Uncover why every win for offsite solutions leader, Innovaré, is also a win for its clientele
At the intersection of manufacturing and construction, Innovare Offsite’s (Innovare) mission is clear, yet ambitious: to provide innovative full-service offsite solutions for the construction industry’s most demanding projects. Initially manufacturing a range of SIP (structural insulated panel) solutions, the company has evolved with the market to offer a fully comprehensive scope of offsite services, specialising in panelised offsite techniques to enhance living and learning spaces for all. From its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Coventry, the company redefines the value of modular, prefabricated construction in creating safe, sustainable buildings, and its extensive project portfolio is evidence of experience and expertise.
With 2025 marking Innovaré’s 20th anniversary milestone, Construction & Civil Engineering is joined by Pete Blunt, Innovaré’s Managing Director, to learn more about the company’s history, current successes, and what the future ahead may hold.
“Innovaré was formed back in 2005 as a part of the Osborne Group. They wanted to do something a little different, so they started looking into Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) and manufacturing,” Pete begins. “In 2007, Innovaré bought its first factory, but one year later, we hit the credit crunch and the market just disintegrated overnight. It was a very tough time, but we weathered the storm.
“After that, we initially focused on low rise housing but soon picked up some school projects – just some small extensions to begin with. We then started working with the Department for Education on a batch of eight school projects, which was transformational for Innovaré because we gained greater visibility in our pipeline. In 2017, we moved into a new factory and invested more money in machinery because there was a real drive for pre-manufactured value in the education sector.
“Fast forward to 2025 and we’ve now completed over 87 different residential projects and between 300 and 400 school projects, as well as a number in the healthcare, commercial and religious sectors. Our solutions are rapid and low risk; that’s what’s really set us apart.”
As the company continues to expand and thrive, Innovaré’s 20th anniversary is a true testament to its continual strive for excellence. Throughout the last two decades, Innovaré has successfully completed over 445 projects in total across various industry sectors, all delivered with a focus on upholding the highest standards of quality, sustainability and fire safety. Reflecting on the journey thus far, Pete – who has been with the company for 18 years – sheds some light on the qualities driving Innovaré’s longevity and success.
“We were originally a part of the Osborne Group until we were acquired by the Bowmer and Kirkland Group, so having that parentage has been helpful in allowing us to stay adaptable,” Pete shares. “However, as a team, we’re very resilient. When something doesn’t go right, we don’t walk away from the problem; we react well and fix it. For me, it all comes down to having a strong team filled with lots of knowledgeable, clever people who are passionate about doing a good job.”
As Pete explains, one of the secrets behind Innovaré’s success is its people. Widely recognised for its skilful workforce and passion for exceptional craftsmanship, Innovaré constantly drives a culture of continuous improvement and is always looking for fresh, innovative ways to enhance its operations for its customers and team members. One way the company has been able to achieve this is through its partnership with Artic, whose cutting-edge software platform has been instrumental in revolutionising Innovaré’s operational efficiencies.
Pete comments: “A couple of years ago, we were looking at how we can drive efficiency through the peaks and troughs of our manufacturing-construction demand cycle. Innovaré comprises three different business models so there are many moving parts, which can make understanding that efficiency quite difficult. We spoke to the team at Artic to see how we could track and understand our processes better, particularly against the backdrop of the Building Safety Act. Artic’s software has given greater visibility to our programmes; having the ability to photograph each panel at different stages gives us a rich audit trail of what’s happened to the product, which helps us to further maximise the programme and give our customers extra peace of mind. It’s been a very positive process.”
Award-winning project
Over the years, such positive partnerships and collaborations have only contributed to Innovaré’s stellar reputation, unlocking a plethora of enthralling projects and opportunities. Quite notably, for example, Innovaré has recently completed a biophilic school, which was designed, manufactured and installed with an emphasis on sustainability and personal wellbeing.
“St Mary’s was another project for the Department for Education, with Hawkins Brown as the architect and Tilbury Douglas as the contractor. It was the UK’s first biophilic school, which looks at how to connect people with nature through building design,” Pete elaborates. “The project comprises 2300 square metres, connecting individual buildings by external corridors with timber cladding on the outside. It was designed to ensure that people get the best experience from a wellbeing perspective at school, but it has also significantly reduced the building’s energy usage, so it has a double benefit. Innovaré won a couple of awards for that project, which has been great, but it was a very enjoyable and rewarding project which is now being used as a model for future schools to get kids interacting more with nature.
“We’ve also been shortlisted for an award for our Horizons Academy project, which has just been completed. It was a SEND school for Nottinghamshire County Council; Arc Partnership did the architecture with Morgan Sindall as the contractor,” he continues, highlighting another particularly notable education project in Innovare’s repertoire. “We had to take a slightly different approach to this project to make sure that we met the requirements needed to support special educational needs. It was a very fulfilling project, and it was great to understand the needs and challenges of such schools in more detail.” 
Succession plan
Building on its existing legacy, it’s clear that Innovaré is moving to a future filled with further growth and success. With more expansion opportunities looming on the horizon, the company is optimistic for the years ahead, keen to take on new challenges whilst holding its values and high standards close to its core.
“Over the next five years, we’re going to focus on really consolidating our product offering, analysing our processes to improve quality, whilst growing into new markets, such as defence and infrastructure. We’re currently bursting at the seams in our current factory, so we’ll also plan to expand the facility at an appropriate level based on pipeline and workload,” Pete reveals.
“We’ve taken on a number of apprentices over the last decade, so I’d really like to see one of those apprentices sitting on our leadership team within the next five years,” he concludes. “It would be great to see that development of our team and to show people how exciting a construction career path can be. We want to develop our own people to be the next company leaders as the rest of us get old and grey.”