CALL FOR CONSTRUCTION FIRMS TO HARNESS TECHNOLOGY The UK’s slow-to-changeits-ways construction industry needs to harness the power of technology to flourish in a post-Brexit world, according to one industry specialist.
“Where homes are constructed along a production line in a factory setting – rather than on a building site - makes sense and creates huge carbon savings,” he added. “Modular homes can be installed within days and are high-tech, hard-wearing and provide a contemporary solution to traditional construction problems.
Dan Grimshaw says unless the majority of future new homes are constructed off-site, the government is unlikely to achieve its pledge “A streamlined process that can be repeated to reach net zero carbon by 2050. time and again for each project means costs are saved through economies of scale and “Brexit was hailed as a means of transforming lowered design costs. the UK into a technology superpower and that same ethos needs to carry on through “The buildings are designed in panels, so into home building,” said Dan, from Beam simple designs can be achieved easily, while Development. more complex ones which involve more work, take a little longer. “To meet the government’s net zero carbon promise and 300,000-homes-a-year target, “Houses or sections of a house will come on the focus needs to be more on prefabrication a lorry from the factory, pre-assembled, and and factory-based methods. with everything installed including a boiler, and delivered to the site. “The construction industry still has an old-fashioned way of doing things with prac“All of the electric components just need to be tices leftover from the past. It’s going to have clipped and connected together by a house to keep up or we’ll get left behind. assembly team and the whole thing can be ready in days. “Building onsite means juggling with challenging time schedules and so many variables: “There will still be specific skills needed in the the weather, the quality of the people, the design and in manufacturing of course, but different materials, to name but a few. these will be done in the factory under more controlled conditions.” “And what’s more, you couldn't even get a mortgage on a timber framed house until In Europe Estonia-based Kodasema is the quite recently, which has also slowed down world’s fourth-largest exporter of MMC housthe pace of modernisation. es, with Germany’s Huff Haus the high-spec market leaders, and BoKlok, meanwhile, a “By contrast, off-site construction is about joint venture between Scandinavian giants quality control, and being able to build things Skanska and Ikea, caters for the mass marin a managed environment rather than being ket. out on a building site. As part of the Future Homes Standard, the “Ultimately the big players in the industry government has outlined plans to reduce will have to move to off-site construction and carbon emissions from homes by almost a there will then be a sea change – as was the third. case with electric cars – then it will all become normal.” Dan Grimshaw is a design and construction specialist who has worked on premium resiEarlier this month’s the Government dential projects for more than 15 years. Dan announced it is set to establish a Modern believes in the importance of nurturing talent Methods of Construction (MMC) taskforce to and is a mentor to the British Library’s prestiaccelerate the delivery of MMC homes in the gious Innovating for Growth programme. UK. Dan says the advantages of MMCs can be For further information visit: www.beamdevelseen across the spectrum of specification. opment.co.uk 48
