Development and construction consultant and managing director of Clark Of Works, Dale Clark charts possible pathways to increased productivity and the critical role that project initiators and constructors play in making offsite construction solutions work (or not).
With an estimated $246 billion worth of construction work to be done in Australia over the next five years, the prize is considerable for all players. Yet achieving this goal effectively requires considerable productivity improvements. The question as to why... READ MORE
Buildcorp’s Contracting team is a third of the way through one of their largest prefabrication innovation project to date; the $152m Santa Sophia Catholic College at Box Hill.
The BVN-designed ‘Vertical School’ is being built in just 13 months, setting new standards in prefabrication innovation. The campus will have four interconnected buildings of up to six storeys and outdoor terraces for learning and playing, catering to 1,860 students... READ MORE
From the remnants of a half completed renovation of a neglected art deco home in the Melbourne suburb of North Balwyn, only the view remained after the use of prefabricated structural panels.
Grappling with this unresolved opportunity and its compelling vista, Melbourne based architectural firm Konzepte in collaboration with the developer Blue Cube Developments realised a vision that delivers not only a property of engaging architectural dimensions, but one that also demonstrates... READ MORE
In the quest for buildings that are highly sustainable, strong, fast to construct and comparable financially with traditional methods, structural panel systems offer numerous advantages.
Smart or insulated panels are a nascent but growing category of prefab components and are available in a daunting array of options and permutations. Allen Mitchell, CEO of the Insulated Panel Council, indicates the complexities involved in utilising these products.... READ MORE
A number of construction companies are engaging with prefabricated methodologies, indicating the potential for momentum to grow large scale schemes.
Anthony Walsh is Managing Director of Ausco Modular and also has sectoral insight through his role as President of the Modular Building Institute of Australia (MBIA). He says some of Australia’s big builders are more invested in modular and offsite... READ MORE
Philip Alviano, sustainable building advisor at the Master Builders Association of Victoria (MBAV), outlines offsite construction opportunities through the lens of the latest trends in energy efficiency, sustainability and ethical construction practices.
Emerging requirements for sustainable, ethical and quality assured construction – in particular in light of updates to the National Construction Code – are becoming more closely aligned to practices that are a common part of offsite / prefab / modular... READ MORE
We are seeing the future of the construction industry unfold as it is as high-tech as space travel.
In Australia, the industry is vibrant and diverse but, like its counterparts in the rest of the developed world, it is not without challenges and a deep need to change in order to maximise opportunities. Poor productivity, delays, safety issues... READ MORE
US: Real estate development company Admares is manufacturing modular hospital rooms that promise significant built-time saving and healthcare benefits.
Branded MedModular, each room unit is designed to be conjoined with others Lego-style, in order to get hospitals built quickly. Units can be delivered to site 90 per cent complete, including all electrical wiring. Philadelphia-based EIR Healthcare has adopted the... READ MORE
It can be done. This South American concrete prefab cabin is built faster than an American election result.
Grandio’s Hüga prefab cabin can be installed in under a day and is designed to bring a taste of Danish hygge to its owners’ lives. The Argentinian studio spent two years developing the prefab cabin which it describes as ‘another... READ MORE
Australian company InQuik has developed a unique method of rapidly building bridges with potential application in offsite projects including education, healthcare or residential developments.
InQuik’s patented technology is comprised of pre-fabricated moulds made from sheet steel with reinforcing rebar matrix. It utilises corrosion resistant solution Magnelis from steel giant ArcelorMittal Europe to create the formwork of the bridge, which is then filled with concrete... READ MORE
