Offsite Solutions has landed a £2.4m deal to manufacture 761 GRP shower pods for McAleer & Rushe for a new 20-storey student accommodation scheme at Wembley Park developed by Greystar.

It is Offsite Solutions’ second contract for McAleer & Rushe and will involve the production of standard and larger accessible and adaptable floorless enhanced GRP bathroom pods.

Designed by HTA, the 770-bed scheme will be operated under the Canvas brand and will open to its first occupants in September 2025.

The shower rooms will have a new metro style brick bond tile-effect finish which avoids the need for grout to the wet areas to reduce maintenance. Pod manufacturing will be completed by Spring 2024.

Harrison Hart, Development Associate at Greystar, said: “As a business, we are driving the use of offsite construction for bathrooms for the majority of our student schemes as it aligns with our ESG commitments. Pods generate less waste through more efficient use of materials, less traffic to site, provide a better working environment for the bathroom fitout, and quality is better with significantly reduced snagging at practical completion.”

“Design development for the bathrooms on this project has been an incredibly quick process and has been completed at an earlier stage than if we were using in-situ bathroom construction. It is then possible to see the first off pod early on to verify and refine the design detailing, and to inform the design of the student bedrooms. It also provides a benchmark for quality control.”

“Having one single supplier is very helpful to simplify procurement, design and site management, and still gives us flexibility. We also really like Offsite Solutions’ panelised GRP solution because it allows 90° corners that have an enhanced aesthetic compared to moulded bathroom pods.”

Darragh Greenan, Contracts Director at McAleer & Rushe, said: “The use of bathroom pods for this project reflects our commitment to supporting offsite manufacturing and all the benefits it can bring – increasing efficiency on site, reducing material deliveries and the associated carbon emissions, and reducing site waste. There are also clear quality control advantages as we have the opportunity to assess the quality of the bathroom finishes before going into full production.”

James Stephens, Managing Director of Offsite Solutions said:  “We are very pleased to be working on our first scheme for Greystar, which has an impressive portfolio of 120,000 student beds globally. We have a long track record of providing high quality, low maintenance bathrooms to developers and contractors in the student sector.

“There is a clear under-supply in student homes across the UK and demand continues to outstrip supply, particularly in London.”

Sustainably manufactured and fitted out offsite in controlled factory conditions, the finished bathrooms for Wembley Park will be installed on site in just a few hours.

Each pod will be fully fitted out at Offsite Solutions’ factory in Somerset with a wall hung toilet, D-shaped wall hung basin, a vanity shelf with solid surface worktop, circular mirror above the basin, a mirrored two-door cabinet, a shower with a riser rail and a bi-fold shower door.