Contractors Skanska, Carillion, Costain and Laing O’Rourke are backing a new government-funded initiative to upskill members of their supply chain in offsite methods of “industrialised” construction.
The Offsite Management School, a spin-off from the successful Supply Chain Sustainability School, is being funded by the four founding partners and a grant of £180,000 from the UK Commission for Employment and Skills.
According to a spokesman, the initiative aims to “help the supply chain improve their competence in offsite and so help the industry improve over time so that we can advance what we achieve”. He added that more Tier 1 contractors could be recruited.
It hopes to boost productivity across the full range of construction activity, including housing, new-build, interiors and fit-out, infrastructure and utilities. It is being launched at an event at the Siemens Crystal in London Docklands on 24 March.
Today, the offsite construction sector is said to account for 7% of total construction output in the UK, worth more than £1.5bn to the economy.
But the project is being set up in light of the challenges set in Construction 2025: to construct infrastructure, buildings and homes that create 50% less CO2 emissions; are delivered in half the time; and will cost 33% less to build and operate over their lifetime.
Management consultant Trevor Drury said the initiative could help facilitate the innovative thinking that would allow businesses to compensate for the effect of skills shortages.
“Innovation is how you reduce the amount of labour needed on site. Over the past 15 to 20 years, we’ve had Egan and Latham talking about having more factory-based production, and finding innovative ways of doing things on site, with less labour.”
The project will offer supply chain members free access to a capability assessment, a 10-point action plan to address their needs, e-learning, workshops and events, and in some cases face-to-face consultancy support from a network of advisers.
"The Offsite Management School is aimed at the supply chain. What’s in it for suppliers is that this is the future. If you don’t get involved, you are going to be left behind. You’ve really got to get on board."
Peter Hansford, chief construction adviser
The learning support is offered by the project’s “knowledge partners”: BRE, BuildOffsite and CITB, and consultancies Execlin and Total Flow. Total Flow is already an adviser to Laing O’Rourke, Skanska, and Anglian Water.
The government’s chief construction adviser, Peter Hansford, said that the initiative was needed to deepen the industry’s capability in offsite techniques. “I think the industry has moved a long way in collaboration over the last few years, but it’s got a long way to go. The thing with offsite thinking is that it requires the input of all levels of the supply chain, right from the earliest stage. And that won’t work without collaboration across the supply chain.”
“The Offsite Management School is aimed at the supply chain. What’s in it for suppliers is that this is the future. If you don’t get involved, you are going to be left behind. You’ve really got to get on board.”
Ian Heptonstall, director of the project’s delivery partner, Action Sustainability, said: “In the decade between now and the target dates of the Government Construction Strategy, the built environment sector faces a stiff challenge upskilling at speed. Offsite technologies and solutions have a critical role to play and the Offsite Management School will help meet those strategic objectives.”
Case study: a floor a day
A 339-bedroom student accommodation project in Liverpool by contractor Nordic Construction is showcasing the speed, efficiency, sustainability and safety benefits of offsite volumetric construction. It uses highly insulated, FSC/PEFC certificated timber frame modules manufactured in Latvia and shipped to site fully fitted, and ready wired and plumbed for all services.
Adam Greenfield, managing director of Nordic Construction, says: “We have had a steady stream of developers and consultants wanting to see what we are doing here in Liverpool. Time is money, so everyone is interested in the speed of construction and how this can reduce financing costs, bring in faster rental income and so significantly improve cash flow and return on capital investment.
The modules are manufactured in Latvia and shipped fully fitted
“When all factors are included, including the design and manufacturing time, construction has already been 30% faster than traditional build techniques. Waste on site is down by 60%. Water use overall is down 35%. We have zero health and safety incidents on site and no problems with the public who are walking within a couple of metres of one of the biggest luffing cranes in Europe.
“The knowledge transfer from a project of this type has also been important to the entire supply chain. Given the experience they have now had, everyone agrees that this is the future of construction for projects of this type.”
The 10,000 sq m project is arranged in four blocks, ranging from four to eight storeys above ground-floor retail units. Construction has now started on the final block and the remaining 60 modules will be lifted in place at the rate of about 10-12 a day to build a full floor a day, weather permitting.
The 10,000 sq m project is arranged in four blocks
