CLC Innovation in Buildings Workstream Report

The Construction Leadership Council’s (CLC) Innovation in Buildings Workstream has
released a report outlining the barriers to the take-up and commercialisation of Smart
Construction. (Download HERE)

Smart Construction is building design, construction and operation, that through collaborative partnerships makes full use of digital technologies and industrialised manufacturing techniques to improve productivity, minimise whole life cost, improve sustainability and maximise user benefits.
Over 40 industry experts contributed to the report following a strategic road mapping session in April, facilitated by Cambridge University’s Institute for Manufacturing, with 11 key barriers identified, including the following top 5 in order of priority:

• Lack of collaboration
• Lack of demand
• Investment in suppliers who can support Smart Construction
• Lending, valuation and insurance
• Immature supply chain

The report also identified the innovations and technologies to overcome these barriers, as well as the key external drivers that will shape Smart Construction. The CLC Innovation in Buildings workstream aims to improve productivity, capacity and use of innovation in the housing sector by addressing barriers to progress and helping the industry to implement new methods of construction to increase housing supply. Innovation in Buildings Workstream Leader, Mike Chaldecott, also General Delegate of Saint-Gobain UK & Ireland, said: “Improving capacity, productivity and innovation in construction are key aspirations for the Government. Success in these areas will have enormous benefits for the UK economy at large and for the construction and housing sectors more specifically.
Innovation can lead to job creation and new ways of construction, which can have a direct impact on improving the performance of buildings which account for at least a third of UK carbon emissions.

These ambitions need planning through collective thought and collaboration across the industry. I’m delighted with the work of a wide range of colleagues from industry and across academia in contributing to this strategic roadmapping process”. Andrew Wolstenholme, Co-Chair of the Construction Leadership Council and Chief Executive of Crossrail said: “The construction industry has the opportunity to become world leading in building sustainable, comfortable homes using the best advanced manufacturing techniques. Now is the time for the industry to meet the challenge of rising housing demand by radically increasing productivity and embracing transformative construction techniques. We will bring together leading experts to tackle the issues that have held back these innovations
coming to market and encourage the growth of this exciting aspect of the house building sector”.

Formal working groups are now working together to deliver the action plan outlined in the strategic roadmap. To view the full report, please visit: www.saint-gobain.co.uk/CLC CLC Innovation Workstream Steering Group

Mike Chaldecott (Chair) Saint-Gobain UK & Ireland
Simon Cross Building Research Establishment
Darren Dancey Crest Nicholson
Thomas Faulkner Skanska UK
Shelagh Grant The Housing Forum
Simon Hart Innovate UK
Jade Lewis Saint-Gobain
Adam Locke Laing O’Rourke
Trudie McCormick Keepmoat
Diana Montgomery Construction Products Association
Jessica Moore Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy
Richard Ogden Buildoffsite
John Pelton CH2M
Jennifer Schooling Cambridge University
Martin Wood Bryden Wood.

The report can be downloaded HERE