The Easi Space team, along with partners Sam Bromley from Element Design, Mark White, and Chris Spiceley, have combined their expertise in project delivery and the offsite industry to introduce a new timber frame housing solution called Elsi.
Elsi follows a 2D Kit of (Less) Parts concept, resembling a building material more than a system. The components are prefabricated offsite as panels, then delivered to the site for assembly, including 1st fix, superstructure, performance layers, windows/doors, and cladding/rainscreen as a minimum requirement. The system's standard performance aligns with passive house principles.
Elsi is intentionally designed to be architecturally neutral, accommodating various layouts seamlessly from planning to installation. The modular panels allow for flexible wall configurations with spans of up to 8m, enabling open-plan designs. Its design flexibility extends to foundation types, supporting installation on various foundations like raft foundations to screw piles. The mechanical fixings enable disassembly and rearrangement, offering versatility in delivery methods.
To streamline installation, human-scale assets have been developed, eliminating the need for heavy machinery, making it suitable for compact sites. The design's rationalised scale for fabrication and installation simplifies the system adoption by SMEs, small projects, and self-builders as well as large volume housing providers.
Although Elsi has been designed and tested at a modern manufacturing facility in Hampshire, the intention is not for large-scale production at this site. The plan is to establish an Elsi joinery network comprising UK manufacturers who can produce standard Elsi components. A digital platform will facilitate manufacturers to create system components for local projects at agreed rates, benefiting from competitive timber prices sourced directly from manufacturers.
The Elsi team has conducted pre-tests on assembly and manufacturing processes to set a 'gold standard' for manufacture. Manufacturing rigs and jigs have been developed to ensure high-quality and efficient production of Elsi components. Emphasis is placed on supporting local manufacturing rather than centralising production.
Elsi aims to enhance the green credentials of timber frame building solutions by designing standard asset sizes around stock size timber materials, reducing waste and cutting operations. The components are tailored for use with UK-grown C16 timber from reliable supply chains, achieving an impressive 97% material efficiency with minimal waste.
Incorporating the Japanese concept of ‘Poka-Yoke’ to avoid unexpected surprises, the design ensures intuitive assembly and construction, reducing measurement and setting-out time. This approach accelerates construction phases, enhances quality, accuracy, and cost-effectiveness.
Elsi provides clients with certainty by adhering to LABC and Eurocode compliant detailing, establishing a design audit trail from concept to operation for clear liability and installation warranty.
All technical data for Elsi is centralised in a wiki library accessible to fabrication/construction partners, regularly updated by the Elsi team for the latest information, design updates, and system specifications.
If you would like any further information about this project, please contact Richard at richard@easi-space.com
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