http://bit.ly/BWNewsUpdatesIdentifying the processes and scope for lab design.
For some clients, accuracy in delivery is the most important thing.For others, such as the UK’s busiest airport, Heathrow, the biggest benefit arises from having the fewest number of people on site and the fastest possible delivery.
What this means is that ultimately there are many different forms of P-DfMA which are appropriate.. With Platform construction (P-DfMA), we’ve attempted to take everything we’ve learned in our client work and embed it in a set of components that clients and the industry more generally can benefit from.We’re focusing on the least amount of material, the lowest carbon materials, the highest levels of productivity.These are the driving principles of P-DfMA and industrialised construction more generally..
Automation in construction.In terms of maximising value, we must also address the reality that at present, the majority of an architect or designer’s time is spent documenting ideas, whereas in actuality, it is the creation of the idea in the first place which is the most value-adding element.
One benefit of standardising components and adopting a P-DfMA approach is that we can document the rules around those components.
This in turn means we’re able to automate the design process (to a certain level), or certainly automate the production of the BIM model.. Standardising components and digitising workflows enables architects and designers to spend more time generating ideas and better designs, more time performing simulation and testing.On our current project for Landsec, we’ve witnessed the benefits of prototyping everything in advance at our testing facility in Ropley.
This certainty from testing should continue to reduce the risk profile, making us more attractive to investors.. What role does government play in the future of construction Platforms?.Since mandating BIM back in 2011, the UK government has played a crucial role in the effort to turn a Platform approach to construction into a reality.
There’s been a real consistency to their approach and they have continued to focus their spending power to promote Modern Methods of Construction.Moreover, the Infrastructure Projects Authority (IPA) who, to some extent, hold the purse strings around infrastructure spending, have also been pushing the construction Platforms agenda..
(Editor: Magnetic Stands)