New roadmap to boost productivity, capacity and innovation across housing

The Construction Leadership Council’s (CLC) Innovation in Buildings work stream has released a new report outlining the barriers to the take-up and commercialisation of Smart Construction. 

The report “Roadmapping to improve productivity, capacity and innovation in the housing sector” sets out the barriers to embracing so-called “Smart Construction” and identifies the innovations and technologies available to industry to overcome them.

[Download the report Innovation Workstream – Roadmapping report]

“Improving capacity, productivity and innovation in construction are key aspirations for the Government. Success in these areas will have enormous benefits for the UK economy at large and for the construction and housing sectors more specifically,” explained CLC Innovation in Buildings work stream Leader, Mike Chaldecott, also General Delegate of Saint-Gobain UK & Ireland.

“Innovation can lead to job creation and new ways of construction, which can have a direct impact on improving the performance of buildings which account for at least a third of UK carbon emissions,” he added.

Smart Construction is building design, construction and operation, that through collaborative partnerships makes full use of digital technologies and industrialised manufacturing techniques to improve productivity, minimise whole life cost, improve sustainability and maximise user benefits.

Over 40 industry experts contributed to the report following a strategic road mapping session in April, facilitated by Cambridge University’s Institute for Manufacturing, with 11 key barriers identified, including the following top 5 in order of priority:

  • Lack of collaboration
  • Lack of demand
  • Investment in suppliers who can support Smart Construction
  • Lending, valuation and insurance
  • Immature supply chain.

The CLC Innovation in Buildings work stream aims to improve productivity, capacity and use of innovation in the housing sector by addressing barriers to progress and helping the industry to implement new methods of construction to increase housing supply.

The report identifies the innovations and technologies to overcome these barriers, as well as the key external drivers that will shape Smart Construction.  These ambitions need planning through collective thought and collaboration across the industry.

Andrew Wolstenholme, Co-Chair of the Construction Leadership Council and Chief Executive of Crossrail welcomed the report as a key contribution by industry and across academia to tackling this important strata challenge.

“The construction industry has the opportunity to become world leading in building sustainable, comfortable homes using the best advanced manufacturing techniques,” he said. “Now is the time for the industry to meet the challenge of rising housing demand by radically increasing productivity and embracing transformative construction techniques. We will bring together leading experts to tackle the issues that have held back these innovations coming to market and encourage the growth of this exciting aspect of the house building sector”.

Formal working groups are now working together to deliver the action plan outlined in the strategic roadmap.

 

To view the executive summary report click here:

Innovation Workstream – Roadmapping report

To view the full report click here: MMC Roadmap Workshop 7 April

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