KITCHEN ANDBATHROOM PODS

INNOVATIVEOFF-SITEMANUFACTURING

AN INTRODUCTIONTO PADDINGTON PODS

THE BENEFITS OF PODS

COST SAVINGS OVER TRADITIONALON-SITE INSTALLATION

HIGHEST STANDARDS OF QUALITY CONTROL

SUPERIOR FINISH AND BUILD QUALITY

COST CERTAINTY

FASTER CONSTRUCTIONPROGRAMMES FOR ACCELERATEDOCCUPATION

REDUCTION OF MANY ON-SITEHEALTH, SAFETY ANDENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

PROGRAMME CERTAINTY

REDUCED REQUIREMENT FOR SKILLED LABOUR ANDSUPERVISION ON-SITE

REDUCED ON-SITE MATERIALREQUIREMENT

REDUCED WASTE

PADDINGTON MANUFACTURES PODS IN A CONTROLLEDFACTORY ENVIRONMENT, DELIVERING HIGH QUALITY, FULLYFUNCTIONAL AND PRACTICAL KITCHEN AND BATHROOMSOLUTIONS COST EFFECTIVELY, QUICKLY – AND WE NEVERCOMPROMISE OUR CLIENTS’ EXPECTATIONS.

Paddington have 15 years’ experience ofdesigning, building and supplying qualitylightweight steel pre-galvanised framed bathroomand kitchen pods to the construction industry, for both commercial and private developments.

Our location is a significant benefit to our clients,making visits to review the progress of theirprojects easy and convenient. We have twomodern factories providing space of 120,000 sq ftand the capacity to build over 10,000 bathroomand kitchen pods a year.

Two of the most important requirements for anyconstruction project are programme and costcertainty. Construction site environments, wherethere may be difficult site access, limitedsupervision, health and safety concerns andchangeable weather conditions, can make thecontrol of labour costs, build time and qualityparticularly difficult.

By having the bathrooms and kitchensprefabricated off site, to a fixed cost and understrict quality control procedures, and thendelivered to site at a pre-specified time, buildschedules can be easily maintained and on-siteproblems significantly reduced.

We happily welcome visitors and often runworkshops with interested parties to demonstratethe potential benefits of off-site manufacture.

THE DESIGN PROCESS

Our engineers and designers work closely with the client’s architects and design team to ensure that the client’s requirements areaccurately represented in detailed manufacturingdrawings, as well as taking account ofpracticalities to produce a pod that is functionaland easy to maintain.

We also work closely with the construction andmechanical and electrical teams to facilitateinstallation and interfacing with the rest of theconstruction project.

As part of the design process, we recommend thata prototype is produced prior to full productionsign-off. Normally, this can be ready for viewingwithin eight weeks of placing the order.

Paddington use Virtual Worlds, a fully interactive,virtual reality software programme for creatingroom interiors. The software allows us to design a 3D interior, with the ability to view it from anyangle in amazing photo-realistic colour. The ‘real-time fly through’ mode gives clients the freedomto ‘walk’ around their design room and get a realfeel for the space.

The package has access to over 60manufacturers’ product catalogues, with manymore planning to become available in the future.Visual Worlds’ latest generic kitchens catalogueprovides a huge resource of models for anykitchen design, with easy-to-use facilitiesincluding: auto range changing; live ‘actions’ toopen and close doors and drawers or to illustratethe operation of particular units such as cornercarousels and bi-fold cupboard doors; pricingschedules; order schedules; 2D installation plansand much more.

Utilising this state-of-the-art computer technologyenables us to visualise our clients’ requirementsinstantly and has become an integral part of thedesign and planning phase.

In summary, we use our experience and expertiseto fully realise each client’s original designconcept in a pod that is practical and serviceableand aesthetically pleasing.

AT PADDINGTON WE HAVE WORKED CLOSELY WITH AN EXPERTTEAM OF DESIGNERS, ENGINEERS AND SUPPLIERS TO PRODUCEPODS THAT, WHEN INSTALLED, ARE INDISTINGUISHABLE FROMTHE HIGHEST FINISH LEVELS AND PERFORMANCE OF ANYTRADITIONALLY BUILT KITCHEN OR BATHROOM.

OUR CONTROLLED FACTORY ENVIRONMENTFACILITATES A HIGH LEVEL OF QUALITY CONTROLAT EVERY STAGE OF THE PRODUCTION PROCESS

MANUFACTURING

AS IN MOST MODERNMANUFACTURING FACILITIES,WE UTILISE A PRODUCTIONLINE METHODOLOGY.

Paddington produces lightweight steel pods usingpre-galvanised cold rolled sections thus reducingweight, waste and maximizing flexibility. Pre-cutgalvanised steel sections are connected usingself-piercing rivets to produce flat panels, andeach panel has its own jig to ensure accuratepositioning and repeatability.

When required, the panels are bolted together toform the basic steel frame of the pod. This built-inflexibility allows for the possibility of designingpods that, should the need arise, can be re-configured at a later date. This is particularlyuseful when the room is required to comply with‘Lifetime Homes’ standards.

Each pod is uniquely identified throughout the production process using RFID technology.This allows for close controls to be applied andfacilitates full traceability. It also means thatclients can access our web-based database to track the progress of their pods and view a comprehensive O&M manual for each pod.

Utilising our ‘just in time’ philosophy, pods aremanufactured in sequence with the deliveryschedule and pass through a number of stages in which operations and quality are strictlycontrolled. While the detailed production processwill be tailored to suit the requirements of eachclient, there are a number of core stages that allpods will pass through.

Sound and moisture-resistant plasterboard isattached to the steel frame. If the pod is to befloored, waterproof tanking is applied to ensure a good seal, and if tiles are used, they are appliedto the walls and floor in a pre-planned pattern. All adhesives and grouts used are of a highpolymeric content, enabling the pod to betransported without suffering damage.

Sanitary ware is fitted directly to the steel frame of the pod, giving greater strength to theconnections, a particularly important factor whenproducing floorless pods. The same is true of allfixtures and fittings such as shower screens, towel rails, toilet roll holders and kitchen units.

The pod is fully plumbed using a multilayer pipe system that allows for increased speed of installation.

Electrical installations are completed to complywith client requirements and terminated as agreedwith the site mechanical and electrical team.

QUALITY

A KEY FEATURE OF THEPRODUCTION PROCESS ISTHAT EACH AND EVERY POD IS FULLY TESTED, CERTIFIEDAND INSPECTED PRIOR TODESPATCH.

Ensuring that our pods are manufactured to the highest quality standards is essential for a successful programme. The overriding benefit of utilising a production line methodology within a controlled factory environment is that it allowsus to apply tried and tested quality controlsthroughout the entire manufacturing process.

Each pod is uniquely identified with an RFID tagthroughout the process. This identifies andrecords the materials and processes that havebeen applied to the pod during each stage ofmanufacture. Production status, quality recordsand O&M manuals are stored on our web-baseddatabase, and all information is made available to our clients.

As each pod passes along the production line, the standard of work is checked at each stagebefore any further work is undertaken. Thisensures any errors are highlighted and correctedbefore they can be compounded.

Testing of the plumbing includes full flush testingto ensure that all aspects of the pod are workingcorrectly. The plumbing is fully pressure tested at10 bar for two hours. Each pod is also tested andcertified by a qualified electrician.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL

OFF-SITE MANUFACTUREDPODS TRANSFER WORK FROMTHE CONSTRUCTION SITEINTO THE CONTROLLEDENVIRONMENT OF A FACTORY,OFFERING BETTER QUALITYCONTROL AND IMPROVEDCONSTRUCTION PROGRAMME.ANOTHER BENEFIT IS THEPOTENTIAL TO REDUCE THEGENERATION OF WASTE – BYUP TO 50% OF COMPARABLEON-SITE CONSTRUCTION, ANDTO LESS THAN 1% OF THETOTAL MATERIALS USED.

The design and manufacturing processesoptimise the use of resources and materials bydesigning out unnecessary material waste andensuring an efficient procurement chain. And theintegrated management of the production lineenables us to use the production waste of oneline to complement the needs of the second,effectively creating an internal recycle and reusescheme. In real terms, this represents significantcost savings.

Moreover, once delivered to site, the pods aredirectly installed into their final position and donot require any additional work, which means no waste is generated on the construction site.

Within the construction industry, it is widelyacknowledged that the installation and finishingof the plumbing and sanitary ware in bathroomsand toilet areas are part of the critical path andoften generate delays and significant waste.

Waste includes:

• PACKAGING

• ADHESIVES AND SEALANTS

• UNUSED TILES AND

DECORATIVE TRIMS

• UNUSED GROUTING MATERIALS

• UNUSED OFF-CUTS – PLUMBING

AND ELECTRICAL MATERIALS

Additionally, the ambient environment conditionson site are not always ideal for the use ofadhesives, and finishes often suffer because of rushed applications. The inferior end resultinevitably creates snagging problems that, whenfinally rectified, increase the amount of wastedmaterials and resources.

The introduction of pods into the constructionprocess provides a better and optimised designthat takes into account several important aspects:

• DIMENSIONS OF TILES

• DIMENSIONS OF SANITARY WARE

• POSITIONING OF PIPES AND CABLES

This approach is highly effective in reducingwastage through off-cuts and the need to cutholes for pipes.

DELIVERY AND INSTALLATION

Prior to shipment, our pods arewrapped in heavy gauge plastic toprotect them from the elements, bothduring transport and when on site.

The pods are designed to allowmovement by forklift or vertical crane.Once the pods have arrived on site wesupply specially designed jack-wheelsthat can be easily fitted to the pods.The wheels then allow the pods to be moved to their final position easily and efficiently, requiring the minimumof clearance.

Byrne House, Jeffreys Road, Brimsdown, Enfield,Middlesex, United Kingdom EN3 7UB

Telephone +44 (0)20 8344 6650 Fax +44 (0)20 8805 8968

www.paddingtonoffsite.com