The construction industry is responsible for 18% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and is one of the biggest consumers of planetary materials. In Australia our large construction industry (in 2016 the industry accounted for 7.64% of GDP) is struggling to deal with an ever-increasing number of constraints, affecting costs and performance. There are some good reasons for this: secure safety requirements, rigorous environmental legislation and regulated wages are just three of a raft of contributing factors. We can be proud of these laws and would not want to see them weakened. But a widespread industry view is that Australia is an expensive place to deliver infrastructure.
So what are the solutions? How can we improve industry productivity while extending real benefits to society? If sustainability is truly important, what does it actually mean and how can it be achieved while improving construction productivity? How can we reduce inefficiency and waste? How can we adopt new technologies without losing sight of relationships and people?
The widely quoted Brundtland Report tells us that sustainable construction is: “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” CVEN Professor, David Carmichael, believes sustainable infrastructure is based on the three pillars of economic, social and environmental considerations. In the past, economic considerations have dominated and, in some areas, continue to do so, but the balance is improving and environmental concerns, especially, are having an increased importance.
One of the great challenges for the future of the Australian construction industry is how to align productivity and sustainability as complementary concepts and ambitions. How do we make genuine environmental and social statements rather than just window dressing?
Off-site manufacturing is one solution that can help change construction. Modular building components, created in controlled workshop conditions, can reduce building costs while also reducing in-situ problems such as noise, pollution and traffic disruption. These components can be made safely, reducing the everyday dangers of construction work, while simultaneously increasing control over price, quality and timing without sacrificing creativity, individuality or design flexibility.
Some believe this is the future of construction. Innovative financiers across the globe are supporting this business model. Recently the New York Times reported about the astoundingly rapid growth of Katerra which “over just three years, has grown from a start