When the UK’s largest builders’ merchant, Travis Perkins, approached us and explained its plans for a revolutionary house design platform for SME housebuilders, we couldn’t wait to get involved.
The vision for the WholeHouse® platform, a first for the sector, was a platform that SME housebuilders can use to plan and design a bespoke digital model of a house before physically constructing it. The benefits of the platform are already being realised as the first two homes using the platform will be ready by September this year.
MiTek is one of several industry-leading experts involved in the development of the house building platform, and garners skills from across the supply chain – from architects, engineers through to planners, suppliers, and customers.
Travis Perkins asked us to get on board with the project, applying our industry-leading expertise in roof truss and offsite systems – and we were delighted to get involved. Here at MiTek, we have a focus that embraces design, make, build, so this project is a perfect example of what it means to use our skills and collaborative approach to drive transformation in our industry.
The WholeHouse portal is specifically designed for housebuilders building up to 250 units a year. Our team designed more than 30 variations of roof trusses, to provide designers and developers with a wide variety of choice and applications. Designs can be tailored for individual construction requirements before being manufactured and delivered by Donaldson Timber Engineering, from one of its many branches across the UK.
WholeHouse will enable SME builders to produce detailed and accurate design, plans and material pricing of developments from the first day. Based on BIM, the process – from start to finish – can be completed in under an hour, saving weeks of work.
It’s an important project that joins up the supply chain and helps smaller builders work more efficiently, in a sustainable and cost-effective way. It minimises waste and provides choice around low-carbon solutions, while reducing development costs thanks to the portals accurate and real-time pricing.
New technology, such as WholeHouse, is providing a real driver for better approaches to construction. It serves as a great example of the power harnessed when specialists come together to combine their passion and ingenuity. Transformation is a word that’s often over-used, but in this case, it’s approaches like this that will indeed transform the way we build and metamorphosize UK construction.
