Industrialised design and construction
To improve productivity and predictability and address skills shortages, construction must move away from project-by-project delivery. Industrialised design and construction can help.
Projects that use standard systems which can be efficiently manufactured at scale and easily deployed many times using repeatable processes are safer and more efficient to build, resulting in lower capital costs and less waste.
What can we do for you?
We are the leading provider of industrialised design and construction services which reliably deliver faster, safer and smarter outcomes for you – and for society too.
Through strategic approaches to industrialisation, such as design for manufacture and assembly (DfMA), modern methods of construction (MMC) and product platforms that balance repeatability with variability, we aim to improve productivity, increase predictability and overcome the time, cost and labour challenges facing the built environment and infrastructure sector.
Productivity
By combining DfMA and MMC, we can introduce economies of repetition, workforce specialisation, repeatable processes, the optimal selection and use of materials, and continuous improvement. These will increase the value of what is produced, and reduce the time and resources required to produce it, helping to significantly raise productivity.
Platform approaches
We are leading experts in product platforms, using core repeatable components, standardised processes and relationships, while also retaining the flexibility to meet a variety of user needs and the requirements of specific sites. Our team co-authored the UK Product Platform Rulebook to support clients and the supply chain in developing and adopting platform approaches.
Supply chains
Through early engagement and digital technology, we work with suppliers and contractors to adopt industrialised approaches and collaborate effectively. Our in-house Integrated Process Excellence (IPEX) approach considers all aspects of project and programme lifecycles to give the supply chain the confidence to invest in developing new systems and delivery models that will meet client demand.
Carbon and circularity
Industrialised design and construction present a huge opportunity to reduce embodied and operational carbon, while enabling circularity to optimise resource use and minimise waste. We work with you to design out waste at every stage of the project lifecycle, embedding best practice on energy and resource use into new standards, extending asset life through ease of maintenance and flexibility, and promoting continuous improvement.
New Hospital Programme, UK. On this programme to deliver a range of new or upgraded NHS facilities, we are leading the interim delivery partner team on transformational design (such as digitalisation and standardisation) and programme management.
Industrialised design solutions for construction efficiency
We provide a range of services to help you realise the benefits from industrialised design and construction.
Our experience
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GenZero Schools, UKWe responded to a challenge from the UK’s Department for Education to design the next generation of schools by developing prototypes for net zero schools that can be produced through offsite construction. Based on these models, we helped to deliver 90 primary schools using offsite solutions in just five years. Components are designed to align with decarbonisation ambitions and a need for flexible and cost-effective solutions, providing better spaces and greener places for both students and staff.
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Grafham Water treatment works, UKWe provided detail design and digital services on this award winning project, which included a new 44Ml service reservoir made from precast concrete modules for the walls, columns, beams and roof. These were manufactured offsite and stitched together onsite, saving time and improving safety. The structure is the largest precast concrete reservoir in Anglian Water’s network.
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HS2 rail bridges, West Midlands, UKWhere the UK’s new HS2 high speed route crosses three existing lines in the West Midlands, we designed bridges that were constructed offline and moved into position in just hours, causing minimal disruption to existing services. The bridges, each weighing up to 6200t, were either picked up and wheeled into position or slid and hauled into place using powerful jacks.
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New Hospital Programme, UKOn this programme to deliver a range of new or upgraded NHS facilities, we are leading the interim delivery partner team on transformational design (such as digitalisation and standardisation) and programme management. We’ve also worked with a wide range of subcontractors to develop a kit of parts and, through a specific industrialisation workstream, test the viability of components for mass production and effective integration to reduce costs and achieve the programme’s ambitions for climate sustainability.
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Northern Line Extension, London, UKOn this 3km extension to the Charing Cross branch of London Underground’s Northern Line, connecting an area previously poorly served by public transport, we combined digital tools and alternative construction solutions to deliver the line and design two new stations. Design for manufacturing and assembly (DfMA) was used extensively on the extension. Working closely with the contractor, we developed modelling best practice guidance and a series of underlying design protocols to ensure the benefits of DfMA were maximised.
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Sydney Fish Market, AustraliaWe provided structural, civil and marine engineering and technical advice for the redevelopment of this cultural landmark. By designing for manufacture and assembly, many construction elements have been manufactured offsite, making it easier to assemble onsite and limiting disruption to the local community. The roof, a timber grid shell structure, is comprised of more than 400 preassembled modules. The roof supports a 10,000m2 array of photovoltaic (PV) solar panels.
Intelligent Content
Intelligent Content provides a managed library of information-rich, parametric BIM objects that can be reused instead of recreated, and optimised with each successive use. A team of experts creates and quality-checks all objects, reducing model development time and enabling the rapid prototyping of designs.
