AUGUST 20218 MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY INSIGHTSBy Dale Sinclair, Director of Innovation, AECOMBuildings are unique. Unlike most objects, they are constructed. Even the largest objects, aeroplanes or ships, are manufactured in large hangers then flown or sailed to their owners. There are many reasons for this. Each building has its own unique site with different challenges including topography, access, shape and size. Each site comes with different contextual challenges. Designing next to a castle needs a different response to an industrial estate. Each client brief has its nuances and many clients want their building to be different, reflecting their vision and values. As a result, every building is in essence a prototype. These reasons feed off each other perpetuating the challenges of changes. The construction process is another part of this intertwined process. Traditional materials such as timber, gypsum or clay prevail along with the nail and screw. Many of these have been optimised over centuries into the construction paradigm compounding the problem.Clients, designers, and contractors are trying to change this. Productivity on site has been stagnant for a long time and current initiatives are tweaking the edges. The supply chain is increasingly conglomerated and commercialised. A paradigm shift is required. Not just to improve performance. The shift to net zero demands it. Construction needs to create less waste and less carbon. To achieve this, construction needs to move to the factory. Various clients have already achieved this goal moving to cradle to grave solutions, away from the inefficiencies of silos. The hotel industry has been leveraging volumetric solutions for decades. This solution is now scaling in residential with initial challenges around the perceptions of prefabricated buildings being pegged off along with insurance and accreditation. Scaling manufacturers and production capabilities are next.From Site to FactoryA paradigm shift is required. Not just to improve performance. The shift to net zero demands itIN MY OPINION
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