Articles:

The superstructure contains the majority of the embodied carbon in a building.

MMC will simply enable us to keep up with the needs of society.The more buildings that can be described by technical standards, state-based standards and rule sets ripe for some form of algorithmic design, the more we will be able to design more efficiently, more quickly and to a higher quality.

This digital process will then feed all the way down through manufacturing, assembly automation and construction, with the ultimate benefits finding their way onto site..Lean construction in practice: a virtuous circle of benefits.All of these factors combine to deliver cost and material savings, while using fewer people and increasing productivity.

We’re already seeing evidence that it’s possible to build a superstructure with half the number of people in half the time, representing a four-fold increase in productivity, as well as a 25% reduction in overall material and a 20% reduction in embodied carbon.And there are other benefits, such as the ability to minimise tolerances.

In our work with Crossrail we designed to zero tolerance with very good success.

This unlocks vast potential in terms of manufacturing a better quality of building - structures which are more air- and weather-tight, energy efficient and overall better performing.From the aging demographic to the impact of COVID-19, the challenges facing the construction industry have never been starker.

This reality, coupled with a climate crisis the construction industry is significantly contributing to (producing 39% of global carbon emissions), means that we are faced with an urgent need for action.The good news is that all of the enablers needed to take the industry forward are already in place.

The construction Platform movement is gaining momentum and we hope it could be our current reality within five to ten years.It’s entirely achievable, so long as the industry decides that the time has come to take action, and that this is the direction we want to move.