Radio Features

Elements Europe, a manufacturing company based in Oswestry, has built a modular home in the car park of Telford College of Arts and Technology (TCAT). Kevin Arthur from Elements Europe, believed the design could be the answer to the country's affordable housing shortfall.

The kitchen in the modular house

The two-bedroom detached property was put together in one day on 11 June 2009. The house arrived at TCAT in two sections - the upstairs and the downstairs. Construction workers then combined the two and added cladding and brickwork. 

Mr Arthur was also quick to point out the design's British credentials, with many of the  materials sourced from the UK: "The windows are Welsh timber... it's factory constructed, so we can really guarantee the quality... as well as ticking a lot of sustainability aspects."

Shropshire Constructing Excellence Club organised the showcase. Its spokesman, Carl Huntley, explained that modular buildings can also help deal with the skills shortage in the industry: "It really shows that very little has to be done to get this house constructed. We're doing it in eight to nine hours."

According to Kevin Arthur a similar property could be bought, including the land, for around £93,000.

The bathroom

Mr Arthur said there was a lot of interest: "We're working with a lot of registered social landlords, housing associations in order to deliver the government's housing targets."