Factory-built pods will be stacked to 26 storeys to provide 89 flats Mapleton Crescent in Wandsworth.
The developer is Pocket, which specialises in low-cost housing using modular construction techniques. The pods are supplied by Vision Modular, whose factory is in Bedford. Main contractor for the project is Donban Contracting UK.
The project has a gross development value of £39.8m.
Pocket chief executive Marc Vlessing said: “If we’re able to scale up modular construction it has the potential to help solve London’s housing crisis. Factory built modular homes are quicker to build than conventional buildings and result in significantly less disruption to local residents – with 60% fewer trucks coming to sites and 90% less waste.
“To increase the number of modular developments constructed we need to find ways to support SME builders who are able to respond to local need and build 100 to 200 homes at a time.”
Wandsworth Council leader Ravi Govindia, visiting the site for ground breaking, said: “I’m delighted Pocket’s first Wandsworth-based housing development is now under way. These compact starter homes are a superb innovation and offer a new affordable housing option in the heart of Wandsworth town centre. I’m sure they will be a popular choice with local residents and we hope to see more schemes like this developed in the years ahead.
“The building’s design is equally impressive, particularly the green ceramic cladding system which will be another first for Wandsworth. The emphasis on creating such high quality communal areas is another welcome innovation.”
Here’s a time lapse video of a previous Pocket project, at Mountearl Gardens, London SW16:
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