the correct values to apply, but a wider discussion around this subject will be needed soon as the property mix is changing.

We are also more likely to see lower levels of daylight and sunlight be accepted in proposed developments in London with the Draft London Plan: Policy D6 Optimising housing density recommending:

“For London to accommodate growth in an inclusive and responsible way every new development needs to make the most efficient use of land. This will mean developing at densities above those of the surrounding area on most sites. The design of the development must optimise housing density”. 

The BRE guidelines are intended to be flexible and in this respect,  they work very well as they are designed with suburban environments in mind but are often applied to inner-city environments. However, as the fabric of cities and the way some city dwellers choose to live changes, perhaps there needs to be more consideration for how the quality of light should be assessed  within co-living spaces, micro flats, aparthotels, hotels, student accommodation and build-to rent apartments such as the recently topped out Vertus Tower in Canary Wharf (pictured below).

For further information on Daylight Sunlight and Rights of Light and how we can work with you please do contact us.

The PropSki PRE Surveyors Race Team are very excited to be entering the downhill slalom race this year on Tuesday 15th January 2019 in Chamonix Mont-Blanc, along with like-minded property professionals at the UK’s biggest official property ski trip.

Do come and join Jason Antill, Matt McGettigan and Gareth Owens for some apres-ski drinks!