the microscopic batteries of life.
The overall landscape of the construction industry has been changing in recent years, driven by an expanding interest in areas such as Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA), Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), and the use of transformative new technologies ranging from digital design tools to construction robotics and intelligent control systems.Broadly speaking, when we refer to automation in construction, we mean the development and application of tools, methods and technologies that automate various parts of a construction project from design through to the actual construction process.
This could include creating many building options with generative design at an early stage, testing facilities or construction schedules with simulation, or on-site construction robots performing tasks which could be inefficient or unsafe for people to do.In this article we go into detail on a case study where discrete event simulation (DES), developed in collaboration with Tata Steel, supports the analysis and development of an off-site, automated factory which manufactures the FASTtruss structural building assemblies.. How can automation be used in construction?.Traditionally, construction has been an on-site process with a minority of off-site construction operations, but it is now shifting to include a hybrid of both on-site improvements and increased off-site operations (.
https://www.brydenwood.co.uk/offsiteoronsiteconstruction/s125064/.The shift offers a range of benefits across the construction life cycle.
Working this way, components or systems (including those related to platform design (P-DfMA), or in some cases modular construction) can be more readily fabricated in off-site facilities and transported to site for final assembly.
On-site operations can also model themselves on manufacturing processes to provide higher efficiencies, predictability and reduce waste.The focus on meeting standards or gaining accolades has at best stifled major impact and at worst has lulled the industry and society into the idea that we were making great strides and further action was not necessary..
The facts are becoming increasingly clear: putting grass on roofs or achieving a gold plaque changes almost nothing; we need ambitious and holistic solutions at every level..In the past, shifting a project to prioritise the environment was often and easily rejected or written off as something that could be and needed to be sacrificed on the altar of cost.
Design to Value naturally seeks wider and synergistic value, leading, supporting and embracing these needs as an opportunity to innovate: the environment is not an encumbrance, but a space for crucial change through design..Thinking beyond standards, Design to Value can look at absolutes and even further can look for redemption.