Shropshire-based Elements Europe is celebrating after scooping a top industry accolade at Interbuild -the UK’s biggest building show – at Birmingham’s NEC.

The pioneering pod company, which occupies a 40,000 sq ft manufacturing facility on the Mile Oak Industrial Estate, Oswestry, has taken the title Offsite Solutions New Product Award for the second time in three years; this time for its ground-breaking affordable housing solution Ty Unnos.

Made from low-density sustainable Welsh timber, Ty Unnos takes its name from the Welsh for House Overnight.

In selecting Ty Unnos for the award, the judges said: “This is a really innovative volumetric building with great green credentials, being made entirely from low-grade timber, sourced and processed in Wales. The thin timber creates a really strong product.”ÊÊ

Darren Richards, chief operating officer for Elements Europe, said: “At Elements we firmly believe that affordability and environmental performance should not be exclusive from one another, and we place a great deal of energy, resource and investment into keeping at the forefront of industry innovation.

“We’re naturally thrilled that our efforts have paid off with our award at Interbuild; though we have a number of other new environmental initiatives in development and look forward to making further announcements soon.”

The company produces around 5,000 pods a year, for high-profile clients in locations across the UK. Growing every year, the company is in the process of moving to new, larger premises in Oswestry, from which it expects to recruit in excess of 400 additional staff over the next three years.

Working closely with its construction and manufacturing partners, Elements Europe invests millions of pounds in research and development each year and leads the way in pod technology and sustainable design solutions.