Each volumetric unit is designed specifically for the space available in each building. This allows for the most effective layouts to be achieved on unique floor plates, maximising space and efficiency.
With the volumetric system, clients are able to see and be physically inside real-life prototype show flats prior to full manufacture. This means that specifications can be checked in detail and adjusted right at the start of the process. They can then be signed off in person, helping the efficiency of the full build.
While the units are being constructed, the site is already being prepared. Groundworks are carried out and the building’s reinforced-concrete core and podium slab are cast in situ.
Units are specifically engineered to be transported by flat-bed lorry. Careful planning goes into the logistics of delivering these wide loads so that they arrive on site on a just-in-time basis. Vehicle movements are reduced onsite by up to 80% compared with traditional construction methods.
Most work takes place within the building footprint. A small crane is positioned on top of the core, providing vertical transportation for the units up to 25 tonnes.
A small crew of highly trained site operatives complete the building. Central building services are installed, external finishes applied, joints and connections sealed. All testing and commissioning of services and life safety systems is carried out under strictly monitored procedures.
The system is engineered from the beginning to offer adaptability in floor plans, allowing units to come together to create homes in highly innovative buildings. On average, the Vision Volumetric System can install 12 units a day, resulting in the creation of 3 homes on a daily basis.
The system can be customised to incorporate multi-sided shapes and massing. This allows flexible architecture and apartment layouts, which in turn means Vision Volumetric can unlock the viability of the most constrained and busy sites.
Our buildings also boast a variety of facade treatments, from faience to Glass Reinforced Concrete (GRC). All external cladding is fully non-combustible.
The Vision Volumetric System is the product of 20 years of research, alongside some of the world’s leading universities, academics and consultants. This extensive process has required significant investment and a culture of constantly challenging ourselves to go further.
Our system has gone through an array of demanding assessments to prove its robustness, including full-scale, two-hour fire testing. The external facade is fully non-combustible, and the load-bearing wall and concrete floors provide 120 minutes of fire resistance as standard. We work closely with key industry stakeholders and the BRE to demonstrate how safe the Vision system is.
Our buildings have been structurally designed with both the strength and lateral flexibility to cope with significant vibration. Seismic testing has demonstrated that they can withstand a magnitude 8 earthquake.
Our tall buildings undergo extensive wind tunnel testing to calculate the forces applied both to the concrete core during the temporary construction stage and to the completed structure.
Onsite, we examine differential movements of the cores and monitor the wind speeds at various levels using sensors. In all cases, global navigation satellite systems are used.
We are committed to ongoing measurement and analysis and have collaborated with academics from Cambridge, Heriot-Watt and Edinburgh Napier universities to calculate and verify the embodied carbon of recent schemes. These studies indicate that our projects can reduce embodied carbon by up to 50% compared to the industry standard.
The structure of the units has been rigorously tested to demonstrate its ability to create developments of 50 storeys or more. The system is the result of detailed analysis and understanding of material properties, tolerances, connections and column sizes and locations. This continues on site with careful monitoring of core strength and movement.
The system has been fully tested by the Centre for Window and Cladding Technology to ensure that all units are fully watertight on leaving the factory.
Tests show that, due to the units’ robust construction, they offer a 5dB improvement on building regulations (Approved Document E 2015).
Units have been developed in a variety of sizes to suit design requirements. For standard production rates, the preferred volumetric unit limits are 4m wide, 10.6m wide and 2.8m high.
Max Length= 10m
Max Width= 6m
Max height= 3.5m
5-25 tonnes
2-50 storeys
Steel
Concrete
Gypsum plasterboards
60 years
RC transfer slab and core
External wall= 0.14 W/m²K
Exposed floor= 0.10 W/m²K
Roof= 0.10 W/m²K
Windows= 1.40 W/m²K
CWCT tested
3.0 m³/(h.m²)@50Pa
Airbourne: +50dB reduction
Impact: +44dB reduction
5dB betterment on UK building regs
PAS 24 secure by design
Fire rated as pre project requirement
REI values 120 minutes
fRSI> 0.75 at 15ºC
Not susceptible to resonance vibration
Fundamental frequency >10hz
Fully non-combustible
Mechanical supply and extract ventilation c/w heat recovery
Metal clad
Rainscreen
Traditional brick
Brick slip
Terracotta
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