Construction 2025 is
the joint strategy from government and industry for the future of the UK
construction sector.
Construction 2025
sets out challenging industry targets that include: 50% reduction in trade gap;
33% lower costs; 50% lower emissions; 50% faster delivery.
BRE, in
collaboration with public and private industry partners, takes seriously its
obligations to contribute to meet the Construction 2025 targets through its
leadership role and directly by the solutions and services its develops for
industry.
BRE solutions
include cutting edge research to develop a range of products, services,
standards and qualifications that are used to bring about better productivity
and quality. These include the global market leading BREEAM suite of products,
and BIM that improves the quality of information provided at the design and
construction phases.
Simon Cross, BRE
Construction Sector Business Lead and a Member of the Construction Leadership
Council (CLC) and Chair of one of its Innovation in Buildings workstreams,
says: “As we move inexorably towards 2025, construction, over the past 20
years, productivity increase has been negligible (1%) compared to many other
comparable industries. It has become the laggard as other sectors have forged
ahead.
“The consequences
for construction are shrinking contractor margins, a lack of investment in
R&D and a skills deficit to other industries that have or are perceived to
be more progressive or attractive. I’m calling for all of us in the sector to
work collaboratively and at pace to meet our challenges and the Construction
2025 Strategy targets.”
Cross has outlined
the following 10 factors that provide a provocation for us together to act upon
our immediate and future needs, to meet the Construction 2025 Strategy targets
and to create greater resilience in the sector:
- The construction
industry has the potential to be 20-40% more efficient which would
significantly increase operating margins, provide R&D capital, and develop
sector resilience.
- Skills and training
are essential to meet the immediate workforce challenges of Brexit and
adaptation to an increasingly technologically driven workplace, including on
construction sites.
- Digital technology,
including BIM, needs to be embraced because it improves measurability of
economic, environmental and social indicators which provide the evidence to
improve performance.
- Offsite and advanced
industrialised manufacturing adaptation is vital for the sector to attract
talent, improve efficiencies, expedite build times, enhance environmental
performance and increase operating margins.
- Changes in
construction company business models are essential to embrace the potential of
digitisation and industrialisation.
- Disruption should be
welcomed as it will move the industry forward, make it more attractive to a
graduate and skilled workforce, and ultimately make the sector more resilient.
- Knowledge transfer
from other progressive sectors e.g. automotive and aerospace should be fostered
to accelerate learning and implementation of advanced industrial manufacturing
– the sector benefits, UK Plc benefits.
- Foreign Direct
Investment (FDI), through the cultivation and exploitation of knowledge
partnerships and via the initiation of practical applications (where gaps are
identified), needs to be strengthened.
- Export markets are
increasingly critical as we transition to Brexit, so the sector must maximize
the opportunity of its positive international reputation for delivering high
performance standards, underpinned by an evidence first approach.
- Clusters of
Excellence should be encouraged to stimulate the innovations the sector
requires to meet its productivity challenges. Critically, they need to be
developed at scale, aligned with Construction 2025 Strategy targets, and have
measurable outcomes.
Cross says:
“Construction can no longer continue its business as usual approach. Together,
we must adapt to offsite and advanced industrialised manufacturing, embrace
digital technology and up-skill our workforce.
"We practically
must work together at pace and with pragmatic ambition to meet our present
challenges and future needs, and in doing so become a more resilient industry.”
