Provision of HAKI system scaffolding integrated with loading bay platforms and HAKI staircases to build timber kit housing.

Bowes Manor is a luxury development of 46 new homes in Burnopfield, a small village in County Durham that’s approximately 9 miles south of Newcastle city centre. It comprises a mixture of two-bedroom bungalows, three-bedroom semi-detached homes, and four- and five-bedroom detached homes that have been elegantly designed with open-plan living and signature garden rooms to maximise space.

Located in an attractive countryside setting close to Lintz Cricket Club, Hobson Golf Club, and Burnopfield Cricket Club, residents benefit from good commuter links with the A1(M) nearby and local bus routes connecting Gateshead and Newcastle. Bowes Manor is just over two miles from the Gibside Estate, an 18th-century designed landscape that’s perfect for walking, with over 600 acres of gardens, woodland, and countryside.

To support Robertson building timber frame kit homes on the Bowes Manor development, Enigma scaffolders erected fully boarded three-lift HAKI system scaffold temporary access structures, complete with a staircase and loading bay, surrounding the floor slab perimeter on plots, minus the inside cantilever brackets at this stage. So, the timber roof can be built inside on the slab and completed ahead of the arranged kit erection day, with sufficient distance to ensure the inner standards of the scaffold do not foul the roof’s overhang.

Then on kit erect day, the completed roof is lifted out and placed on the next adjacent free floor slab, ready for the timber wall panels to be craned from the lorry onto the floor slab of the plot.  The outer and inner wall panels are then lifted in situ and installed before the floor cassettes are lifted in and erected. The pre-assembled timber roof framework, built earlier, is then lifted by the crane and guided into position by operatives working with the crane operator to align the roof trusses with the wooden walls below. Once the alignment is completed, the scaffolders then continue installing the table lifts to allow access to the gables, as well as roof edge protection. Assembling the roof truss framework on the concrete base slab has two key benefits: it’s far safer compared to working at height, and it significantly reduces the assembly time.

The installed HAKI staircases help improve efficiency on-site and provide scheduled tradespeople, including phase bricklayers, fitters, glaziers, and roofers, with safe access/egress to all levels to complete the new build construction and fit-out phases before the outer walls are finally rendered. HAKI loading bays enable the safe and efficient delivery of materials and waste removal.

To further enhance site safety, yellow protective brick guard panels were secured to all boarded lifts using cable ties to prevent the risk of falling debris or materials.

The UK government is actively encouraging the adoption of MMC (modern methods of construction), such as timber frame and offsite manufacture, to help resolve the national shortage of new homes being built. So, many housebuilders are transitioning away from traditional brick-and-block to more innovative techniques, such as timber frame kit construction, to promote greater efficiency on-site and build new homes quicker without compromising on quality.

HAKI modular system scaffolding is well-suited to support this change and ideal for fast-paced new-build housing projects. It can increase productivity on-site by up to 60% due to the unique, quick, simple ‘hook-on’ method of erection when compared to traditional tube and fitting, which is usually erected one lift at a time to progressively support bricklayers and other trades.

Enigma is the official UK HAKI distribution partner.