PROFILE: BUILDING DESIGNER-ASHLEY BEAUMONT
BUILT OFFSITE SPOKE TO ASHLEY BEAUMONT, OWNER + DIRECTOR OF MODULAR FACTORY-BUILT BUSINESS ECOLIV BUILDINGS AND ITS SISTER COMPANY BEAUMONT CONCEPTS, ABOUT THE BUILDING DESIGN SMARTS DRIVING HIS BUSINESS.
Ashley Beaumont has been working in the building industry for 20 years but completed training to become a building designer in 2000. This gave him a fine grained understanding of construction methods and helped equip him to found Beaumont Concepts in 2002 and modular business Ecoliv in 2008.
Much has changed since Beaumont’s early days in the industry; in the current climate, clients now require more detailed information around the design process, while another challenge has been the growth of detailed stipulations in the building code. There’s also growing focus on sustainability and modular building methods, which is where Ecoliv’s offering comes into play.
Specialising in custom modular and prefab homes for sustainable living, Ecoliv’s price accessible, award winning eco prefab homes are ready in as little as 14 weeks. Each Ecoliv project has a minimum 7 star energy rating, and typically includes 10,000 litre water tanks, double glazing, maximum insulation, low VOC and no MDF used in joinery.
Ecoliv’s modular prefabrication informs design and by extension the company’s commitment to sustainability, says Beaumont.
“Modular entails transport restrictions in terms of width, height and length, so we always work with standard building material increments, which also minimises waste.”
“Modular entails transport restrictions in terms of width, height and length, so we always work with standard building material increments, which also minimises waste.” Ashley Beaumont, Director- Ecoliv + Beaumont Concepts.
Rather than adopting a ‘cookie cutter’ approach to each house design, his ethos is to design to suit the site wherever possible. “We always do a detailed site assessment. Then we set up the services and footings systems so they’re ready to connect into. We then back the truck into the site or crane lift the modules into the site depending on restrictions.
“Once we’re on site with the modules we spend about two weeks just connecting in with the services; so water, power and sewerage. It’s then a matter of fine-tuning. Nine times out of 10 we’re out of there in two weeks.”
“Once we’re on site with the modules we spend about two weeks just connecting in with the services; so water, power and sewerage. It’s then a matter of fine-tuning. Nine times out of 10 we’re out of there in two weeks.” Ashley Beaumont, Director, Ecoliv + Beaumont Concepts.
Beaumont emphasises that designing for modular or prefab projects does require a shift in design thinking. “Designers should consider all options, especially on tight inner city sites and remote locations. Getting an understanding of the minimum requirements such as maximum module sizes for transport is critical at the early stages of design. Designers need to touch base with a pre-fab construction team prior to design work starting, to confirm the install process and so on. To help evolve the industry, I believe some education around this aspect of prefabricated solutions would be beneficial going forward.”
Technology offers significant potential in further growing the company’s design efficiencies, he adds. “We’re using BIM minimally at the moment, but we’re starting to use it more and we believe it’s going to be of great benefit in terms of the interaction between design and construction teams.”■
Ashley Beaumont
Director- Ecoliv + Beaumont Concepts
