CONTENTS

LEADING INVESTMENT BANK BETS ON PREFAB

UK: GOLDMAN SACHS IS PUTTING MONEY BEHIND PREFABRICATED HOUSES TO THE TUNE OF 75 MILLION POUNDS STERLING.

Goldman Sachs has invested in TopHat, a self-described leader in technology-driven modular housing manufacturing, which has the capability to build three flats a day from its site in south Derbyshire. Its first project is to build 300 houses in Kent as part of the Kitchener Barracks project in Chatham scheduled to welcome residents in the second quarter of 2019. The development is a showcase for TopHat’s unique, high quality, and design-differentiated product.

In the UK, only 15,000 (7.5%) of the near 200,000 houses constructed in 2017-2018 were prefabs. The government wants to increase that figure to 100,000.

Artist’s impression of the Kitchener Barracks scheme, where TopHat is set to supply 300 houses.

Prefabricated homes continue to be seen as a viable investment vehicle. In the US, the year 2018 saw $1.24 billion invested in prefabrication start-ups in the first three quarters of the year.

End-to-end building services provider Katerra continuing to attract interest from investors such as SoftBank. Global giants including Amazon and Google have signalled their investment commitment to the sector.■


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