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Hotel giant Marriott announced in April that it’s planning to construct a 26-story skyscraper in New York City in just 90 days — and it’s hoping to save a lot of money in the process.

The idea is simple: prefabricate modules off-site and put it all together Lego-style. According to construction website The B1M‘s new coverage of the project, the costs of such a modular skyscraper would only be $70 million — while comparable structures would typically cost in excess of $100 million.

Click here to watch the video that shows you how:  The reason why the process is so incredibly fast is because the excavation and laying of the foundation on-site can be completed at the same time as the construction of the modules. It would also require nearly 70 percent less on-site, labor according to The B1M.

In fact, most of the segments of Marriott’s planned hotel are being built in Poland and then shipped across the Atlantic. The rooms will be ready made according to Marriott, including bedding and even toiletries.

“We wanted to demonstrate that modular building can do more than just harness the efficiencies of the factory,” Danny Forster, owner of the firm that designed the tower, said in an April press release. “It can produce a graceful and iconic tower. And yes, it can do so at the rate of an entire floor a day.”

To make the initial jump towards carbon neutrality, there are four key steps the industry must embrace, says Ramboll’s Mathew Riley.

Following the recent recommendations from the Committee on Climate Change for the UK to target net zero carbon emissions by 2050, ex-prime minister Theresa May used her final act to enforce this into legislation. As buildings are responsible for more than 40% of global energy usage, and as much as one third of greenhouse emissions, the role that the engineering and construction industry must play in meeting these targets is arguably one of the most critical.

There is a clear need within the industry to reassess not only the methods used in construction, but also how buildings are designed and managed. Ramboll’s recent analysis found that commercial buildings are frequently designed with up to 50% more energy capacity than they will ever need. When applied to the 11.8 million square feet of offices currently under construction in London alone, this over-design is costing the UK £70m in capital expenditure and 23,000 tonnes of CO2 per annum – bad news for both the bottom line and the planet. 

The analysis showed that often this is caused by over-designing buildings in an effort to achieve technical compliance and adhere to current codes and guidance. In addition, pressurised consultants commoditising and re-using ‘safe’ designs, compounded by a procurement system that stifles innovation by focusing overwhelmingly on price, is adding to this inefficiency.

To deliver leaner and more efficient buildings, the industry must encourage innovation. This can involve taking lessons from extreme environments – for example, Ramboll’s recent work on the first phase of the Rothera Modernisation Project in Antarctica to reduce energy consumption by 35%. To do this, Ramboll developed a parametric modelling tool that identified the combination of inputs that would provide the best performing, or ‘fittest’ solution, reducing the time needed to identify these by 88%.

Engineering based on actual performance data, combined with modelling tools, enables building designers to more accurately predict performance outcomes and benefits for end users. However, whilst engineers love to solve complex problems, the industry must help provide the right environment to foster data-led innovation.

To make the initial jump towards carbon neutrality, there are four key steps the industry must embrace.

The first is to learn from the example set by others. Copenhagen, for example, will be carbon neural by 2025, having adopted a climate plan in 2009. Copenhagen airport has recently been certified as CO2 neutral, based on climate compensation, and aims to eliminate carbon emissions by 2030.

The second is to use the Construction Sector Deal to focus on strategic innovations, such as delivering new sustainable performance standards for the built environment. This will simultaneously eliminate waste in design and reduce CO2 emissions.

Thirdly, the government must introduce clear policies to accelerate change. If left to the industry there is a risk of becoming embroiled in self-interest, which should be avoided. The introduction of Part L and other similar requirements demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach.

Lastly, the focus of procurement must shift in order to prioritise added value rather than simply the lowest price available. The industry needs to establish a framework by which environmental performance becomes a clear measure of success.

Mathew Riley is managing director UK at Ramboll.

Source:Infrastructure Intelligence

Approximately 20% of construction costs are wrapped up in fixing errors. Barcelona-based Scaled Robotics wants to minimize the rework by automating progress monitoring with autonomous mobile robots.

Leveraging lidar and autonomous vehicle technology (similar to what’s used by Google cars to map the world), Scaled Robotics built a WALL-E doppelgänger to navigate and build maps of construction sites by fusing images, video and data captured by its robots.

The company was born out of frustration, “of not having the tools to build what we designed in the office,” says co-founder Stuart Maggs, whose background is in construction and architecture. “You spend a lot of time in the office, creating this vision of what you wanted, that you thought was right, but ultimately, it came down to a guy in the field with just a tape measure and a piece of chalk that will put things pretty much however he felt on that day.” 

Their robots have been deployed in various construction sites around the world, including Dura Vermeer in the Netherlands and Kier in the U.K. Maggs says he found it surprisingly easy to convince the construction industry of the robot’s value — arguing there’s a real need for what it delivers: High-resolution comparison of the digital model to the on-the-ground build site that helps build managers keep close track of progress and spot problems before they can scale into costly expenses. The bot is a multifaceted tool for efficiency, he adds.

In the beginning, workers on site were a bit hesitant, but after numerous jokes and picture-taking, Maggs, said in closing, “they just accept it as another tool on the construction site.”

Source: Techcrunch

Speaking to Development Finance Today,  Robert Orr, managing director of development finance at Paragon, evaluates how the division is progressing and what challenges smaller developers may face this year.

You recently announced that new development lending at Paragon increased fourfold. Do you expect this to become a more prominent part of your commercial division?

Yes, there’s excellent potential for growth. Bringing Titlestone into the Paragon fold means we’ve been able to broaden our proposition and extend our offer to developers across all of England and Wales.

Developers working with Paragon can now access loans of up to £35m, with a maximum loan-to-GDV of 70%. Not many banks offer beyond 60% GDV — so that’s a significant uplift.

We’ve also added finance for pre-planning and purpose-built student developments into the range, extending support to SME developers earlier in the project lifecycle and reaching out to those delivering housing in specialist markets.

Source: Development Finanace Today

The ready-made flats will be brought up from Southampton to Bristol by lorry then craned into place

Park Street is set to be closed for three nights next month when a number of pre-built flats are craned into an old nightclub.

Bristol developer Urban Creation has applied to Bristol City Council to close the road while it transports a number of apartments into the empty building at 50 Park Street.

The nine apartments, which were built in Southampton and are already decorated with bathrooms and kitchens, will be craned overnight from 11 to 13 August.

The flats will be lifted through the open roof of the stripped-out building and placed on top of one another.

A team of builders has already stabilised the property with a steel structure ready for the lift-in.

It is believed to be the first time in the UK that homes have been specially made to fit into an empty, existing property.

Jonathan Brecknell, director at Urban Creation, said: “We’re very excited to be taking modular construction to a new level, using a highly innovative approach that could have huge implications for home building in the UK.”

When Urban Creation bought the building last year it was empty and in a dilapidated condition.

The property was built in the 1950s after the previous building was bombed during the Second World War.

“Modular construction has been used widely for new builds, often on greenfield sites, Urban Creation’s approach shows what’s possible in tight urban sites, which could help meet the need for homes,” added Jonathan.

Modular construction company Go Modular, which built the ready-to-go homes, has teamed up with Urban Creation on the project.

The homes at 50 Park Street will be let out to students.

Source: Bristol Live