Boutique Modern – Revolutionary Sustainable Modular Housing
Newhaven based modular building firm Boutique Modern, has led the way by working with local authorities and innovative private buyers to create jobs and contribute to society, as one of the first companies to be certified as a B Corp in East Sussex, meeting social and environmental standards to achieve more than just profit.
Supported by Lewes District Council, Boutique Modern is working with leading national social housing providers Stonewater to create 40 energy efficient modular homes in Peacehaven, East Sussex this year, to add to over 185 houses and counting they have created in Newhaven and delivered across the South East in the last few years.
Boutique Modern
The foundations
Since 2009, Boutique Modern is a pioneering manufacturer of volumetric modular buildings, with high-performance hybrid build systems allow for an infinite range of design, straightforward and scalable for any production and at any budget.
Created from its base in the centre of Newhaven, the firm has since received acclaim for impeccable in-house facilities, with a one-stop-shop of design, manufacture, and installation, providing end to end control at convenient and low cost.
Long established within the industry, their signature ‘build type’, the ModernHome range, allows for quick development and bespoke adaptations for any client, allowing the firm to be agile and affordable. With this improved efficiency, the company can create sustainable and environmentally friendly modular buildings, built on-site and shipped directly to sites to be installed with a very short turnover from installation to habitation.
Certified by the Buildoffsite Property Assurance Scheme (BOPAS), for Design, Manufacture and Construction of modular buildings, is an assurance that any homes built from their non-traditional methods and materials will stand for at least sixty years without significant intervention.
Turning point
As the company has grown, demand has grown as well, and during 2016/17, it reached growth from seven employees to over twenty employees. To fulfil the growing demand, the business needed more timely investment into the plant and machinery to increase build capacity, allowing it to operate over more hours, with quicker and safer facilities for the increasing workforce.
Contacting Locate East Sussex, they were able to find the funding necessary and helped to introduce local authorities and networks, so they were able to build and expand into a second unit next to them and create further roles in Newhaven.
B-Corp and sustainable growth
As it was able to utilise their new space, Boutique Modern could reach their ambition to create truly sustainable housing products, combining quality and design, with a focus on a local scale delivery model that allows them more control over their carbon footprint.
Not wanting to solely create profit, the company follows values that not only make it stand out in the sector but become leaders within the construction industry. Creating a great working environment that not only promotes diversity and transparency, but the firm also aims to become carbon neutral by 2025, reduce electrical consumption and reduce material waste.
To solidify its commitment, Boutique Modern have been certified as a B Corporation (B Corp) by not-for-profit B Lab, combining pursuing purpose as well as profit, meeting rigorous social and environmental standards which represent its commitment to goals outside of shareholder profit. Covering areas such as governance, workers, community, environment and customers, Boutique Modern has proven that the commitment to creating a better world extends into the East Sussex community and beyond, working with the local colleges and job centres to create opportunities.
Boutique Modern have pledged to create over 500 employment opportunities in our local community both directly and through its supply chain. Putting sustainability and the green jobs at the top of its priorities, it is hard to not see how much of an impact Boutique Modern is having and will continue to have.
Notable Scale Projects
Cripps Avenue – Peacehaven
As announced on 14 April 2021, Boutique Modern and Stonewater have partnered to create over 40 new, sustainable and affordable homes, with a special emphasis on energy efficiency.
Taking special care, they will be working towards eliminating single-use plastic for the entire build.
On the site of a former plant hire company and a derelict residential property, the development will deliver one-bedroom and two-bedroom flats as well as two-bedroom and three-bedroom houses.
The build will start this Summer 2021.
Fort Road – Newhaven
Consisting of thirteen modular flats with one-bedroom or two-bedroom designs, the innovative and affordable social housing will be built on land occupied by a disused office in Newhaven.
Designed and built locally, these flats will be equipped not just for comfortable living, but will offer the latest technology including solar panels that will enable the homes to be carbon-neutral for up to three months every year and less reliant on the national grid.
Working with Lewes District Council, the new homes were allocated to thirteen families off the waiting list.
Ashington Gardens – Peacehaven
Working with Stickland Wright, Boutique Modern reimagined a LDC-owned garage site into six one-bedroom bungalows.
Designed to integrate into the existing neighbourhood, the team were able to create a building to the specification of LDC and reduce capital outlay and running costs.
Following completion of the project, Boutique Modern won LABC Building Excellence Awards South East – Best New Social Housing Project and Best Small Housing Development in 2020.