The Climate Emergency Design Guide.
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.Further, standardisation allows us to do a better job of integrating our mechanical and electrical engineering systems, which then has the knock-on effect of reducing the overall volume of a building by 30-40%.As the building gets smaller, so does the air handling plant.
This creates a reduction in running costs - heating and lighting.In other words, we create a virtuous circle of benefit.. What is the future of the construction industry?.
Ultimately, we suspect that over time buildings will become flexible configurations of components, rather than large, fixed assets.
We may end up creating loose-fit superstructures.Automation in construction.
In terms of maximising value, we must also address the reality that at present, the majority of an architect or designer’s time is spent documenting ideas, whereas in actuality, it is the creation of the idea in the first place which is the most value-adding element.One benefit of standardising components and adopting a P-DfMA approach is that we can document the rules around those components.
This in turn means we’re able to automate the design process (to a certain level), or certainly automate the production of the BIM model.. Standardising components and digitising workflows enables architects and designers to spend more time generating ideas and better designs, more time performing simulation and testing.Once the optimal design for a site is decided upon, the digital model, already aware of the required mechanical electrical components, wall types, doors, structural components and so on, is able to generate a LOD 400 bill of materials quality BIM model very quickly.. It’s worth stressing that using modern methods of construction in this way doesn’t mean taking jobs away from people.