The Code for Sustainable Homes had set a trajectory toward zero-carbon new build by 2016 — but the volume housebuilding sector faced a fundamental tension: the performance levels required were significantly beyond what traditional masonry construction could easily or economically achieve at scale. Modern methods of construction offered a route through that tension, but only if the industry was willing to develop and test them seriously.
TeceWall was a collaborative research programme that brought together a volume housebuilder (Bovis Homes), a major building materials manufacturer (H+H), and specialist technical partners to develop, test, and refine an off-site panelised construction system specifically designed for the demands of modern energy performance standards.
What we developed
The system centred on factory-manufactured structural panels that could be assembled rapidly on site, incorporating high levels of continuous insulation, controlled thermal bridge mitigation, and airtightness detailing that was designed in and manufactured rather than left to on-site workmanship. This last point was crucial: the performance gap between designed and built fabric performance was — and remains — one of the industry’s most persistent problems.
- Development and testing of an off-site panel system designed to achieve high thermal performance within volume housebuilding programme constraints,
- Thermal bridge analysis and mitigation strategy integrated into the panel design and junction detailing,
- Airtightness strategy for panelised construction, with factory-applied membranes and site assembly details designed to maintain integrity,
- Assessment of on-site assembly logistics, programme implications, and cost comparison against traditional masonry methods,
- Performance testing and verification of built examples to establish actual in-use thermal characteristics.
The wider context
TeceWall was part of a broader moment in the industry when modern methods of construction moved from the margins to the mainstream agenda. The programme’s findings contributed to a growing evidence base that off-site manufacture could deliver better, more consistent fabric performance — and that the industry would need to move in this direction if it was serious about the performance standards ahead of it.
The best way to close the performance gap is to make high performance a property of the factory process, not a dependency on site conditions.
The questions TeceWall engaged with — how to achieve reliable fabric performance at volume, how to integrate off-site manufacture with traditional housebuilder programmes, how to evidence performance rather than just design for it — remain live questions for the industry today.