14 January 2015
Portakabin Group Expands Range of Floor Solutions for Yorkon Modular Buildings
The Portakabin Group has expanded the range of floor solutions available for buildings constructed using Yorkon off-site solutions, giving specifiers and customers even greater choice and flexibility.
A wider range of floor specifications is now offered to meet the performance criteria for a host of building applications. Specifiers can choose from a suite of precision-engineered solutions that will accommodate standard loadings as well as heavy plant, sensitive equipment, increased floor stiffness and enhanced acoustics if required.
The options allow building specifiers to tailor the floor design to individual project requirements whilst also avoiding over-specification. These include:
- A base specification using an 18mm particle board suspended floor on steel joists, which is suitable for single and multi-storey applications with standard load bearing requirements, such as classrooms and office accommodation.
- A more sophisticated beam construction with additional points of support if required and the flexibility to increase the thickness of particle board to 36mm and add steel sheeting for a higher level of floor performance and increased load capabilities.
- The use of a plywood deck for factory-installed terrazzo tiling.
- The Yorkon factory-installed 50mm concrete floor solution which has been widely used in the health, education and commercial sectors. Suitable for both ground and upper floors, this robust option is ideal for high traffic areas and to accommodate heavy point loadings and sensitive equipment, for example in operating theatres.
- Site-poured concrete slab to suit floor loading and performance requirements.
Commenting on this latest development, Simon Ambler, Director of the Portakabin Group, said, "There is still a lot of misinformation about modular construction even though there have been huge technical advancements in off-site technology in recent years. Our aim is to offer the widest choice of floor solutions available for modular buildings to allow specifiers to balance cost and performance - avoiding over-specification whilst having the flexibility to achieve enhanced floor stiffness and heavy loadings that are easily equivalent to that of site-based construction."
"It is essential that the anticipated use, loadings, and stiffness criteria are determined early in the design process. Our engineers can then model the building to meet that specification - allowing construction to a tight budget, maximising the speed and quality benefits of off-site construction and where required, providing advanced, high performance floor solutions for the most demanding applications."
Yorkon off-site solutions from the Portakabin Group offer multiple advantages over site-based construction:
- Fitting out can take place at a much earlier stage in the programme and while ground works are progressed on site. This parallel working can bring the date for occupation forward by several months and is a key benefit for projects that are on the critical path of a wider re-development or infrastructure scheme.
- Significantly reduced risk and greater assurance of completion on time and on budget - 99.7 per cent of Yorkon projects have been delivered on programme and on cost in the last ten years.
- A unique and innovative floor and ceiling construction that can virtually eliminate vertical noise transfer.
- A ground-breaking 30-year structural warranty for even greater peace of mind.
- Less impact on the environment - material wastage reduced by up to 90 per cent; up to 90 per cent fewer vehicle movements to site; ease of deconstruction for recycling when a building reaches the end of its life; and precision manufacturing of the building for reduced air leakage and improved thermal efficiency.
As part of the Portakabin Group's commitment to maximising design flexibility in off-site construction, the latest Yorkon building system has been engineered to remove the need for external columns, creating seamless, flush façades. The palette of colours for the steel envelope has also been expanded to more than 50, giving architects and designers genuine creative freedom without having to specify secondary cladding at extra cost.
Yorkon modular buildings can be finished in an extensive range of colours to complement or contrast with adjacent schemes - or multiple shades and colours can be specified for a single façade to create a lively, vibrant and impactful exterior.
For further information about Yorkon modular buildings from the Portakabin Group, call 0845 2000 123, email contact@yorkon.co.uk or see www.yorkon.info.
Editor's Notes
1. Other features of Yorkon off-site building solutions include:
- Significantly reduced disruption on site as much of the construction and fitting out takes place off site
- The option of using fewer, larger modules to reduce cranage, transport and site costs, which is more efficient
- Module lengths from 6m to 18.75m that give even greater design and space planning flexibility
- Two module width options of 3m and 3.75m; three height options for single-storey buildings, and seven different heights for ground and intermediate floors on multi-storey schemes to facilitate linking to existing traditionally-constructed buildings
- Connections between modules that are carried out from inside the building, which is quicker and safer on site.
2. Yorkon and the Portakabin Group are registered trademarks. Portakabin is a registered trademark which must only be used to refer to modular buildings that are known to have been manufactured by the Portakabin Group. Please note, Portakabin is not a generic term.
