Sapphire Independent Housing
Employer’s AgentPotter Raper Ltd
Contract Value£5.5m
Contract Start DateNovember 2023
Contract End DateJanuary 2025
We undertook a design and build residential development for Sapphire Independent Housing in West London to provide 15 Housing Units across 6 garage sites. The development comprised 4 semi-detached houses and 11 flats in two- and three-storey blocks.
11 of the units were constructed to Passivhaus standard, and 4 flats were to Low Energy standard.
Sapphire awarded the project under a JCT Design and Build contract with Sectional Completion. Work commenced sequentially site by site, but eventually, all 6 sites became active.
All the sites were severely constrained with restricted access and confined working areas, which presented significant logistical challenges in terms of site accommodation, welfare, storage, deliveries, and security. On 4 of the sites, we had to arrange to use amenity areas within the housing estates for our site establishment facilities, which meant liaising with the local authority and communities for their consent.
To overcome the acute shortage of on-site storage space, we implemented a ‘Just-in-time’ protocol for deliveries and installations using Hiab-lift direct from delivery vehicles to in-situ positions within the sites/buildings.
Party Wall Awards were put in place to facilitate under-pinning of party walls and building within 3 and 6 metres. Licence Agreements were also in place with adjoining owners for scaffolding over-sailing and renewal of boundary fences and walls.
New utilities services and drainage connections were made to all sites together with Section 278 and 50 Agreements.
Prefabricated off-site elements for the two-storey houses consisted of block & beam ground floors, Posi-Joists first-floor joists, and timber roof trusses. Pre-cast concrete first-floor planks and pre-cast concrete staircases were installed in the flats.
We delivered a complex design and build residential project for Sapphire Independent Housing in West London, constructing 15 new homes across six constrained garage sites—11 to Passivhaus and 4 to Low Energy standard—using sequential phasing, prefabricated components, and Just-in-Time logistics under a JCT D&B contract with Sectional Completion.
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