Croydon in south London is set to become the location of the world's tallest modular building.

Led by developer Tide Construction, the project will see two towers measuring 44-storeys and 38-storeys created on behalf of Henderson Park and Greystar.

Tide craned the last of 1,526 modules into place, marking a significant milestone in the project.

The 136m scheme – equivalent to the London Eye – will house 546 'Build to Rent' homes that will be managed by Greystar. By manufacturing the buildings inside a controlled factory environment, together Tide and Vision Modular Systems, Tide's offsite manufacturing company, will complete the project in just over two years – half the time it would have taken using traditional methods of construction.

Vision Modular Systems' factory, in Bedford, just outside of London, manufactures apartments on a production line, assembling fully completed modules, similar to how cars are created. The modules are fully completed internally – including kitchens and bathrooms - and are then transported to site. All of the apartments that roll off the production line are fully certified and accredited, backed by the UK's leading certification bodies, to ensure that every home is fundable, mortgageable and insurable.


John Fleming, Chairman of Tide Construction and Vision Modular Systems, said: "While we're proud to have delivered the world's tallest modular tower, this isn't about breaking records, but finding innovative ways to build better, sustainable homes, more quickly. There is a critical window for the planning system to encourage more factory-built homes. Using a production line can offer far greater certainty around quality and cost. What we, as developers, need is far greater certainty from the planning system itself – ideally with a presumption in favour of consent where a scheme meets the main demands around size and use."

Christy Hayes, CEO of Tide Construction, commented: "Construction of the towers began in February 2018 after planning consent was gained back in November 2017. From there, the 1,526 modules were stacked on top of a concrete podium linking both towers at ground floor level. Once the concrete cores of the two towers were complete, Vision Modular Systems' pre-fitted, pre-plumbed and pre-wired modules began arriving on site. We successfully installed the last module in just 35 weeks - three weeks ahead of an already tight schedule - after the first was craned into place. As we reach this exciting milestone, already 80% of the glazed terracotta façade has also been completed."

As well as boosting the Croydon area, the new landmark tower will support housing minister Esther McVey's mission to make Britain "the world leader in modular housing within the next 10 years".

(CM/MH)