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MFS MD Norman Hinckes comments on what might get those stalled construction projects moving again. With an ever-acute skills shortages and spiralling material cost increases, many construction projects are facing huge challenges in getting projects started, or completed, within budget and on time.
Norman Hinckes: At MFS we have seen a number of enquiries from main contractors planning (or even already working on) projects with a reinforced concrete frame and Metsec Infill, at its core. RC frame is the well-established, default construction method for ‘medium to high’ rise flats and apartments and the like, and the benefits of are clear to be seen with its strength, versatility, longevity & fire resistance.
However, it comes at a high price when contractors are under pressure to find more viable, sustainable options to be greener, save time and money and to reduce their embodied carbon when the financial and environmental costs of steel and concrete manufacture are at an all-time high and RC frame is so labour-intensive.
Which is why we are finding more contractors turning to the highly acclaimed, multi-award-winning MFS i-Form Solution® as a serious and viable alternative to RC frame: Less labour, quicker build, huge cost savings and far greener than RC frame.
One of our clients recently remarked that our Hybrid Masonry / Precast Concrete PDfMA approach to MMC sounded “too good to be true” but we have just delivered a block of apartments over 6 storeys high in an astonishing 23 weeks, some 5 weeks less than planned, saving £400k on overall build and with 80% less than the standard workforce. All with zero waste to landfill, 100% recyclable and a reduced carbon footprint.
“Their attention to detail and dedication to ensuring that every aspect of the project is completed to the highest standard, so quickly and cost-effectively, has exceeded my expectations.”
How do we do it?
One of our core building elements are large-format CSU masonry blocks that are manufactured offsite to bespoke sizes and shapes for each build and delivered to site as a kit of parts for speedy construction on-site. These combined with standard PCC hollow core floors and Precast building components together with some smart engineering enables MFS to take the system to another level.
These non-combustible elements weigh in excess of 214kg each, with strengths in excess of 25 N/mm2. At typically 900mm x 650mm each unit is the equivalent of 60 traditional bricks, but takes a team of two just 6 minutes to lay each one using a remotely controlled mini-crane, and is fully load bearing within 24 hours.
The MFS i-Form Solution® matches reinforced concrete frame construction ‘pound for pound’ for its strength, durability and fire-resistance and at 5 storeys +, is substantially quicker, cheaper and greener with lower embodied carbon and ‘zero waste to landfill’.
The MFS i-Form Solution®, is THE alternative to Reinforced Concrete Frame Construction
This Cost Benefit Analysis shows how the MFS i-Form Solution™ performs over a complete project cycle when compared to traditional RC build methods.
For more information about Masonry Frame Systems please visit our website - www.masonryframesystems.co.uk