Vertical supply chain integration to deliver high volume ultra-low energy offsite construction

To meet the target of decreasing CO2 emissions by 80% by 2050, new house builds must improve energy

performance by up to 80%, whilst the rate of construction must also double. The traditional supply chain

structure between end user and product suppliers means that the potential to capture innovation from product

suppliers and exploit this in a cohesive ultra-low energy (ULE, e.g. Passivhaus) end product is often lost due to

the inherent segregation of client, contractor and product suppliers.

Citu developments LLP will collaborate with Leeds Beckett University to develop the first industrial scale ULE

offsite construction system, based on Passivhaus type concepts, but designed for UK brownfield applications

where build form and orientation cannot always be optimised for energy efficiency. This project will investigate

the feasibility of vertically integrating suppliers and an industrial manufacturing process with unprecedented

quality/control into a viable business model for commercial exploitation, to optimise the energy efficiency of a

particular site at a fraction of the cost of existing energy-efficient technologies.