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 | | TERRAPIN’S RETIRING CHAIRMAN EMBARKS ON NEW INDUSTRY ROLE | | | Terrapin | | 07/11/2007 | | | The retirement of Nick Whitehouse as Chairman of Terrapin Limited heralds the start of an exciting new role as Terrapin’s ambassador for off-site building. He now plans to also ramp up his activity and support for Buildoffsite, an organisation which campaigns for the greater uptake of off-site building solutions, and its new supplier accreditation scheme, for which Terrapin has acted as a pilot organisation. The scheme aims to ensure best practice within the off-site industry, from design through to delivered product.
Nick Whitehouse joined Terrapin Limited in 1977 as a Group Architect, was appointed a Director in 1984 and became Chairman/Managing Director in 1996. Over the years he has served on various RIBA, Government and trade association committees to encourage cross sector working and move off-site manufacture into the main stream of construction. Although he is now officially retiring, he is keen to continue serving the industry and, in particular, to help Terrapin and Buildoffsite achieve further success. “Terrapin has more than 50 years of experience in off-site and modular building solutions and I believe its management team has the skills and ambition to capitalise on the growth and maturity of this sector,” he says.
The authoritative voice of the off-site industry, Buildoffsite provides a forum for stakeholders in this sector, from clients, developers and contractors through to manufacturers, government and advisors. The organisation champions better construction by acting as a catalyst in the use of off-site across all market sectors, with the eventual aim of achieving a ten-fold increase in the uptake of off-site.
During his time as Chairman of Terrapin Limited, Nick has overseen a strengthening of the Terrapin brand within the off-site market and the company’s relationships with new and existing licensees. The company’s R&D programmes have produced innovative products and processes, which in turn have resulted in a number of worldwide patents and new licensees. He explains, “Terrapin invests in a continuous product improvement strategy and this is reflected in its involvement in an impressive range of high profile projects, which also demonstrate its commitment to team working, value and performance.”
Terrapin pioneered the techniques for providing quality buildings quickly and at low cost, without compromising good architectural practice. Nick Whitehouse believes Terrapin’s construction concept is still very relevant today with the current acute building demand, skill shortages and regulatory and affordability pressures.
Looking to the future, Nick Whitehouse believes addressing a lack of understanding of off-site products and processes amongst the traditionalists could help the construction industry meet higher energy and resource efficiencies. He says, “Lightweight frame structures are well suited to current requirements for efficient design, manufacture and construction, and could play a key role in meeting the challenge of zero carbon buildings. There are some interesting opportunities associated with this challenge and I’m looking forward to making my contribution to the industry’s future over the next few years.”
Terrapin is a privately owned company which has been expanding the potential of modern methods of off-site construction since 1949. It grew with the development of modular classroom buildings throughout the baby boom and is now a leader in factory assembled modular buildings such as hotels, prisons, hospitals, schools and apartments. | |
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