Holiday Weekend at the Beach
The rapid pace of change in digitisation has created a great opportunity to integrate DfMA into projects in ways not previously possible.
In the utopian future state we seek, buildings will increasingly be configured using Platform construction methodologies and a kit-of-parts approach.The parts will be interoperable and there will be common interface standards and rules.
If a new, highly energy-efficient product creates local jobs, then we’ll need a clear route to market for that product, as well as a value-based decision about how it’s deployed.At the moment, however, this isn’t really possible, because we don’t have a clear set of rules.We have too many non-interoperable systems and ecosystems.
Our current decisions are based on cost, rather than value and outcomes.Initial capital costs and whole-life costs will always be important, but all of the various value metrics and value drivers need to be considered alongside them..
Therefore, another solution which might evolve in the process of transforming construction would be the creation of a digital marketplace.
Such a scenario would stipulate certain quality and ethical thresholds for supplier participation.At the same time, our environment demands change, with the building and construction industry contributing a staggering 39% of global carbon emissions.
We must alter the way we design and build dramatically, both to keep pace with the needs of society and to prevent the acceleration of global warming.. At Bryden Wood, we are showing how this can be achieved through a process of industry collaboration and the adoption of modern methods of construction (MMC).By MMC, we mean all forms of innovation in construction - physical forms like P-DfMA, as well as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), robotics, data, automation, point cloud surveys, and so on… This is all in addition to the frequently used term ‘offsite’ which, in fact, only represents one aspect of MMC, or industrialized construction.
We aren’t exclusively referring to the process of manufacturing large modules in factories and moving everything off construction sites.Although offsite will certainly form part of the solution, we propose to use a full range of new techniques and technologies, including platform design.