When offsite meets onsite – helping developers to deliver the best homes more efficiently.
Hennie Viljoen, Marketing Manager, MiTek South Africa, discusses the role of offsite construction in supporting housing developers across the country…
Back in June 2020, soon after the Covid pandemic started to turn the world upside down, the South African government announced an ambitious infrastructure investment programme worth ZAR2.3 trillion (US$124.7 billion), with the housing sector included as a key target.
That year, the overall construction market contracted by more than 16%, but thanks to the planned investment, and the opportunities presented by modern methods of construction (MMC), the growth forecast is a little healthier for this year, at 6.1%. We hope to see the South African housing sector benefitting from some of this growth.
This year we have brought our own Posi-Joist solution to the South African market, offering the benefits of offsite construction and modern methods of construction (MMC) to the region. We’ve already seen interest in it develop for a number of applications in both the residential and commercial sectors and we believe that this MMC type approach is the key to recovery and growth.
Tried and tested, and widely used across the US, UK, Ireland and Australia, Posi-Joist has been helping to deliver efficiencies in the house building sector for more than a decade and has already been used in well over 250,000 projects in the UK alone.
Interestingly, of all the countries which are currently employing MMC approaches, it’s Japan that tops the league table, building the highest number of homes using MMC. It’s fair to say that other nations are increasingly recognising that if they are going to meet demand, in an efficient and cost-effective manner, then MMC is the way to go.
Specified by architects and builders alike
Architects and builders alike are increasingly grasping the benefits offered by modular, off-site construction, and are widely enquiring about our Posi-Joist solution across a variety of construction methods. It’s an approach that delivers reduced costs and timescales, as well as a more environmentally friendly approach as there’s less waste, and a reduced need for concrete slab.
Instead, our made-to-measure Posi-Joists combine the versatility of timber with the strength of steel webs to produce strong, clear spanning and lightweight floor and roof systems, and the modular construction makes managing your ‘just in time’ supply chain much easier.
Custom end details and the freedom provided by the open web service void allow for great flexibility, and the increasing use of Posi-Joist ‘cassettes’ allows for even greater offsite construction and time savings during the on-site phase.
For developers and builders who want to see improved predictability in terms of cost, time and quality – something that MMC is known for delivering – we think construction solutions such as Posi-Joist are the perfect answer. They offer the best of both worlds: off-site offsite precision and construction, with traditional skilled on-site labour for installation.
As South Africa seeks to deliver on its investment plans, we look forward to seeing MMC – and Posi-Joist – being an integral part of the nation’s healthy construction future.
