At its Annual
Conference, Constructing Excellence, an independent movement dedicated to
improving the industry, is revealing a new strategy that aims to accelerate the
digital and offsite revolution (including AI, factory production, BIM and open
data) in the construction sector.
Constructing
Excellence co-chair Mark Farmer, author of the acclaimed Modernise or Die
report, has long campaigned for a drastic sector shift to adopt more modern
methods of construction to alleviate skills shortages, improve productivity and
delivery, and greatly enhance the performance and quality of new homes and
buildings.
Major industries,
such as automotive, food processing and agriculture have all evolved over time
and embraced new ways of working including supply chains, lean, and digital,
however, construction is still adapting to these new ways of working. To drive
the industry forward, Constructing Excellence is looking to work with leading
edge organisations to address the sector’s urgent need to modernise.
The key objective
for 2018, is the enabling of new delivery models to be adopted across the
sector:
- Increased
standardisation and pre-manufactured content
- Digitally enabled
integrated teams working collaboratively with long-term relationships and
aligned commercial arrangements
- A client-led
transformation by procuring for outcomes and long-term performance of assets.
Mark Farmer
commented: “We see 2018 as the year when Constructing Excellence shifts gear
and turns words into action. Our goal is to positively disrupt industry
delivery processes to transform performance throughout the sector.
“The agenda for
change is clear, the necessity and drivers are well understood and now it is
time for practical change in boardrooms and on projects, which is crucial if
we’re to bring industry practices into the digital age and create a brighter
future for the sector.”
One of the key
drivers of attracting and engaging with young people in the industry is
Constructing Excellence’s Generation for Change (G4C) network, which is at the
forefront of the sector’s transformation to the digital age.
Whilst the
construction industry is not as far evolved as other key sectors in terms of
modernisation, there is change happening at base level. A recent report by by
Bim+ predicted that the use of Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR)
among Computer Aided Design (CAD) users will increase 140% over the next five
years. Some businesses are also exploring ways in which to use robotics in day
to day construction. Already spray concrete robots are in use on Crossrail, and
Skanska are implementing robotic construction units to carry out tasks on site,
whilst factory-built homes are becoming more prominent, especially in the
affordable housing sector.
Drones are also
being used by Building Control, monitoring through aerial inspections,
providing time and cost saving benefits, whilst and the recent completion of
the first 3D printed concrete house shows that 3D technology in the
construction market is a reality.
