Collaboration brings together advanced facade automation and next-generation modular development to address the UK’s housing and sustainability challenges.
Brick manufacturers, Vandersanden, and developer Starship have announced a new partnership to accelerate sustainable housing delivery across the UK. With a shared approach and an ambition to deliver high quality housing, both companies are committed to tackling the UK’s construction challenges. This new collaboration is set to reshape the landscape of offsite construction using advanced facade automation and next-generation modular development.
Vandersanden’s fully integrated industrial facade solution, RoboBrick®, will support the partnership by offering a scalable, sustainable and highly efficient method of housebuilding. For Starship, the collaboration also addresses the need for greater facade capacity and consistency as the business continues to expand. RoboBrick® is a total solution that automatically bonds brick slips to various substrates and can be incorporated into new and existing production lines. The comprehensive infrastructure supports quality, consistency, safety and speed, essential to Starship’s long-term delivery mode. The sustainable solution has already been proven in Europe to dramatically reduce waste. It has cut raw material and energy use by up to 60% with brick slip technology.
Maarten Leën, Director of Offsite Solutions & Innovation for Vandersanden, comments, “This partnership represents a powerful step towards making offsite construction an accepted and trusted part of the UK’s building landscape. We’re committed to building something that delivers long-term value for the entire industry with a proven, high-quality solution. Offsite construction is one of the most viable solutions to increase the volume of housebuilding without compromising quality.”
Innovative Facade Solutions for UK Challenges
The collaboration is a response to several longstanding issues in UK construction, including energy efficiency standards, skills shortages and the ongoing housing crisis. To support faster, reliable housing delivery, RoboBrick® enables a factory-controlled facade process. It avoids weather delays, reduces onsite risk and significantly shortens installation times. The solution complements traditional bricklaying skills by relocating specific facade processes into an accessible offsite environment. Ultimately, it helps the industry meet demands without placing additional pressure on specialist trades.
The partnership builds on Vandersanden’s growing focus on the UK market, where it continues to strengthen its versatile offering. Its high-quality brick range, including CO2-negative innovation, Pirrouet®, and technology such as RoboBrick®, have been designed to support the shift towards modern, industrialised construction. These innovations reflect Vandersanden’s broader ambition to help deliver more sustainably attractive facades and future-ready homes for the UK.
RoboBrick® also plays a key role in supporting Starship’s goal of leading the UK market and building high-performance and energy-efficient homes. Its design enables slimmer wall profiles, with panels achieving EPC A ratings and meeting advanced U-values without increasing building footprints. The technology enhances safety by eliminating hazardous onsite activities and provides architectural freedom.
Starship and Vandersanden Join Forces
“Working with Vandersanden means we can push boundaries and deliver on our shared vision of transforming the UK’s housing market. RoboBrick®’s integrated ecosystem gives us the tools to address industry challenges head-on by improving efficiency and helping us maintain the high level of quality we prioritise in our developments. Our collaboration with Vandersanden enables us to advance together, using established technologies and scalable methods that are already delivering results,” comments Founder and CEO of Starship, Dave Dargan.
The new partnership is a pivotal step in making offsite construction a trusted, mainstream solution in the UK. Vandersanden and Starship’s shared ambition will accelerate the adoption of high-quality, industrialised housing. The partnership aims to help to deliver millions of new, affordable homes throughout the country.
The partnership was announced at Starship’s two-day event, Changemakers Live on 5th March.
