ONE of the world’s biggest architecture firms could help put a roof over the heads of teenagers with a modern take on the prefab.

Factory built apartments by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners are being proposed to house city youngsters on the site of demolished garages.

The 21 home project is the latest by Brighton and Hove City Council designed to make use of difficult sites previously overlooked for housing development.

The apartments, known as Y:Cubes, could be put up in Eastergate Road in the Moulsecoomb area of the city as part of a joint initiative between the council and the YMCA DownsLink Group.

The land next to the Fairway Trading Estate only has two garages remaining following a clearance years ago and is used by council contractor Mears for storage and parking.

It had previously been dismissed as unsuitable for family housing because of its proximity to heavy vehicle traffic and its poor views and judged difficult to develop by conventional methods, partly because it’s so small with no space for a construction site set-up.

The alternative building method is also being considered because the land is thought likely to be contaminated which would require special measures to deal with noise and land contamination if developed for new homes.

The modular Y:Cubes have very high air tightness and insulation levels, require shallower foundations, and being lighter could be built over the sewer which runs the length of the site.

Councillors will be asked to vote this Wednesday at the housing and new homes committee on an agreement to lease the land to the YMCA with a final decision to be made by the policy, resources and growth committee next month.

If a lease is granted, the YMCA will then have to apply for planning permission.

The plans mirror a scheme for 36 apartments completed by YMCA South West London in Mitcham with more schemes in development in the London area.

The homes are delivered to their location by lorry and craned in to place. They are designed to last around 60 years, much longer than modified shipping containers which have also been used as a solution to the city’s housing crisis.

The homes would only take around six months to be built.

Anne Meadows, committee chairwoman, said: “There is huge demand for housing in the city and we are looking at creative and innovative ways of putting small pockets of underused land to best use, to improve neighbourhoods for existing residents and provide more homes for local people to rent.”