Grainger Exchange Square, Birmingham

Project:                           Exchange Square, Birmingham 
Sector:                            Build-to-rent
Client:                             Grainger plc
Main Contractor:            McAleer & Rushe
Architect:                        Stephenson Hamilton Risley Studio
Pod Type:                       Steel-framed bath and shower rooms
Number of pods:            567
Contract value:               £2.8m

The Project

Exchange Square is developed by Nikal for Grainger plc and will provide 375 homes for rent in a landmark 37-storey tower.

The £68m scheme occupies a prominent location opposite HS2 Curzon Birmingham. Completion is scheduled for summer 2023.

The Bathroom Pod Solution

This is Offsite Solutions’ second contract for Grainger plc, the UK’s largest listed residential landlord. The £2.8m contract is for the manufacture of 567 steel-framed bathroom and shower pods.

The pods were installed as the building’s structure was constructed.

The bathroom pods for Exchange Square have dark grey, large format porcelain wall and floor tiles with staggered ‘brick bond’ tile joints to the walls.

The bathrooms were fully fitted in the factory with:

• Three-door mirrored cabinet
• Solid surface vanity shelf
• Semi-pedestal wall hung basin
• Bath with glass hinged shower screen
• Heated ladder towel rail
• Floor mounted toilet.

The shower rooms have a two-door mirrored wall cabinet and a sliding shower door.

Offsite Solutions has also manufactured pods for Enigma Square in Milton Keynes – another Grainger build-to-rent scheme which was built by Bowmer and Kirkland.

The Advantages of Steel-framed Bathroom Pods for Build-to-rent

Steel-framed bathroom pods give developers and contractors the opportunity to have a premium aesthetic which includes porcelain tiling, with all the speed and quality benefits of offsite manufacture for large-scale residential schemes, hotels and student accommodation.

These pods have a lightweight steel-framed construction with a fully tanked wet area to the walls and floor, and a composite ceiling panel for long-term durability and an enhanced appearance.

The Customer Perspective

Helena Tsiantes Jansson, Senior Forward Fund Development Manager, Grainger plc:

“We fully support the use of offsite manufacturing and for the bathrooms, it gives us the unique opportunity to check the pods in the factory before going into full production. This allows us to review the design detailing and make any minor changes, which is just not possible on site.”

“Following our visit to Offsite Solutions’ factory, we were very impressed with the quality of the finishes, particularly the grouting and tiling. The quality was spot on and has resulted in a better quality product for our residents."

"Fitting out the bathrooms in a factory which has much more space and light than on site, definitely impacts positively on quality. It is also much easier for us to deal with a single supplier for the bathrooms.”

The UK’s Largest Range of Pods

Offsite Solutions offers the UK’s largest range of pods to suit many different building types and applications. Options include steel-framed bathroom pods with porcelain-tiled finishes for high-end apartments, PRS, student residences and hotels; robust and low maintenance GRP composite shower pods for student accommodation, build-to-rent, care homes, social housing and healthcare; hybrid pods for specialist projects, and award-winning demountable GRP pods for ease of installation in refurbishment schemes.

Offsite Solutions has also developed steel-framed utility pods for apartments or studios for build-to-rent or build-to-sell schemes.

Image of Exchange Square courtesy of Virtual Planit / Stephenson Hamilton Risley Studio