A PROJECT IS UNDERWAY IN THE UK THAT WILL DEPLOY COLLABORATION, DIGITAL WORKING AND OFFSITE MANUFACTURING TO CONFRONT THE COUNTRY’S HOUSING CRISIS.
Launched earlier this year, Advanced Industrialised Methods for the Construction of Homes (AIMCH) is a pioneering project targeting a UK housing shortage to the tune of 120,000 needed annually, according to government statistics, with demand particularly strong in the affordable homes space.
The three-year, £6.5m research and development project aims to identify and develop industrialised offsite panelised solutions that offer the speed of build and de-risking of the build process essential to boosting the number of new homes that can be delivered efficiently and to a high quality standard. The panellised solutions will be trialled on live housing projects across the UK, with successful methods then commercialised and brought to market on a large scale.
An important objective will be to advance digitally integrated solutions in design standardisation, design for manufacture, supply chain integration, enhanced offsite panelised systems and lean construction processes.
AIMCH encompasses well-known players within the UK housing sector; Limberger Associates, Barratt Developments, London Quadrant Housing Trust, Tarmac, the Manufacturing Technology Centre, the Construction Scotland Innovation Centre, Forster Roofing Services and Stewart Milne Group. Stewart Milne Timber Systems specialises in the manufacture of high-quality, high-performance timber systems ready to be transported onsite and erected, wind and watertight in as little as one day.■