Moda Hove

Project:                     Sackville Road, Hove       
Sector:                      Build-to-rent       
Client:                       Moda Living
Contractor:               Midgard Ltd
Architect:                  Whittam Cox Architects      
Pod Type:                 Steel-framed floorless bath and shower pods   
Number of pods:      839
Contract value:         £4.2m      

The Project

Sackville Road in Hove is a new £260m build-to-rent neighbourhood now under construction by Midgard for Moda Living.

Due for completion early in 2024 and designed by Whittam Cox Architects, the six apartment buildings that form part of a new intergenerational urban village which will provide 564 studio, one, two and three-bedroom apartments for rent to individuals and families.

The Bathroom Pod Solution

Offsite Solutions was appointed to provide 839 bathroom and shower pods in a £4.2m contract.

This is our fourth and largest project for Moda to date and brings the total number of pods ordered for this leading build-to-rent developer to more than 2,600.

The Hove project follows the successful delivery of bathroom pods for Moda communities in Manchester and Liverpool – and Glasgow is also in manufacture.

Early Engagement in Project Design

Offsite Solutions partnered with Moda and Midgard to engineer the pod solutions at the initial design stages of the Hove scheme. This early engagement maximised the benefits and efficiency of offsite manufacturing and standardisation, to the benefit of both the developer and the contractor.

A total of 839 pods will be manufactured offsite for Sackville Road in three configurations – bathrooms, shower rooms, and family bathrooms – all designed to Moda’s high interior design specification.

High Quality Bathroom Fitout

There will be 588 shower pods which will be fully finished with:

• Deluxe-sized rainfall showers
• Square wall-mounted hand basin
• Brushed steel accessories
• Colour-matched heated ladder towel rail
• Stylish cabinets with open shelving, and mirrored doors
• Porcelain wall tiles in two contemporary colourways – light and dark grey.

The bathroom pods follow the same modern interior design theme as the shower rooms and will have a steel bath, overhead and hand-held showers, and a pivot shower screen, all pre-installed before delivery to site.

Some of the shower rooms will be adaptable and are designed to accommodate wheelchair access and the addition of a grabrail and shower seat if required.

Floorless Pods to Minimise Floor Build-up

All the pods will be supplied floorless. This solution avoids the need for a recess in the floor slab on site to minimise floor build-up for each storey whilst achieving continuous level floors throughout each apartment.

The Customer Perspective

Ryan Newman, Project Manager, Midgard:

“Having worked with Offsite Solutions previously, I fully appreciate the benefits of factory production for bathrooms.”

“Offsite manufacturing generates programme reductions and means less activity on site so there are fewer trades and interfaces to manage. We will simply drop the pods into position for rapid service connections. We also expect quality to be better and more consistent because the bathroom fitout takes place under factory conditions.”

“This is Offsite Solutions’ first project with Midgard, and I am pleased to report that our experience so far has been very positive.”

A Family-owned Group of Companies

Offsite Solutions’ sister company, Deanestor, is also working on Sackville Road, providing kitchens and fitted wardrobes in a separate £3.7m fitout contract – a fantastic achievement the Group.

A New Community for Hove

In addition to the homes for rent, the new community at Sackville Road will have 50,000sqft of commercial and co-working space, shops, cafés, and there are plans for 260 community care homes, a new public square, and extensive public realm and green space.

Residents in the apartments will have use of private dining areas, communal lounges, gym, roof spaces, open terraces, and a wide range of wellbeing services from classes, clubs, and events to a 24-hour concierge, cleaning and laundry services, and on-site maintenance.

CGI image courtesy of Moda / Whittam Cox Architects