In 2025 the construction industry will have 33% lower costs, produce 50% less emissions and deliver projects 50% faster. That is according to the 2025 Construction Strategy announced by the government.
Remember, we are talking about a traditional industry where productivity has hardly moved in the last 30 years. So some scepticism may be understandable – or is it?
Building Faster
We already know that when you build with SIPs, programme timings are significantly shorter. Manufacturing the structure offsite means that it is done in parallel with site preparation and groundworks.
Typical total programme savings are already in the region of 30%. Greater use of premanufacturing for elements such as foundations and further process improvements make the 50% efficiency goal entirely attainable. The cost savings and greater programme efficiencies that premanufactured design solutions can bring have been demonstrated in Innovare’s recently completed Greatfields School project. The use of a hybrid design incorporating structural insulated panels (SIPs) and pre-cast concrete floors delivered the project 50% faster than other proposed traditional methods, handing over the project 6 weeks ahead of schedule, and reduced expected capital and life-time costs by a predicted 50%.
Reducing Emissions
Traditional construction consumes a lot of energy. According to the World Coal Association you need to burn 200kg of coal to make 1 tonne of cement. The Carbon Trust calculated that the brick industry emits a million tonnes of CO2 per year – the same as the city of Coventry. And that’s before you get to the onsite processes.
On the other hand, the wood used to make the strand board in SIPs stores atmospheric carbon as the trees grow. It locks up this carbon until the panel is recycled at the end of its life. All components of panels are recyclable and responsibly sourced.
Cutting Costs
Productivity is the key to reducing costs. While productivity levels with traditional builds remain static the diminishing supply of skilled labour is already inflating costs. This situation is unlikely to improve any time soon. On the other hand, the closer construction comes to manufacturing, the more opportunity we have to achieve manufacturing levels of productivity.
Another way to reduce costs is to tackle waste. The made-to-order nature of SIPs eliminates much of the potential waste. The design process aims to create offcuts that are usable and everything else is recycled.
Improving productivity and reducing waste as drastically as the targets demand calls for a highly controlled supply chain and processes. The Innovaré integrated business model keeps design, manufacture and installation in-house to eliminate as much risk as possible.
Although the 2025 targets are challenging Innovaré is 100% confident they are achievable. To make this happen SIPs need to become a mainstream construction method which, in turn, calls for renewed procurement models. The offsite industry is ready to play its part if given the opportunity.
Find out more about how offsite simplifies construction here.
