GERMANY: EUROPE’S LARGEST 3D PRINTED BUILDING

Image SSV Architekten, “PERI”

EUROPE’S LARGEST 3D PRINTED BUILDING IS BEING CONSTRUCTED IN GERMANY

Europe’s largest 3D printed building is being constructed by PERI in the city of Heidelberg, Germany, with COBOD’s BOD2 printer.
The building is almost 600 m2 (6600 sft), 54m (162 ft) long, 11m (121 ft) wide and 9m (30 ft) high and contains an IT server hotel
The project is made for Heidelberg IT Management GmbH & Co. KG, a cloud & data center provider.

Europe’s largest 3D printed building is initiated by KRAUSGRUPPE, a project developer, builder, investor, real estate manager, and broker in the Heidelberg area. The city has always been at the forefront of innovation as it is a city of science. Now, that the Campbell Barracks have been renovated, the city will have a ground-breaking testament of 3D construction printing technology that will revolutionize the building sector. This ground-breaking project is being built for Heidelberg IT Management GmbH & Co. KG, a cloud and data center provider.

The building is approximately 54m long, 11m wide and 9m high. The construction process started 31st of March and is expected to be completed by the end of July 2023. It will serve as an IT server hotel, and is set to become one of the most technologically advanced and innovative buildings in the region.

Hans-Jörg Kraus, managing partner of the KRAUSGRUPPE, said:

 

“As an independent family business with a long tradition and a future ahead, we want to promote innovative construction methods in Heidelberg and make a positive contribution to sustainable building methods”.

PERI 3D Construction, a pioneer in 3D construction printing industry, is providing the know-how for the 3D printing process, and is using COBOD’s BOD2 3D construction printer to print the walls of the building. PERI is taking advantage of the high printing speeds of the printer, and plans to complete the printing of the walls of this large-scale project in just 140 hours, equivalent to printing 4 square meter of building per hour.

 

 

The architects from SSV Architekten and Mense Korte, who collaborated on the project, devoted a lot of attention to the design of the walls, which is very unique as seen in the renderings of the server hotel. Dr. Fabian Meyer-Brötz, Managing Director of PERI 3D Construction GmbH, commented:

“Based on parametric design, the special wall design used in the building documents the immense design freedom, that the COBOD BOD2 3D printer enables. We are very proud to be able to realize our largest building to date with this project”

Henrik Lund-Nielsen, Founder & General Manager of COBOD added:

“In this unique project PERI is emphasizing two of the key benefits of 3D construction printing; speed of execution and design freedom. Because of this our technology is capable of carrying out everything from materials savings windmill towers over low cost residential housing in Africa to architectural office type buildings in Germany.”

 

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IRELAND: Construction firms must use off-site modular building methods

Construction firms will be required to use off-site manufacturing for new public homes to speed up delivery.

The new state contractual requirements will represent a move away from the tradition of building homes block by block. Modular construction panels, light steel frames or timber frames will be used instead.

Government officials are hoping that the mandatory use of these modern methods of construction in public housing contracts will also drive down the high level of site waste from leftover blocks, planks and other materials.

Each off-site house part is manufactured to precise specifications in advance, which can reduce construction waste by 50 per cent.

The latest update on the government’s Housing for All plan states that the target for using modern methods of construction in public housing projects is “on track” for delivery by this summer.

Builders will be shown how to use modern methods of construction at a new “demonstration park” set up at the Mount Lucas construction training centre in Daingean in Offaly by the end of this year. It will have several different residential units including terraced housing, semi-detached houses and apartments.

The move is based on advice from the government’s official construction sector working group that public projects can be used to drive the adoption of modern methods of construction.

The Construction Industry Federation, which is led by Tom Parlon and is a member of the group, has welcomed the plan to get more firms to engage in modern methods of construction using public works.

A spokeswoman said it was sure that many firms would engage in the process.

“The construction industry is committed to supporting methods of construction that can deliver high-quality houses at the scale required to meet demand and build homes,” she said.

The government has given councils €94 million in funding to build 1,500 public homes on their own land using modern methods of construction, in a further attempt to drive the uptake.

Feargal Ó Coigligh, an assistant secretary in the Department of Housing, recently told the Oireachtas housing committee that modern methods of construction be “more timely and quicker” rather than “lower cost or lower quality”.

He also said that adopting these techniques would encourage manufacturers to build more off-site facilities in Ireland.

“You then get people working in much more agreeable environments when building our houses, and people happy to go into careers in the area,” he said.

Source: Business Post

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NEW ZEALAND: 6 WEEK MODULAR HOMES

In a matter of months, a six-storey apartment block has sprung up in Auckland’s Northcote thanks to a new modular system being piloted by housing agency Kāinga Ora.

The apartments are each made of between two and three pods that are carefully craned into place. It’s precision work, with a man wearing hefty safety gloves helping to guide and click them into place.

The pods or modules are manufactured in Vietnam by TLC Modular and then shipped to Northport in Whangārei before being trucked to the North Shore.

TLC Modular general manager Jeremy Wagon said the company aimed to crane into place between eight and 12 modules each day, and it took two to three modules to make an apartment.

He explained that TLC used a 530-tonne crane and a bespoke module lift consisting of a frame that has cables and clips attached to modules, which weight between 10–22 tonnes.

“It’s like Lego,” he said.

To join the modules up, the gap between them is filled with sealant. The interconnecting plug-and-play wires are hidden in the ceiling.

Wagon estimated it would take about six weeks to install the first 79 apartments, a month to do the remaining fit-out, and another four to six months to finish site works.

He said time savings were found in modular construction because different phases could be worked on concurrently.

“While someone is working on the concrete slab foundations, someone else is working on modules at the same time.”

The first apartments will be finished by October and the rest by January next year. They’ve been marketed for between $550,000 and $935,000 and range in size from 70.8 m² to 127.8 m².

“We use a modular method of construction, but we’re saying that if you walk into the finished product, it won’t look like a lego brick project,” Wagon said.

The apartments contain some futuristic features. The skirting boards, which look like any other white wooden trimming, are ambient heaters that warm up the room.

The development on the corner of Lake Road and Fraser Avenue stretches across two sites, and consists of 183 apartments made up of 525 modules.

Each home comes with its own app. The power points connect to wi-fi and can be remotely switched on and off.

The classic hot water cylinder is gone, in favour of an “instant” system with a heated element that the water runs through.

New homeowners won’t be picking up the keys. The doors have number pads and coded locks, although there will be swipe fobs.

Wagon said the theoretical limit of how high modular buildings could go was down to the strength of the earth it was built on, and regulations.

In Australia construction had stretched 16 floors high, and in New Zealand TLC was already looking into building a 13-floor hotel in Māngere for Holiday Inn.

Kāinga Ora’s development director Rohan Bush​ said the housing agency had been using “off-site manufacturing” for several years, but the new building was a pilot project for “volumetric” modules.

“We’re facilitating the arrival of this new technology. Having TLC working here with local designers and builders is building up the local expertise,” she said.

While the apartments in this development are either for KiwiBuild or the private market, Bush said Kāinga Ora had a target of building 500 to 600 public houses using off-site manufacturing.

“We need to get people into houses faster. If it shaves off months then it’s a huge win.”

Source: Stuff

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Skills Training Centre Opens

The grand opening of the Modern Methods of Construction Centre at Stamford College was celebrated among local dignitaries, stakeholders, Inspire Education Group (IEG) staff and Stamford College students, in a ceremony that recognised the wealth of opportunities conceived from the £3.3 million facility.

The 900 sq m upgrade to the College’s existing facilities, which was designed by Waterland Architects and built by Lindum, comes after substantial growth in recent student applications; around fifteen per cent more each year.

Jointly funded by the Greater Lincolnshire LEP and Department for Education Post-16 Capital Funding, the Modern Methods of Construction Centre is now the primary learning facility for over 500 additional plumbing, carpentry, brickwork and electrical installation students, working to bridge the estimated 49,000 person skills shortage within the Eastern region.

Pat Doody, outgoing chair of the Greater Lincolnshire LEP, said:

“The LEP’s £2.1m investment in this scheme recognises the need for a skilled workforce in the construction and engineering sectors, responding to the emerging requirements of modern methods of construction.

“Not only will the project create new opportunities for future students, but it will also meet the needs of local employers, address local and regional skills gaps and directly contribute to local, regional and national economies, enabling an innovative and employer-focused curriculum and accommodating forecast high demand.”

The building itself reflects its responsibility to teach and provide learn­ing oppor­tu­ni­ties that reflect the rapid evo­lu­tion of the construc­tion indus­try through automa­tion, car­bon reduc­tion and the increased use of pre­fab­ri­ca­tion.

56 solar panels were installed on the roof as a source of renewable energy within the College, air-source heat pumps heat the building, and its bricks have been sourced from envi­ron­men­tal­ly friend­ly man­u­fac­tur­ers to ensure the car­bon foot­print of the build­ing is min­imised.

The build will now house six retrofit courses, designed to prepare the construction workforce of the future to meet the UK’s legal­ly bind­ing com­mit­ment to be car­bon neu­tral by 2050.

Source: Business East Midlands Link

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Loans Made Available for Offsite and Modular Construction

Atelier has launched a lending framework to finance residential property developments built with offsite and modular construction techniques, in a bid to address the funding challenges SME developers face with these schemes.

Loans ranging from £5m to £40m, at up to 70% LTGDV, will be made available to SME developers and intermediaries.

The move aims to address the challenges that smaller enterprises face in financing these projects.

The launch comes after the lender completed an industry-wide consultation with the modular and offsite manufacturing community, including real estate professionals and trade bodies such as the National House Building Council (NHBC) and Buildoffsite Property Assurance Scheme (BOPAS).

The business has also created a simple guide for SME developers and intermediaries, providing lending and eligibility criteria where offsite and modular technology is used.

The framework will run alongside the company’s Carbonlite Challenge — the sustainable finance pilot it created to incentivise developers to build greener homes.

Chris Gardner, joint CEO at Atelier (pictured above), commented:

“Everyone agrees offsite construction technology has the potential to transform residential property development.

“But it’s time for that potential to be turned into reality, and that’s why we are determined to help developers build more homes this way.

“We’ve collaborated across the construction industry, incorporating the expertise of more than 30 leaders in offsite technology to give developers, intermediaries and contractors a clear and practical guide to the opportunities and challenges that these new ways of building offer.

“Above all, we’re working to be the lender of choice for developers who decide offsite is right for them.”

 

Chris Hall, innovation services manager at NHBC, added:

“The potential benefits of offsite construction are clear — consistent build quality, reduced costs and time on site, and strong sustainability credentials.

“More developers are considering these modern methods of construction, and that’s why Atelier’s lending framework is so timely.”

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Construction Failing to Recruit Young Talent

‘A staggering 98% of young women said they wouldn’t choose a career in construction’

The construction industry has been suffering from a skills shortage for some time.

This was worsened by the impact of Brexit, which saw the number of people from Europe working in the sector shrink significantly. A lack of awareness of opportunities amongst young people and those that advise them has also hindered construction businesses’ efforts to recruit the young talent needed to fill the skills gap.

Recent research from economic modeller Lightcast estimated that the industry will need to fill a staggering 250,000 job vacancies between 2022-2027. If these vacancies are not filled, the construction sector is unlikely to be able to reach its full potential. So, what is going on?

Construction work is failing to appeal to younger people

At City & Guilds, the recent “Youth Misspent” research found that only 6% of 18-24-year-olds identified the construction sector as somewhere they would like to work. A staggering 98% of young women said they wouldn’t choose a career in construction.

The main reasons respondents gave were that they lacked the right skills (34%), that they were dissuaded by manual work (35%), and that they felt they lacked the right knowledge about the careers available within the construction sector (28%).

The findings reveal a systemic issue with supplying the construction talent pipeline, particularly from young people. But all is not lost – here are three steps that industry could take to address the challenge and fill the critical skills shortages.

1. Engage with young people via the skills system to provide better opportunities and progression

Apprenticeships, skills bootcamps and T-levels are three initiatives already on offer for employers to help recruit and train young talent, but they are underused. More employers need to invest their time and resources in engaging with these programmes to help foster a new generation of skilled workers.

Closer collaboration between employers, government and learning providers will help to ensure that qualifications and training programmes are refined to meet the needs of the construction sector and provide a long-term solution to skills shortages.

2. Provide more work experience, paid internships or training opportunities, and work with education providers to raise awareness of careers on offer

Work experience is often a core part of the Year 11 curriculum. Approaching schools to offer week-long work experience placements within a construction company will increase accessibility and encourage young people to consider what a career in construction would be like. Additionally, T-levels require substantial work placements that are essential to the course, but many colleges report difficulty in finding enough businesses willing and able to offer them.

These experiences can span the wealth of roles in construction that young people are unlikely to know even exist, from manufacturing to marketing. What they imagine a career is like is often different to its day-to-day reality and experiencing a role first-hand can demystify ideas about the sector and spark an unexpected interest.

By engaging with local schools, colleges and learning centres, employers in the construction sector can influence young people to consider such careers early on in their education. Research has shown that many young people will have made firm decisions about their future from early secondary school age, so it’s essential that employers engage with schools early on to ensure that young people can make informed decisions about their future.

3. Make it easier for young people, especially the most disadvantaged, to access jobs and progress in their careers

Young people without work experience are likely to be unfamiliar with job application processes and can find them intimidating. They may even avoid applying for roles that they are a good fit for, as they might feel they don’t meet the criteria because of that lack of experience.

By widening the application process to focus on attitude and aptitude, young people will feel more empowered to apply for roles and become more comfortable with the idea of learning on the job. This way, they can focus on what personality traits make them a good fit, rather than the construction-specific skills that they cannot be expected to have at such an early stage in life.

Prioritising a good attitude and an appetite for learning in the recruitment process will foster a better view of the construction industry as a place of lifelong learning and promote a healthier workforce that is more accessible for young people.

Employers should also consider where and how roles are advertised, exploring new opportunities to reach underrepresented groups through different kinds of media and engaging directly with those communities. By making it clear that opportunities are open to all through the language used in job adverts, people from underrepresented groups can be encouraged to consider roles they might otherwise dismiss.

Source: The Institute of Mechanical Engineers

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THE RISKS OF THE DIGITAL AGE

Digital processes are transforming construction and introducing new risk considerations. The question is, how should these risks be handled?

As the digital age gains momentum, technology is at the forefront of CEOs’ minds. Indeed, Marsh’s Head of Climate & Sustainability Strategy, Amy Barnes, recently wrote about The risks and rewards of frontier technology.

In 2016, the Farmer Review warned the UK construction industry it would have to “modernise or die”. The 80-page report, written by industry veteran Mark Farmer and commissioned by the UK Government, noted that research and development within the industry was almost non-existent, productivity was low, and cost inflation high. This situation was mirrored in many countries around the world.

In order to modernise and move into the 21st century, the industry has accelerated its uptake of new technologies, including robotics, machine learning and automated planning decisions through digital design. Onsite, hard-hat sensors and driverless vehicles are coming into use, while digital aids such as artificial intelligence (AI), and building information modelling (BIM) are used throughout the duration of a project.

Top tech risks for construction companies

The adoption of new technology can create a wealth of opportunities for construction companies, including improvements in management, information, speed, accuracy, accountability, costs and reduced risk, but it can also bring new risk.

Cyber Risk

New technology often has a cyber element and one of the biggest risks is cyber breaches. It’s estimated that cybercrime costs the UK industry £27 billion a year. Construction output in the UK is more than £110 billion per annum and contributes 7% of GDP, making it a very attractive, wealthy industry to target. As relatively new adoptees to sophisticated technology, construction companies risk leaving themselves at the mercy of a wide range of players, from nefarious state actors intent on disruption or wishing to steal information, to hackers who want to profit by the placement of ransomware and siegeware. Understanding vulnerabilities and installing and maintaining cyber risk protection is imperative.

 

New technologies being considered by construction companies

 BIM

Projects procured by the UK Government now require the use of BIM, which offers a central point of building reference in a 3D digital model. BIM software creates a collaborative design and build process that visualises the physical and functional aspects of a building. BIM enables real-time collaboration on a single platform, and is important to contractors of large projects, for both a visual and quantitative model of the build. It is also useful for materials ordering and scheduling. Taking BIM a step further is the digital twin, which creates a digital replica of a finished, functional building.

How to deal with construction technology risks

For companies looking to adopt new technology, risk management is key. Contractors, owners, and developers should work with trusted advisers to ensure all adequate protocols have been adopted in order to identify, analyse, evaluate, and address cyber security threats. This could include outside organisations that are commissioned to discover weaknesses in cyber security systems. These companies engage in activities such as penetration testing designed to find vulnerabilities in a system before an attacker does. It simulates real-world attacks so companies can identify and fix weaknesses before they’re exploited.

Companies also need to speak to their construction broker to review how it will affect risk allocation and insurance, and ensure the risks are covered under their construction insurance policies.

How to gain optimum insurance terms

The construction insurance market has gone through a transition, moving from a market that experienced stable or declining pricing for over a decade, to one in which prices have been rising — though there has been some moderation from 2021. Underwriters will continue to scrutinise each project in detail as the market remains challenging, seeking detailed risk information for in-depth review.

This is why it is important to engage early with a broker who has expertise in both construction and in wider specialties, including cyber risks, and has the capabilities to respond to the challenging economic and business risks faced by contractors, developers, and owners. With their specific technical and market knowledge, and close relationships with underwriters, experienced brokers are able to expertly navigate periods of tightening insurance markets. Early engagement will ensure the contractual structure reflects the optimal insurance programme design and enable sufficient time to negotiate terms.

 

Source: Marsh

 

 

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New report highlights how home building ban could be lifted

River pollution crisis; New report highlights how home building ban could be lifted

Calls to prevent SME builders suffering for water company and farming failures

 

With pressure growing on water companies and farmers to address high nutrient levels in rivers, a new Lichfields report published by the Home Builders Federation (HBF) identifies solutions to Natural England’s disproportionate ban on building new homes.

Ineffective action taken to address the nutrients issue has resulted in a quarter of local authority areas in England now having a moratorium on the construction of new homes, leaving over 120,000 homes on hold.

As this week’s episode of BBC’s Countryfile demonstrated, agricultural run-off and the failure of water companies to upgrade infrastructure to cope with the growing population resulting in the dumping of raw sewage into rivers, are the root causes of the nutrients issue. The contribution of all housing stock is estimated to be less than 5%, so adding 120,000 homes to England’s stock of 25 million dwellings would lead to a negligible increase.

Despite this, Natural England’s solution has been to use a little-known EU rule to ban the construction of desperately needed new homes on the basis that a single new property could increase the amount of waste water generated.

Natural England’s disproportionate ruling fails to address the heart of the issue and account for the increased water-efficiency of modern new builds compared with older housing stock.

The report published by HBF identifies improvements to Natural England’s nutrient calculator so it more accurately reflects the impact of new residential development, therefore releasing some homes currently blocked from being built.

According to Natural England’s calculator, the land-take requirements associated with achieving nutrient neutrality through nature-based solutions is considerable. The report’s recommendations would allow for some housebuilding to resume. It would also reduce the amount of farmland that would otherwise need to be taken out of food-production to make way for nature-based solutions.

The report’s publication coincides with the UN Water Conference. It identifies two important areas for change:

 

  1. Adjusting Natural England’s calculator to reflect the net additional population that will result from the delivery of new housing – rather than a continued focus on the gross population of the new dwellings – based on an application of the net additional average household size; and

 

  1. assessing the number of dwellings that are to be delivered before 2030 rather than a requirement to mitigate a development in its entirety, regardless of when the houses will be delivered. This would enable larger schemes with longer build-out timetables to benefit from the planned statutory improvements to wastewater treatment works which it is hoped will take effect in 2030.

 

Natural England’s current ban on home building is having an increasingly detrimental social impact, deepening the housing crisis we face. With the home building industry being a major employer and driver of economic activity, the ban is also damaging local economies and posing a major threat to many businesses, especially SME builders.

While the most sensible solution would be to lift the unnecessary moratorium immediately and focus on tackling the major polluters, so long as the government insists on nutrient neutrality it must explore short-term solutions to alleviate the burden and release some of the homes delayed.

As part of this year’s Budget, government announced a requirement for water companies to upgrade their infrastructure by 2030. While HBF welcomes this measure, it fails to address the urgency of the issue and provides no immediate relief to the risk that many small house building companies will go out of business well before the measure takes effect in 2030.

 

Stewart Baseley, Executive Chairman of the HBF said;

“It is widely accepted that the ban on new housing is disproportionate and unnecessary and does nothing to tackle the main causes of the nutrients issue. The new report identifies more balanced and speedier solutions that would help to alleviate this socially and economically damaging ban.”

 

If the recommended improvements are made, it will become more feasible for some medium and larger sized housing developments to achieve nutrient neutrality before 2030 when the Government’s proposed measure to improve the performance of wastewater treatment works is hoped to come into effect.

However, government will still need to consider a package of measures to assist SMEs who have neither the cash reserves to procure nature-based solutions nor will benefit from the Government’s proposed improvements to wastewater treatment works or Natural England’s nutrient mitigation scheme.

The proposals in the report were raised at a roundtable HBF convened with government and Natural England in February. The industry is now calling on the government to support the proposed amendments.

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Equinix uncovers first-of-its-kind rooftop urban farm atop Parisian data centre

 

Reid Brewin Architects (RBA) has announced the completion of a ground-breaking project that uses waste energy from data centres to power a rooftop ‘urban farm’ on the outskirts of Paris.

RBA’s design for the Equinix PA10 data centre, located in Saint Denis, is the first of its kind in France. Central to the client’s sustainability commitment was the desire to reuse waste heat from the data centre, and to create a usable area that would promote health and wellbeing. 

The project comprises a 430m2 greenhouse surrounded by a further 570m2 of green space, with the rooftop structures powered using a heat recovery system with heat exchangers linked to the data centre’s water cooling system.

Each greenhouse is fitted with sensors to monitor humidity as well as internal and external temperatures – which can trigger heaters in cooler weather. Together with sunshades, automated irrigation, and ventilation systems, they deliver a controlled climate year-round within the greenhouses. 

The development means seasonal fruit and vegetables can be cultivated using a hydroponic system, in a bid to maximise space efficiency and minimise water usage, while the gardens are planted with vegetation chosen specifically to maximise the amount of rainwater consumption, while supporting the local insects and wildlife, with the installation of insect hotels.

All rooftop garden space is wheelchair accessible, and provides natural shade, cooling, and relaxation areas. Visitors and staff are invited to share the food grown on site, and to make the most of the dedicated seating and catering areas.

“It is of increasing importance that we increase our actions and mitigate the environmental impact of an increasingly digital world,” explained John Hutchinson, director at RBA.

“We’re extremely proud to support our clients with this shared goal, and PA10 heralds the start of an exciting new era, enabling us to apply learnings from this project across other projects. Sustainability and safeguarding the environment are at the heart of everything we do, and this opportunity has already inspired further initiatives across our client base.”

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Construction Giant Snaps up Innovaré

Belper-based construction heavyweight Bowmer + Kirkland has snapped up structural insulated panel manufacturer Innovaré Systems.

Innovaré, of Coventry, was part of the Osborne Construction Group. It develops “new materials, technologies and methods” for use in offsite building projects.

The company reported a turnover of £11.6m in its last available accounts.

Osborne Group chairman Andrew Osborne said the deal would

“ensure [Osborne’s] core business can be successful in the years ahead.”

“Everyone at Osborne is proud of Innovaré’s growth to date and I know the company will continue to thrive under its new ownership”, he added.

The deal follows a pair of lucrative Framework successes for Bowmer + Kirkland. The Derbyshire firm was awarded a place on the £10bn Crown Commercial Services Offsite Framework last month and revealed it had been appointed to the prestigious Ministry of Justice Constructor Services Framework earlier this week.

 

Financial details of the transaction have not been disclosed.

 

Source: The Business Desk

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