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Contractor George & Harding has teamed up with engineer Buro Happold to develop a modular construction system based on shipping containers. It is said to save 10% over conventional construction costs, which it does by sourcing the containers from China.

The units are built using the same technology as shipping containers, which means these can be easily transported, and stacked. In practice this means cost savings are made on site because the system does not need a frame. The units are placed onto a foundation pad, or onto short columns if space underneath the units is required.

This project is the second that Travelodge Verbus is working on in the UK; the first is at Uxbridge, a few miles away from this site which is next to Heathrow Airport on Bath Road. Once the groundworks are finished, and the cores for the stairs are in place, lorries bring each container from port. Each unit contains two fully fitted-out bedrooms with a corridor section in the middle. These are placed next to each other to form a long central corridor with bedrooms opening off either side.

When the lorry arrives on site it parks up, then a mobile crane is used to lift the module off and position it next to its neighbour, a process that takes a few minutes. Once positioned it is secured with bolts. Once all the modules are in place the cladding can go on and the building finished off.

Watch the film to see how it all fits together.