It is the first application of its new GRP tile-effect finishes on the pods for two residential buildings under construction in the heart of Wood Wharf in London’s Docklands.

The development will provide 297 fully serviced apartments and has been designed by HTA Design to reflect the area’s naval heritage, mirroring warehouse architecture with hand-set masonry façades.

The design options for Offsite Solutions’ range of GRP composite pods have recently been expanded to offer five tile-effect finishes specifically developed for the build-to-rent sector. This latest innovation in pod technology widens the scope of factory-finished GRP shower rooms and bathrooms.

Designers can now specify up to two different tile effects in a single pod – mosaic, square, larger format landscape or vertical, and brick-bond metro.

These finishes are all integral to the GRP pod carcase and so avoid the need for grout and tiles in the wet areas. This solution radically reduces ongoing maintenance over the life of the bathroom and so can reduce operating costs for serviced apartment schemes by at least 90 per cent compared to in-situ built bathrooms with traditional tiling.

The pods for Wood Wharf are the first to use Offsite Solutions’ new mosaic tile-effect finish – and the first to feature a second GRP finish in each pod. The walls to the non-wet areas have an integral square tile-effect to contrast with the mosaic finish used above the hand basin and in the shower.

Colin Holder, Senior Project Manager at Canary Wharf Group, said: “We were very happy with the standard of the pods and Offsite Solutions’ performance on this contract. The tile effect is exactly what the design team was looking to achieve.”

“Bathroom pods give us the benefits of speed and cost efficiency. These factors and the site constraints were the main drivers to manufacture the bathrooms for this scheme offsite. We estimate pods reduced work on site by up to three weeks per bathroom – as we could progress work on site while the bathrooms were fully finished offsite in the factory. This programme saving was significant.”

James Stephens, Managing Director of Offsite Solutions, said: “The capital costs of GRP pods can be up to 20 per cent less than steel-framed pod solutions, helping developers and BTR operators to meet their budget aspirations as well as reduce operating costs because there is no grout or tiling to the wet areas.

“Our new range of tile-effect finishes now takes the aesthetic appearance of GRP pods to another level and allows more design flexibility. Our expanded range of GRP options has been very well received by developers, contractors and architects and it is great to see the first project now delivered.”