HMS’ redevelopment of the iconic Allerton Fire and Police Station provided scope to incorporate more innovative build techniques into its development, given the complex nature of the build – an opportunity the team took full advantage of with Smartroof.

Creating a unique affordable housing scheme on the site of Allerton’s former Fire and Police stations for housing Group, Torus, HMS required a solution that provided cost certainty, sped up construction and offered an efficient, modern resolution that would help the organisation begin its journey to becoming a greener, more sustainable contractor.

A unique site, Allerton Fire and Police Station requires HMS to sensitively work with existing infrastructure, alongside creating all the new build elements of the scheme to build 2 3-bedroom semi-detached houses, 2 3-bedroom townhouses, 3 4-bedroom townhouses and a 40-unit, 3-storey apartment building

Having already installed a complex Mansard Roof on the former Fire Station, which took over 30 weeks to complete, the Site Team were keen to employ a different construction method for the Police Station roof, in order to speed up construction and reduce the on-site installation time planned for roofing works. Working with Smartroof, the team managed to install the roof on the apartment building in the former Police Station in just 2 weeks.

Smartroof’s Mansard Roof saw HMS use Modular Methods of Construction (MMC) for the first time on any of its sites. Manufactured offsite, then crane assembled onsite, the Smartroof system provided a number of benefits to the team, including:

• providing a more cost-effective build option by creating a ‘room in roof’ solution, giving future residents more living space
• making the site more sustainable and contributing to HMS’ goal to becoming a greener contractor by reducing waste
• quality control - with the Mansard Roof produced in a factory environment, all external factors could be controlled, speeding up the construction process
• improving the thermal performance of apartments, ultimately leading to reduced energy bills for residents

Using MMC required more investment in design, due to the complex nature of the build and the fact the roof had to mount both the existing building and the new-build element of the development. Using 3D modelling, the team could see what the roof would look like before manufacturing and see how it would interact with the build. This ensured problems were identified and rectified up-front, before installation and starting works on site.

Discussing the project and Smartroof’s Mansard Roof, HMS’ Construction Director, John Barrow, said:

“As a contractor, we are always looking for ways we can do things better to ensure we are sticking to our programme of works and meeting Client's expectations for completing projects on budget. What drew us to Smartroof – alongside their ability to speed up the build process – was their green credentials and focus on sustainability.

“I know innovative build solutions such as modular and offsite construction is the future of the building industry and it’s been great to see, first hand, how effective this approach to a development can be. This is definitely the start of a partnership with Smartroof and I am looking forward to seeing how future residents go on to benefit from the installation of the Mansard Roof too.”