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MELBOURNE UNIVERSITY’S NEW FACILITY ENVISIONS WORLD CLASS INNOVATION

A PLANNED EXTENSION TO THE MELBOURNE SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING TO FORM A WORLD CLASS INNOVATION FACILITY REPRESENTS WIDESPREAD RECOGNITION OF THE NEED TO RE-THINK CONSTRUCTION DELIVERY. BUILT OFFSITE SPOKE TO PROFESSOR TUAN NGO, RESEARCH DIRECTOR OF THE ARC CENTRE FOR ADVANCED MANUFACTURING OF PREFABRICATED HOUSING, ABOUT THE SCHEME.

In late 2017 when the University of Melbourne acquired land at Fisherman’s Bend in Melbourne, a scheme that looked set to contribute significantly to the offsite construction sector was set in motion.

Forming part of an almost $1 billion commitment to create a world-class engineering facility, plans for the project, which is set to open in the early 2020s, comprise a new campus, just five kilometres from the city and within the old General Motors Holden site. Professor Tuan Ngo, Research Director of the Australian Research Council Training Centre for Advanced Manufacturing in Prefabricated Housing, confirms the new facility will enable the academic community across engineering and IT students and academics to exchange ideas and work with with leading local and international organisations, across a range of sectors. These include manufacturing, transport, energy and infrastructure, with prefabricated and offsite construction forming a key focus. He says this is particularly pertinent since the centre’s vision entails identifying opportunities for up to 40,000 workers predicted to lose their jobs as a result of the demise of the automotive industry. Researchers at the University of Melbourne will continue their work identifying how the new offsite industry might provide safe, affordable and sustainable housing, while also offering the opportunity for former automotive manufacturing workers to transfer their skills.

“There simply aren’t enough people working in construction. On top of this, the average tradesperson is about 50 years old. Growth in prefabrication could see people from automotive manufacturing upskilling and retraining.”

“There simply aren’t enough people working in construction. On top of this, the average tradesperson is about 50 years old. Growth in prefabrication could see people from automotive manufacturing upskilling and retraining.” Professor Tuan Ngo, Research Director of the ARC Centre for Advanced Manufacturing of Prefabricated Housing.

The new facility will enable the creation of full scale prefabricated structures that can be thoroughly tested in a one-stop-shop, reducing costs for industry. It will also offer high-level capacity in areas such as fire safety testing for structural materials, wind and cyclone testing and acoustic testing to ensure prefabricated materials are better at absorbing sound. Prefabrication researchers and industry will also be able to undertake energy efficiency testing, ensuring prefabricated products have low carbon footprints. Other benefits include increased space to conduct earthquake testing.

“If we can develop a one-stop-shop for prefabricated testing facilities, this will offer a significant advantage to industry, because it will allow them to do everything in one place. They don’t have to send their product to one location to do fire testing and another location to do acoustic testing.”

“If we can develop a one-stop-shop for prefabricated testing facilities, this will offer a significant advantage to industry, because it will allow them to do everything in one place. They don’t have to send their product to one location to do fire testing and another location to do acoustic testing.” Professor Tuan Ngo, Research Director of the ARC Centre for Advanced Manufacturing of Prefabricated Housing.

“We are seeing huge demand in the building industry for new techniques that will allow for the development of faster and cheaper construction. The only way to reduce costs is to reduce the cost of manufacturing,” he adds.

The new facility will incorporate learnings from established European markets like Sweden, where prefabricated modular housing makes up 70 per cent of the construction industry.

Fostering new thinking in construction: an artist’s impression of Melbourne University’s new facility at Fisherman’s Bend.
Fostering new thinking in construction: an artist’s impression of Melbourne University’s new facility at Fisherman’s Bend.

 

Professor Ngo also cites leading edge centres such as the Construction Scotland Innovation Centre (CSIC) as models for success.

With supply unable to meet increasing demand in the traditional Australian construction sector and costs continuing to rise, the centre’s aim will be to mitigate the housing affordability crisis affecting many Australians struggling to buy their first homes. Reducing the cost of building houses through lean manufacturing approaches will form a key part of the solution to this challenge.

“We are seeing huge demand in the building industry for new techniques that will allow for the development of faster and cheaper construction. The only way to reduce costs is to reduce the cost of manufacturing,” he says.

“We are seeing huge demand in the building industry for new techniques that will allow for the development of faster and cheaper construction. The only way to reduce costs is to reduce the cost of manufacturing,” Professor Tuan Ngo, Research Director of the ARC Centre for Advanced Manufacturing of Prefabricated Housing.

Other benefits ensuing from the centre’s work, such as enhanced building quality and safety, look set to demonstrate its worth, along with that of the offsite sector as a whole.

“These days, things can be done much more affordably and efficiently in the factory, but at the moment there is still a lot of onsite work taking place in Australia, and that’s why I think quality and safety has been a problem. You can reduce and minimise those risks with prefabrication.”■

Professor Tuan Ngo Research Director of the ARC Centre for Advanced Manufacturing of Prefabricated Housing


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