We are proud to announce that House Mackintosh has won the coveted award for 'Best Off-Site Prefabricated Home' at the prestigious Build It Awards 2021.

 

The awards are judged by independent experts from across the self-build and home renovation sector and recognise the UK's most outstanding and innovative projects. Like every Baufritz project, the Mackintosh house was a major team effort involving the skills and efforts of designers, architects, engineers and builders. Attending the gala at the London Hilton Bankside on behalf of Baufritz to receive the award were Alena Salauyova and Dominik Böhm. It was a fantastic opportunity for Alena and Dominik to celebrate our success and rub shoulders with industry leaders. Of course, we build our homes for families, not for awards, but winning awards like the Build It Award is always a welcome bonus. And a sign that we are always pushing the boundaries of design and architecture.

 

Exciting news! We are assembling yet another house this year. This time, it is a magnificent 3 storey house (450m2), with an additional garage and yoga space (100m2). The facade will be finished in trending black vertical timber, in combination with mineral render.

 

The setting is simply fantastic - the house is surrounded by a botanical garden, set in a small village, in the most beautiful part of Hampshire.

Baufritz UK is proud to be longlisted for Interior Design Studio of the Year at the prestigious Dezeen Awards 2021.

 

Design is our passion, so to be recognised by one of the world's most influential architecture, interiors and design magazines is a huge honour. The credit for making it onto the longlist goes to our design centre and in-house tailoring, where we work closely with our customers to create compelling interiors and exteriors that exceed all their expectations. We believe dream homes are built detail by detail, from the floor tiles to the ceiling lights, and everything in between. Every design feature, no matter how small, adds to the overall feel and uniqueness of a house. That's why we take an obsessive amount of care over every single decision every step of the way.

 

So, it's a great accomplishment that Dezeen have discovered what our customers all over the UK have known all along – that our commitment to beautiful design is second to none. Watch this space to see if our longlist mention leads to an award…

This week we have been busy assembling a new Baufritz house. The prefabrication method allows us to produce our patented wall and roof modules with an amazing level of precision: literally down to a millimeter. This accuracy helps to keep assembly times short and very efficient. Prefabrication also allows us to produce less waste as compared to traditional methods while the short construction time means less disruption to our clients and neighbours.
 

 

"I believe that everything is designed. The most important thing about this is that you must be conscious about it and see how your feelings react to designs, spaces, and materials." - Alfredo Häberli 

 

As a first-time house builder how can you approach this enormous task? To start with what does the everyday life of the person, the couple, the family, look like? Try to find their needs, their interests, and how they live their life. Really, what kind of feeling do they want to have while living in their house. This is the context that then sets up the design.

What people do not realise is that there are many decisions which must be taken when designing a house and this requires a lot of time. You need to have this time available. But working with Baufritz helps as there is a process supporting you throughout the build, it is important to trust a company. I had fantastic professionals working with me.

 

"It is an amazing experience to watch our Baufritz house being constructed. They make what must be a complex and difficult task look comparatively straightforward and everything fits together beautifully. Many thanks to the very hard working construction team and of course to everyone else at Baufritz for helping us achieve our dream. Martin and Helen" (our customers)

It's been 15 years and nearly 100 builds since we were contracted to design and build our first UK house in 2006. To mark the occasion, we got in touch with Andrew and Alison Nicholls, proud owners of the UK's very first Baufritz house. Speaking from their home in Trevone Bay, near Padstow, Andrew and Alison recalled their experience, "When we first went to Germany, we realised the quality and specifications of Baufritz houses were years ahead of the UK." Andrew added, "Despite some maintenance challenges given the location, we have enjoyed the experience of living in the house." At Baufritz, we look forward to the next 15 years, building many more innovative eco homes in the UK. But we will always think fondly of our first. Thank you, Andrew and Alison!   

We have worked together with Baufritz since 2012 and during this time have developed a thorough understanding of the Baufritz system. By this I mean how Baufritz constructs it houses and the client's journey through the process. We have also developed an incredibly positive working relationship with our partners at Baufritz.

 

So here is a little bit about the Nilsson Pflugfelder ethos. Our firm has no preconceived in-house architectural style. Instead, each house is developed in close collaboration with the client, taking into considerations of function, lifestyle, and budget. The unique setting of each site is of course also factor that strongly influences the design. In other words, each project is the opportunity to explore something new. Originally, our relationship with Baufritz began when we were brought in to champion design quality, which means that we will always aim to achieve the best design solution possible.

 

Many of the houses we have developed, have been for sites with unusual qualities. For us the challenge is to see what others may have overlooked, and in doing so delivering design that is both functional and surprising. Rushworth is located directly by the English Channel. For this project we inverted the typical interior organisation of a house by placing the living room on the first floor instead of as typical on the ground floor. By doing so, we created spectacular panoramic views from the living room. A building wide semi-covered balcony further emphasises the connection between interior and exterior. The Treehouse is built on an enclosed plot, located in central Cambridge, which meant that space and views were limited and restricted. Consequently, the house was designed as a compact box in order to maximise usable space. To offset the potential spatial confinement, windows were strategically placed to provide surprising vistas out towards the surroundings. By visually extending the interior of the house and connecting it with the exterior setting, the house feels more spacious than it really is. The site for the Wolosczcuk house was unusual in that there was a large level difference between the front and the back of the site. In addition, the spatial requirements were opulent. To negotiate the level difference and to make sure that the rooms did not feel too large and undefined, each room was conceived as a plateau floating within the building envelope at different levels. The house thus negotiates the level difference and creates interior spaces that are clearly defined yet interconnected. 

 

 

My recommendation for prospective clients wishing to use a Modular prefabricated timber frame construction method, is to free themselves from any preconceived notions about what this type of construction entails. In fact, there is little difference between designing a Baufritz house compared with a house built using traditional construction methods. If a more unusual shape is desired, then that is of course also possible, but it requires more coordination with the engineers at Baufritz. Any complicated form or shape is of course more costly to build. Although a Baufritz house is prefabricated using a modular wall-panel system, each house is individually designed as a unique one-off. In terms of appearance, it looks like any custom designed house that is built using traditional construction methods. The unique aspect of the Baufritz process is that cost certainty and technical feasibility is guaranteed throughout the design process. As a tried and tested system, both in technical and procedural terms, there are, as is so often found with traditional construction, no surprises. At any time during the design process, it is therefore possible to give the client full transparency. In other words, the client knows what they get.

 

We enjoy working with Baufritz. From an architectural perspective once the designs are completed and the building diagrams go to manufacturing there is extraordinarily little to worry about. On the flip side the client must be content with their designs as change is more difficult once the manufacturing process begins. I think if you look at the breadth of design for our Baufritz houses, you will have to agree that the process allows a high degree of design freedom. Which is why Baufritz brought Nilsson Pflugfelder in as design quality champions.

The assembly of a new 4 bedroom house is underway in South London.

 

 

 

The UK has left the European Union and since 1^st January, 2021 new rules apply. At Baufritz, we examined all elements of our business and supply chain in order to make necessary changes to our operations to minimise disruption and ensure we continue to offer the same high-quality service and support to our customers. 

 

 

Baufritz has been in the UK market for 15 years with dedicated headquarters in Cambridge, where our UK colleagues deliver the same high standards we set in Germany. Our status as a valued service in the UK means we are permitted to employ citizens from the EU and our German craftsmen are able to visit whenever required. e.g., for quality control. Over the last 5 years we have strengthened our UK network, investing in onsite training for our craftsmen and developing links with partner companies, such as heating installers, electricians and decorators. As a result, all the 'turnkey trades' are in place to make a house ready to move in.

 

 

We have built our 125-year-old family business on superior quality timber from Southern Germany, and we continue to use the same natural resources today. Due to the high degree of prefabrication involved in the construction of our sustainable timber houses the components are packaged in Germany and shipped to the UK in one delivery with no additional costs for customs, taxes, etc.

 

 

We remain focused on continuing to deliver exceptional individually designed homes to our customers in the UK. We have already transported the first post-Brexit house, which was installed by our local specialists with the support of craftsmen from Germany.

 

 

Thanks to our diligent preparation in the run up to Brexit we have transitioned seamlessly to the new situation. It also means we are very well prepared for Covid regulations and less straightforward travel conditions. 

 

 

I have always lived by the coast. Seeing plastic on the beaches was so normal, I used to overlook it, until an art project at school alerted me to the idea that plastic should not be there! I noticed plastic pollution more and more and researched it during my A-Levels. In 2018 I heard about eXXpedition, an all-female Community Interest Company, set up by Emily Penn and Lucy Gilliam, which is at the frontline of global plastic pollution research. At this time eXXpedition was organising a sailing voyage around the world to collect plastic pollution data. This involved using equipment to collect sea-surface, sub-surface, and sediment sample, which they would analyse for the presence of plastic and associated toxins. At each stop along the way they would collect data about the plastic on land, building up an understanding of the origin of the pollution. They work with the University of Plymouth to understand how marine plastic pollution looks worldwide.

 

At first, I dismissed the idea of joining these women as something I couldn't possibly be a part of due to my lack of experience at only 18 years old. However, I thought this would be an incredible thing to do, and so I applied. In the summer of 2019, I was offered a place on the team as their youngest member! I was set to sail through part of the Pacific in 2020 on their world voyage. But, as we all know, a world-wide pandemic hit. The sailing trip had to be stopped just a couple of months before I was due to join. This was a real shame but eXXpedition transitioned the voyage online. We couldn't carry out research as we had expected to, but it meant I still had the opportunity to meet inspiring women from around the world who were also keen to find solutions to plastic pollution. From the 22^nd January to 5^th February I participated in 6 calls with 13 women from the UK, USA, Canada, France, Tonga, Iceland and Puerto Rico, including Emily Penn, the co-founder of the organisation. Emily and Dr Winnie Courtene-Jones (Science Lead for eXXpedition) spoke to us about the research from the previous sailing trips which revealed more about marine plastic pollution.

 

The reason this is an all-female venture is because women, although decreasingly so, are still underrepresented in STEM and research fields; eXXpedition helps shift this balance to show that women have a valid and important place in the sciences. The other reason is that pollution is affecting women just as much as men, if not more. Historically, research has focused mainly on men and yet plastic and toxins, such as endocrine-disrupting Persistent Organic Pollutants, can have a greater effect on women and the children to whom they give birth.

 

As a group we explored how we as individuals could best take action, thinking about our skills and creating action plans, and we discussed potential solutions. On our fifth call, local people from the Kingdom of Tonga explained to us how the international issue of plastic pollution was impacting their island nation, overwhelming them as they do not have the technology to cope with it. Tonga represents what is happening on a global scale: plastic rubbish is thrown away, moved to landfill on the other side of the island out of sight, blown into the sea and washed back up on their shores. This was an impactful story. Plastic was made to last... forever. All the plastic ever made, still exists today. We really must stop using it for things that aren't meant to last forever, like straws and food packaging. This is not what plastic was made for – and it is having disastrous effects.

 

With my Geography degree I intend to continue to explore and communicate the impact of humans on this planet – the bad and the good. It can be so gloomy sometimes but there is also great hope. Humans are clever and have now awoken to the needs of the environment, especially through movements like the climate strikes. We now know some of the problems, so we can solve them. A great thing about the plastic pollution problem is that there is not a silver-bullet, so we can all get involved from the individual to the community, industry, and government.

 

For some ideas of solutions see: www.shift.how

 

To follow my journey you can follow me on Instagram @phoebe_ptgs

So exciting! Our new eco home in London is being assembled right now. It is the first house we brought over the Channel since the UK left EU. The customs cleared with no problems. Thanks to efficient work of the team.

 

 

Oliver Rehm, CEO

 

We are all very relieved that common sense has prevailed and a Brexit agreement is in place. From our perspective we can now concentrate on the important things, designing and building innovative quality eco homes for our UK client base.

 

Over the last couple of months there have been some very important changes going on which may have flown under the radar. Changes in the White House and increased global awareness of climate change have made planet earth our focus. Glasgow is the host for COP26, the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference, putting the UK at the centre of the sustainability debate.

 

Our dedication to creating zero carbon low energy homes makes the Baufritz story relevant to meeting the global goals for 2050. Buildings' energy use and construction are a key factor for CO2 emissions and we are at the vanguard in changing this statistic. Please reach out to become part of our community and let us make a difference in the UK construction industry.

 

Dagmar Fritz-Kramer und Oliver Rehm, Baufritz UK

As the end of the Brexit transition period looms, we would like to reassure you of our readiness for the change in 2021. We have scrutinized every aspect of our business operation in the UK that becomes affected by the end of the transition period; we have attended a number of webinars, gathered intelligence and adapted all the legal aspects to make sure we follow the latest governmental guidelines; we do know what to anticipate in both case scenarios. We are following the news closely and are ready for the 1st of January 2021.

 

We are, of course, hopeful that the deal will be reached and businesses like ours will have the best conditions possible, but we are also prepared for the other outcome.

 

We are working hard to adapt to the change to continue building our beautiful healthy homes in the UK.

Thank you for your continuous support!