The reason why it seems so hard to take choices which will protect us in the longer term is that we believe that to do so will lessen or lives, our livelihoods, our success in the short term.
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.Our DfMA journey.
We began to use the term ‘Platforms’ (P-DfMA) while working with the UK Government Ministry of Justice (MOJ), the Infrastructure Projects Authority (IPA) and the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC).It was the MTC that first introduced us to the concept of Platforms.
The MOJ wanted to design a new type of prison focused on rehabilitation.We realised that the manufacturing component of the construction process could be taught to serving prisoners, helping to train them in marketable skills for use on release, and aiding rehabilitation.
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