TopHat

TopHat were the UK’s leader in technology-driven modular housing manufacturing. Using Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), they combined computer-controlled off-site manufacturing with advanced planning, design technology and innovative materials – building homes in a factory in Derbyshire before installing them on site. The ambition was to change the way residential development works: faster, cleaner, and more precise than traditional build.

The site at Kitchener Barracks tells a more complicated story. A former Royal Engineers barracks in Chatham, Kent – steeply sloping, historically significant, and tightly constrained – this was not a straightforward canvas for a modular scheme. Extensive level changes across the 4.8-acre brownfield site meant significant civil engineering and infrastructure work before a single module could arrive from the factory. The masterplan also retained historic barracks buildings at the heart of the development, requiring new modular homes to be coordinated carefully around locally significant structures.

Matrix Consult were appointed to manage the on-site delivery and provide Cost Consultancy throughout – bridging the gap between factory production and a demanding brownfield reality. Our commission covered Development Monitoring, Project Management, Employer’s Agent and Quantity Surveying across a 24-month programme, keeping the scheme on track.

The groundworks and infrastructure had to come first – and they had to be right. On a site with significant level changes, complex drainage, and constrained access for cranage and deliveries, the preparation work was as technical as the modular installation itself. We managed that sequencing closely: coordinating civil engineering contractors, monitoring progress against the programme, and making sure the site was genuinely ready when modules began arriving on site.

Matrix Consult provided independent oversight throughout – reviewing cost, programme, procurement and risk at every stage, and giving TopHat and their funders clear, accurate reporting. We managed communications with contractors, assessed change, certified payments, and ensured the contract documentation properly reflected the performance requirements the scheme demanded: energy efficiency, durability, quality, and careful integration with the retained heritage buildings.

Modular construction brings its own pressures. Factory production schedules don’t flex easily – which means the site has to be ready when it has to be ready. We kept both sides of the process moving together, handling design refinements as they came, resolving ground-condition issues on the spot, and feeding any site-based learning back into the delivery approach. When the pressure increased, we maintained the delivery schedule.