, from the Maufacturing Technology Centre in 2019. the UK Government's.
When the Construction Innovation Hub began, the intention was for a project management strategy focused on iteration and development.The goal was to develop a kit-of-parts approach that could be implemented with manufacturing processes, assembled in standardised ways, in standardised environments.
That still exists, but the Hub is now aware of the need to look at other and bigger elements as well, such as information management..The Construction Innovation Hub is interested in how we can use data more effectively, and how it can be interoperable, reused in different ways by different parties, and throughout the life of an asset.The Hub will continue to explore how to develop platform construction (P-DfMA), and how people can benefit from it, with an aim of developing guides and rule books, but it’s also now looking beyond modern methods of construction (whether you call that platform construction, offsite, or DfMA), at traditional construction as well.
It’s viewing things at an ecosystem level and bringing them all together with elements like the Value Toolkit, which is there to help everyone, but will specifically help clients make better, value based decisions using consistent processes and approaches..The act of combining that with all of the different approaches to delivering buildings means we’re able to progress delivery, while looking towards the long-term as well.
The Construction Innovation Hub has a year left, during which time it will need to create impact and get the necessary information to prove value.
However, realistically, it’s going to take a decade or more to really embed these approaches, and for parallel developments to share data and information that really demonstrates value.Constructing less costs less, but this approach has the potential to yield much more.
For example, a reduction in floor to floor height to 6.5m would enable a three-storey data centre on that same site – an instant gain of 50% in site yield and significant reduction in cost per kW.. A similar approach to close integration of design and the arrangement of primary plant and ancillary systems will optimise the data centre facility plan footprint.Again, this maximises yield per m2, with the added benefit of a reduction in costly M&E distribution paths..
Deferring CapEx, delivering predictability.Data centres are expensive.