Operational Net Zero Modular Housing Development for West of Scotland Housing Association

West of Scotland Housing Association and Connect Modular are pleased to announce that a planning application has been formally submitted to Glasgow City Council for the construction of 33 new affordable homes on Allander Street in Cowlairs. This site forms part of the larger Cowlairs Park housing-led regeneration project and will contribute to the wider, ongoing transformation of the north of the city.

The proposal details plans to construct a mixture of 2, 3 and 4 bedroom houses and flats using innovative volumetric modular construction. This entails moving the building process off-site and into Connect Modular’s 120,000 sq ft manufacturing facility in East Ayrshire. The new houses will then be delivered to site more than 90% complete with kitchens, bathrooms, plumbing and electrics already installed.

Modular construction was directly referenced in Glasgow City Council’s latest Strategic Housing and Investment Plan (SHIP), which outlined its target to deliver 6,500 affordable houses by 2030 and names Allander Street as its first ‘pilot project’.  Within the paper, the local authority publicly listed the many benefits of modular construction and declared its intention to investigate how offsite construction methods could improve the way it delivers affordable homes and accelerate the achievement of the city’s net zero sustainability targets.

The new modular, affordable homes at Allander Street have been designed to achieve an operational net zero specification and will feature PV solar panels, air-source heat pumps and battery storage, along with EV charging for cars. In addition the homes will meet the requirements of the Glasgow Standard.

WSHA has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to sustainability across all aspects of operations, producing their first comprehensive 3-year Sustainability Strategy in 2023. Exemplifying this commitment, their 90-home Passivhaus-standard development in Glasgow’s Dundashill was recently recognized with Excellence in Sustainability awards at both the Herald Property Awards and CiH Scotland Housing Awards.

Karen Shaw, Head of Development and Asset Management at WSHA said:

“This is a fantastic opportunity for West of Scotland to pilot Modular Housing and support Glasgow City Council’s net zero targets.  This project also supports our Sustainability Strategy objectives to reduce our carbon emissions as well as provide much needed larger family homes to meet housing need.  Every home will achieve one of the highest standards of energy efficiency, which will lead to lower fuel usage for tenants and help address fuel poverty.”

Jennifer Higgins, CEO of Connect Modular commented:

“We are thrilled that planning has now been submitted for 33 new, modular, affordable homes at Allander Street. We are very proud to lead the delivery of the first modular housing project in Glasgow which will also contribute to the strategic regeneration priorities that are identified for Cowlairs.

We truly believe modular construction can play a crucial role in helping Glasgow City Council meet its target to deliver 6,500 new affordable homes by 2030 and we are confident we can showcase its efficiency on this project, paving the way for future modular housing projects to play an integral role in the Council’s strategy for tackling the housing emergency.

We are delighted to be working collaboratively with the wider team to deliver our first operational net-zero project which aligns perfectly with our aspirations to transform the way affordable housing is delivered.”

MAST Architects added: “We’re very pleased to have reached this important milestone at Allander Street.  Since inception, we’ve been able to work closely and collaboratively with West of Scotland HA and Connect Modular to shape Glasgow’s first modular project, harnessing the benefits of off-site construction to delivery highly energy efficient new homes.

As a practice, we have always been interested in how we can innovate and drive forward sustainable design principles, with the use of offsite and other MMC techniques something we are keen to investigate.  Our work at Allander Street complements this ongoing research effort, taking vital steps to tackle the housing emergency whilst demonstrating best practice in energy-conscious design.”

This project is being developed by West of Scotland Housing Association in collaboration with Connect Modular and the design team comprising MAST Architects, Langmuir and Hay, Cowal Design, Rybka and MBLA Landscape Architects. Connect Modular has been appointed following mini-competition under the SPA NH3 MMC Framework.