THE POWER OF A COLLABORATIVE PLATFORM

A digital platform is much like broader prefabrication or offsite construction, in that it is a tool, an approach, a process. This differs from the view of BIM as an end in itself. In order to successfully integrate digital thinking, a collaborative and inter-connected approach must be taken where BIM is an enabler for digitisation.

COLAB18
PrefabNZ recently ran its sixth annual conference, the CoLab in Auckland, NZ. This year it attracted a much larger 300 attendee audience and media response than ever before, due to the NZ government’s plans for KiwiBuild (100,000 homes over 10 years). We launched the ‘Capacity + Capability’ report, which shows how the offsite sector alone will be able to produce 70% of KiwiBuild housing in three years’ time. There are also great opportunities to collaborate across the Tasman with potential construction systems IP sharing.

CoLab formed an integral part of the year’s events alongside all the many digital and massive online learning options available. Our next step is to turn all the incredible opportunities for businesses on their individual innovation journeys into a Lite Bites Webinar series, something to make those lunchtimes more fun; watch this space!

Both Daryl Patterson (Lendlease) and Mark Farmer (Cast Consultancy, UK) spoke about the importance of viewing BIM as one part of a broader digital technology platform.

While direct mandating of BIM in the UK has achieved some success, increasing from 13% in 2011 to 54% in 2016, it is not deemed to be successful in isolation.

LESSONS FROM UK TO NZ
Mark Farmer had other messages for New Zealand at CoLab, in the wake of the recent Carillion collapse and with similar warning signs within a division of Fletcher Building, NZ’s largest listed construction company. There has been significant media attention around the Fletcher’s predicament and the role that risk allocation has taken.

Risk transfer, a risk management technique whereby risk is shifted from one party to another, has been identified as extremely problematic by high-level construction industry stakeholders and government officials alike. There is some work being done in NZ behind the scenes and the broader industry is watching in anticipation to see a fairer risk allocation system conveyed through fairer contracts.

“Risk transfer […] has been identified as extremely problematic by high-level construction industry stakeholders and government officials alike. There is some work being done in NZ behind the scenes and the broader industry is watching in anticipation to see a fairer risk allocation system conveyed through fairer contracts.”

Pamela Bell, CEO – PrefabNZ.

Driving industry cohesion: Pamela Bell addresses CoLab.

International precedent + innovation investment At the national ForestWood conference in Wellington, NZ (where forest growers mingle with wood processors and engineered timber manufacturers), an economist from the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (NZIER) enlightened us with the equation that productivity is an equal mix of both learning from international precedents together with direct investment in innovative ideas.

This is a positive development. We have been extolling and living by this thinking at PrefabNZ for some time. Like prefabAUS, we believe the best way to learn is to get over to other countries and see industry in action for ourselves.

INTERNATIONAL PRECEDENTS
There are three international precedents for innovative construction of particular interest: Scotland, Sweden, and Singapore. Both PrefabNZ and prefabAUS took investigative trips to Sweden in 2017.

“A relevant national focus for NZ going forward is on international precedents for rapid uptake of policy change, of which Singapore is exemplary in its work to improve productivity through levers influencing the green, digital and offsite spaces.”

“A relevant national focus for NZ going forward is on international precedents for rapid uptake of policy change, of which Singapore is exemplary in its work to improve productivity through levers influencing the green, digital and offsite spaces.”

Pamela Bell, CEO – PrefabNZ.

Similarly, Scotland is pushing ahead with a massive social housing drive to deliver over 50,000 homes, which we are watching from a distance. More specifically, the new Construction Scotland Innovation Centre, with its shared factory approach and business support systems, is a compelling example of a collaborative approach between several regional economic development agencies and a large number of tertiary education providers. It deserves a closer look, later on in the year. ■

Pamela Bell
PrefabNZ CEO