The Perfume Factory, London

Project:                            The Perfume Factory, London
Sector:                              Mixed tenure build-to-rent
Client:                               Telford Homes
Main Contractor:             Telford Homes
Architect:                          Darling Associates
Pod Type:                         Steel-framed bath and shower pods
Number of pods:             422

The Project

The Perfume Factory is a new build-to-rent scheme in North Acton developed by Telford Homes.

Designed by Darling Associates, the development will transform the former Elizabeth Arden site into 374 new homes for rent across three residential towers up to 25 storeys and 1,403sqm of commercial space.

Due for completion in 2024, the scheme will create a new sustainable community in London and substantial improvements to the public realm.

The mixed tenure development will provide affordable housing, homes for shared ownership, and apartments for private rental.

The Bathroom Pod Solutions

Offsite Solutions was awarded the £2.2m offsite construction contract to provide 422 steel-framed bathroom pods for The Perfume Factory.

There are three distinct pod types for this project which are designed to meet the requirements of each tenure:

• Bathrooms and shower rooms for shared ownership – these will be fully tiled in stone-effect porcelain, and fitted with a wall hung toilet, semi-recessed wash hand basin set into a solid surface vanity top, bath with overhead shower and hinged bath screen, tiled floor and tiled bath panel.
   
• Bathrooms and shower rooms for private rent – these will have large format porcelain tiles in a white marble effect design with a contrasting feature tile above the vanity shelf and dark grey floor tiles.
   
• Bathrooms for affordable homes – these will have a bath with shower curtain, GRP composite gloss bath panel, floor-mounted toilet, and D-shaped pedestal basin with mirror above.

The pods will manufactured and delivered to site by Spring 2023.

Reducing Operational Maintenance

Both the bath and shower rooms will be fully tiled in white to remove the requirement for repainting and with a low maintenance vinyl floor – all pre-fitted in the Offsite Solutions factory.

The Customer Perspective

James Phillips, Senior Technical Co-ordinator, Telford Homes:

“We are looking at increasing the use of offsite manufacturing for larger components. Bathroom fitout typically needs multiple trades. With pods, we work with one single company which simplifies procurement, improves efficiency, and radically reduces management time.”

“Because bathroom pods are pre-designed and manufactured using factory processes, there is significantly less waste compared to on-site fitout – which is more sustainable.”

“Pods just need to be considered at the early design stages to allow installation. From our perspective, the process has gone smoothly so far and visits to the factory allow us to review the bathrooms before delivery to site.”

Apartments for Sustainable Living

238 of the apartments will be available for rent under the highly successful UNCLE Acton brand.

Residents at UNCLE Action, as the project will be known, will benefit from lifestyle amenities and a range of features to ensure the building can be operated as efficiently and sustainably as possible, including air source heat pumps to deliver low carbon heating and hot water.

How Pods Improve Construction Efficiency

The benefits of factory-built bathrooms for major residential developments include:

• Greater certainty of completion on time and on budget
• Less time on site
• Consistently high quality with advanced production processes and a robust testing regime in the factory
• Fewer trades on site.

Steel-framed bathroom pods offer limitless design options for large-scale residential schemes, hotels, and student accommodation.

The wet areas to the pod walls and floor are fully tanked for long-term durability, and a composite ceiling panel in a matt paint-effect finish combines low maintenance with an enhanced appearance.

Image courtesy of Darling Associates/Telford Homes