ADVANCED Industrialised Methods for the Construction of Homes (AIMCH), a project aimed at transforming housebuilding, will issue a call to the industry to ‘mainstream’ their use at the upcoming Futurebuild exhibition in London.
Results from the three-year AIMCH project indicate it has been ‘highly successful’ in producing viable solutions to tackle the challenges faced by the housing sector, including skills shortages, an ageing workforce, poor productivity, low output, and low affordability.
Senior figures will reveal industrialised methods for how the industry can deliver 120,000 homes for similar costs to traditional methods, built 30% quicker, with ‘fewer defects and less embodied carbon’.
The £6.5 million research and development project is a collaboration between Stewart Milne Group, Barratt Developments PLC, L&Q, Forster Group, the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) and Construction Scotland Innovation Centre (CSIC) and project managed by Limberger Associates. It is supported by Innovate UK through the Transforming Construction Fund.
Stewart Dalgarno, AIMCH project director and director of innovation and sustainability at Stewart Milne Group, said, “It will be a proud moment for everyone involved in the three year long AIMCH project to take the main stage of Futurebuild and unveil an industrialisation blueprint for the industry to address challenges faced by the housing sector.
“Primarily, we will showcase mainstream viable solutions to support the delivery of much needed new homes, especially net zero homes, while reducing the sector’s overall environmental impact. We will demonstrate how these methods can deliver more homes, built for similar cost to masonry, something the industry cannot afford not to implement.
“The project’s partners are all leading innovators within our industry and the Futurebuild conference is the ideal opportunity to connect their vision with the decision makers who will be responsible for implementing change across the sector. This is a pivotal moment for businesses big and small to drive change and reap rewards from transforming how we build homes.”
Dr Mike Pitts, deputy challenge director at Innovate UK, added, “The AIMCH project is ready to unveil its blueprint for providing industrialised solutions to help meet housing shortages. This is a massive leap in progress and now we must see a continued commitment from industry to turn this vision into reality.
“The scale and pace of potential transformation for the industry is impressive as well as its addressing of skills shortages and embracing new mainstream methods. This will undoubtedly open new opportunities for employment within the industry and at other points in the supply chain.
“The partners are experienced innovators and are ready to showcase world-leading solutions. Futurebuild will be the ideal exhibition for bringing industry leaders together to accelerate market uptake and transform how mainstream housing is delivered.”
