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The system explained
The Vision Volumetric System is not just a product, it is a process
Multi-stage
production line
QR codes
allow full traceability of workmanship and components
BIM
fully coordinated with digital collaboration platform
10 days
to manufacture each unit
Structure
  • Units are made from traditional materials, ordered to size and delivered on a just-in-time basis.
  • The loadbearing columns and supporting frame are constructed from hot-rolled steel.
  • Walls provide 120 minutes fire resistance.
  • Steel reinforcement is laid and the concrete floor slab poured.
  • All floors provide 90 or 120 minutes fire resistance.
  • A steel ceiling truss completes the frame.
Services installation and testing 
  • Services are integrated into the central truss and walls.
  • Plumbing, ventilation ductwork, electrical cabling and sprinkler systems are installed and tested.
  • Careful attention is paid to passive fire safety measures such as seals, dampers and fire barriers.
Wall & floor finishes
  • Gypsum plasterboard is fixed to the supporting frame.
  • The ceiling is boarded, taped and jointed.
  • Walls and floors are prepared and tiled.
Windows and external cladding
  • Windows are installed in the safety of the factory floor, removing high risk external activities from the site.
  • External insulation and supports for cladding and balconies are added – making work on site faster and more efficient.
Fit-out
  • Carpentry, including doors, fire doors and fitted furniture, is carried out.
  • Kitchens and bathrooms are tiled, and white goods and sanitaryware installed.
  • Final paintwork is completed.
Final preparation and rigorous quality checks 
  • Roofing and some external finishes are applied, ensuring units are watertight.
  • Final inspection, quality checks and snagging are carried out.
  • Inspected details are tagged with QR codes to allow full traceability.
  • Any materials that may need to be fitted on site are delivered within the unit.
  • The unit is now ready to be transported to site.

Unit shapes and sizes

Each volumetric unit is designed specifically for the space available in each building. This allows for the most effective layouts to be achieved on unique floor plates, maximising space and efficiency.

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Creating a prototype

 

With the volumetric system, clients are able to see and be physically inside real-life prototype show flats prior to full manufacture. This means that specifications can be checked in detail and adjusted right at the start of the process. They can then be signed off in person, helping the efficiency of the full build.

Transporting the units

Units are specifically engineered to be transported by flat-bed lorry. Careful planning goes into the logistics of delivering these wide loads so that they arrive on site on a just-in-time basis. Vehicle movements are reduced onsite by up to 80% compared with traditional construction methods.

Craneage strategy 

Most work takes place within the building footprint. A small crane is positioned on top of the core, providing vertical transportation for the units up to 25 tonnes.

Rapid installation

The podium acts as a structural platform. All loadbearing columns are aligned vertically and the slabs are connected together and tied back to the core.

Precision is key

The team uses lasers and highly accurate surveys to ensure the units are placed to the precise millimetre. With a building of 40-50 storeys, any errors at the beginning could be magnified later in the process.

Final site work

A small crew of highly trained site operatives complete the building. Central building services are installed, external finishes applied, joints and connections sealed. All testing and commissioning of services and life safety systems is carried out under strictly monitored procedures.

Design flexibility

The system can be customised to incorporate multi-sided shapes and massing. This allows flexible architecture and apartment layouts, which in turn means Vision Volumetric can unlock the viability of the most constrained and busy sites.

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Perfect skins

Our buildings also boast a variety of facade treatments, from faience to Glass Reinforced Concrete (GRC). All external cladding is fully non-combustible.

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Research, development and testing

The Vision Volumetric System is the product of 20 years of research, alongside some of the world’s leading universities, academics and consultants. This extensive process has required significant investment and a culture of constantly challenging ourselves to go further.

 
Fire testing

Our system has gone through an array of demanding assessments to prove its robustness, including full-scale, two-hour fire testing. The external facade is fully non-combustible, and the load-bearing wall and concrete floors provide 120 minutes of fire resistance as standard. We work closely with key industry stakeholders and the BRE to demonstrate how safe the Vision system is.

Seismic testing

Our buildings have been structurally designed with both the strength and lateral flexibility to cope with significant vibration. Seismic testing has demonstrated that they can withstand a magnitude 8 earthquake.

Wind analysis

Our tall buildings undergo extensive wind tunnel testing to calculate the forces applied both to the concrete core during the temporary construction stage and to the completed structure.

Onsite, we examine differential movements of the cores and monitor the wind speeds at various levels using sensors. In all cases, global navigation satellite​ systems are used.

Embodied carbon

We are committed to ongoing measurement and analysis and have collaborated with academics from Cambridge, Heriot-Watt and Edinburgh Napier universities to calculate and verify the embodied carbon of recent schemes. These studies indicate that our projects can reduce embodied carbon by up to 50% compared to the industry standard.

Structural testing

The structure of the units has been rigorously tested to demonstrate its ability to create developments of 50 storeys or more. The system is the result of detailed analysis and understanding of material properties, tolerances, connections and column sizes and locations. This continues on site with careful monitoring of core strength and movement.

Waterproofing

The system has been fully tested by the Centre for Window and Cladding Technology to ensure that all units are fully watertight on leaving the factory.

Acoustic testing

Tests show that, due to the units’ robust construction, they offer a 5dB improvement on building regulations (Approved Document E 2015).

Unit size

Units have been developed in a variety of sizes to suit design requirements. For standard production rates, the preferred volumetric unit limits are 4m wide, 10.6m wide and 2.8m high.