Sustainable buildings: how low carbon design saves more, and costs less

This makes it necessary to adequately waterproof the envelope of the building and protect the material during transportation and construction.. Due to high demand, timber sold in the UK is typically not dried out properly.

Instead, they use a component kit-of-parts that is easily handled and takes up very little space during transportation.A permanent building may have different drivers, but lessons can still be learned from highly efficient on-site works such as the circus tent.. One aim of a fully considered DfMA strategy is to enable smooth running of the construction site.

Sustainable buildings: how low carbon design saves more, and costs less

To create a well-orchestrated assembly line with productive workers carrying out pre-determined, standardised and well-understood tasks in predictable timeframes..In short, we want construction sites to be more like factories.. Off-site and modular construction: are factories really all that great?.Prefabrication in factories (off-site construction) is often thought of as a panacea, a sure-fire way for construction sites to achieve greater productivity.

Sustainable buildings: how low carbon design saves more, and costs less

However, factories can also be run inefficiently, and if traditional construction methods are simply shifted into a factory setting, the benefits of MMC can be diluted or lost..In some cases, building off-site in a factory may even be less efficient than on-site construction.

Sustainable buildings: how low carbon design saves more, and costs less

For example, prefabricated 3D modules (used in modular construction) involve many additional costs compared to conventional build.

These include transportation (a pre-fabricated room is mostly air, after all) and heavy plant for lifting modules into place.​•​ Early stages often involve vertical material transfer (e.g., wet chemicals).. ​•​ Later stages require significant ventilation, heat rejection, and cooling..

While designers may aim for uniformity across process areas, this can lead to inefficient and underutilised space.. Right-Sizing Battery Factory Designs.A more cost-effective approach is to 'shrink-wrap' the assembly process.

By mapping and right-sizing the spatial, environmental, and material transfer needs of each step, the building can be designed to precisely match its functional requirements.This reduces capital costs, operational costs, and energy use..