Provision of HAKI system scaffolding integrated with loading bay platforms and HAKI staircases to support timber frame kit house building.

The Barratt Homes Laurel Chase development on the former St George’s Hospital site is a collection of 3-, 4- and 5-bedroom homes in Cottingwood, a semi-rural location that’s under 1 mile away from Morpeth, a traditional market town.

Laurel Chase has five designated areas – Racecourse, Green Street, Front Street, Cotting Green, and Secondary Street – that support sustainable living with biodiversity enhancements, including expansive green open spaces, green corridors, wildflower meadows, and a cycle and pedestrian framework. House buyers have a choice of 10 energy-efficient and high-quality house-type designs.

To assist Barratt Homes in building high-quality timber frame kit houses on the former hospital site on the outskirts of Morpeth, Enigma provided a fully integrated temporary access solution using the HAKI modular scaffold system.

Our experienced scaffolders installed full-height, fully boarded scaffolds complete with staircases and loading bays around the perimeter of each newly poured floor slab. The timber roof truss frameworks were then safely assembled on a separate, clear slab area. This approach minimises work at height and accelerates assembly, improving efficiency to keep phased programmes on schedule.

The timber internal and external wall panels are positioned in situ on the slab and installed before inserting the floor cassettes. Then the pre-assembled timber roof trusses are lifted into position by crane from ground level, with skilled operatives ensuring precise alignment with the supporting walls. Following this, our scaffolders erected table lifts to provide safe access to the gable ends and installed roof edge protection.

The integration of HAKI staircases enhanced overall site productivity, ensuring that all trades, including bricklayers, fitters, glaziers, and roofers, can move safely and efficiently between levels. HAKI loading bays further improved workflow by facilitating efficient material handling and waste removal to maintain organised work areas for multiple trades to operate simultaneously.

To further enhance safety measures, we installed yellow brick guard panels, securely fastened with cable ties on all boarded lifts, to prevent falling debris.

Through careful planning, coordination, technical expertise, and an unwavering focus on safety, Enigma enabled Barratt Homes to achieve an efficient, streamlined construction process, contributing to the successful delivery of the Laurel Chase development.

The government is driving the adoption of modern methods of construction (MMC), like timber frame and offsite component manufacture, to tackle the UK’s national housing shortage. So, leading housebuilders are now moving beyond traditional brick-and-block-built homes and embracing onsite timber frame kit assembly to build faster and more efficiently, without compromising quality.

HAKI modular scaffolding is engineered for this new era of construction and is erected to full height around the plot, giving all tradespeople immediate unobstructed access to all levels. The fast ‘hook-on’ system can boost on-site productivity by up to 60% when compared with conventional tube and fitting scaffolds that are progressively built to support bricklayers.

Enigma is the official UK distribution partner for HAKI.