Joymount Housing Scheme
The Joymount development in Carrickfergus under construction by The McAvoy Group will provide 40 much needed homes to help address the severe shortfall in social and affordable housing in Northern Ireland.
The £4.7m contract for Clanmil Housing Association is the first offsite housing scheme to be built in Northern Ireland. The use of the McAvoy offsite housing solution will reduce the build programme by around 60 per cent to just 40 weeks.
“By partnering with McAvoy on this pioneering project and using advanced offsite construction technology, we believe we can reduce the build programme for these 40 new homes by around 56 weeks which is crucial to reducing waiting lists.”
Carol McTaggart, Group Director of Development, Clanmil Housing Association
- Facility 40 new affordable homes
- Location Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland
- Time On Site 40 weeks
- Partners Knox Clayton Architects
A Highly Efficient Offsite Solution
The homes are being manufactured and fitted out offsite at The McAvoy Group’s production centre in Lisburn. This will improve the quality of construction and will allow earlier handover to move people from the housing waiting list.
McAvoy has manufactured 111 steel-framed building modules and the homes will be installed on site in Spring 2019 ready for the final stages of fitting out.
Delivering a Range of Affordable Homes
The Joymount scheme will feature:
- 8 one- and two-bedroom apartments for couples and families
- 17 two-bedroom apartments for active older people
- 12 two-bedroom houses for families.
- 3 detached bungalows specifically designed for individual families with complex needs.
A Sensitive Design Solution
The Joymount scheme is located adjacent to a Conservation Area, close to the 12th Century Carrickfergus Castle. A historic wall forms one of the boundaries to the site which McAvoy will undertake works to preserve.
The design of the scheme reflects its location and draws inspiration from the historic buildings nearby. Materials such as slate roofing, white render and timber windows have been selected to be natural and in keeping with the Conservation Area.
The new homes are designed in accordance with Lifetime Homes and Secured by Design standards, and will benefit from timber-framed double glazing, more precise factory construction processes, and high levels of insulation to help reduce heating costs and energy consumption.
The Customer Perspective
"We have been exploring different delivery models for social housing to help address the rising cost of building materials, the shortage of skilled labour in the construction industry in Northern Ireland, and the uncertainty created by Brexit. There are currently 24,000 households in housing stress in Northern Ireland. We want to be able to deliver new homes more quickly for people on the housing waiting list whilst still maintaining our high standards of design and build quality. We also need a solution that will deliver a range of energy-efficient homes with affordable running costs for our tenants."
"Significant time savings can be achieved with offsite construction. Offsite manufacture avoids delays caused by poor weather and it improves both quality and health and safety – with less impact on the environment. By partnering with McAvoy on this pioneering project and using advanced offsite construction technology, we believe we can reduce the build programme for these 40 new homes by around 56 weeks which is crucial to reducing waiting lists."
Have Any Questions?
To find out more about The McAvoy Group, of if you have any questions about our projects then contact us today for further information.