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Smart Construction Forum (Digital and Offsite) -

4th February 2020, 2 - 4.30 pm

Bristol Rovers FC Ground , Filton Ave, Bristol BS7 0BF

A Agenda

1. Review of notes /minutes of last meeting

2. Digital Grows Up A presentation by - Chris Gatehouse from Trimble Solutions UK

Virtual Reality

3. Linking up with other organisations

South West Creative Technologies Network

Innovate UK

Discussion

4. Involvement of second tier supply chain in technology and digital

Discussion

CITB Projects to Increase Digital Inclusion Gerald Crittle

B. Notes of meeting on 4th February

Attendees

Chris Gatehouse Trimble Solutions UK

Paul Richards Aquarian Cladding Systems Ltd

Martyn Jones CESW

Jim Mason UWE

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Gerald Crittle Gloucester Construction Training Group

Neil Moloney Pinpoint Mapping

1. Presentation from Chris Trimble on Digital Grows Up . (Presentation is on Smart

Construction Group Webpage)

The presentation stimulated discussion on a number of points :

The need to use data as quickly and effectively as possible

Need to have good quality data to load up into VR systems.

Where does the data come form and when is it loaded up

What is the best procurement model and design process to ensure that data is used

effectively and at the right time .

Should data be open source – a platform like Amazon ?

The need for digital twins and

2 way flows of information to enable fully digital construction processes.

Procurement

VR and

BIM Supply

There were discussion about when and how the data was shared and how that was affected by

procurement processes .

Who owned the data and had access to it – this was part of the discussion about who and how

access would be provided to the digital data .

Chris also brought along one of his VR headpieces . The group were impressed by the visual quality

and the data that was displayed.

2. Summary information on Innovate UK based on Marys

discussions with Mark Wray

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(Note as stated in Procurement and Productivity Theme Group Constructing Excellence is now

delivery partner of the Construction Innovation Hub )

Innovate UK and the Knowledge Transfer Network

Object of Innovate is to Transform UK Construction

Innovate UK is the United Kingdom's innovation agency. It is a non-departmental public body

operating at arm's length from the Government as part of the United Kingdom Research and

Innovation organisation

Convert projects from national level into local vernacular

Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund

Wave 1 Academic

1 . Network plus – Fundamental research around particular issues ie how to do 3D printing in

advanced materials

Collaborative research and developments - R and D projects

Wave 2 Smart construction embedding

Bids closed in October and results publicised in March

30 ,000 homes transformed – Seismic Project with Stuart Milne

Smart construction demonstrators

Centres of Excellence

a)Active Building Centre in Cardiff - integrating energy systems into homes

Homes as Generators

Have 100 projects

b) Construction Innovation Hub been running for 10 years

MTC , BRE < CFdigital Britain

Demonstration projects

Do open Calls

Investing in international opportunities – Seskui

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Energy Efficiency

1.Retrofit for the Future- looking at non domestic and how to scale up

2.CSR – 200 million plan for retrofit

3. Design for Future Climate

Energy Catalyst Programme

For community buildings

From the website: Transforming construction An overview of the government’s challenge to industry and research to transform construction to make buildings more affordable, efficient, safer and healthier.

Contents

What is the transforming construction challenge?

What is the investment?

What is the opportunity?

Construction innovation hub

Active building centre

Research and development

Construction network and community

Latest news

Hiper Pile: driving a revolution in construction techniques

One year of Transforming Construction

Construction Innovation Hub will develop and commercialise new building technology

Active Building Centre awarded £36 million to change the way buildings use energy

TRANSFORMNG CONSTRUCTION

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What is the transforming construction challenge?

This challenge aims to transform the construction sector – enabling it to produce safe, healthy, efficient building using the latest digital manufacturing techniques. This will enable us to meet the UK’s national infrastructure programme target of £650 billion worth of projects by 2025.

The challenge will support industry in adopting technologies and help buildings to be constructed 50% faster, 33% cheaper and with half the lifetime carbon emissions.

Government is looking to industry and researchers to innovate in construction, increase productivity across the UK and open up significant global markets for efficient buildings.

What is the investment?

We will invest up to £170 million, matched by £250 million from industry, to create new construction processes and techniques, such as the development of standardised modular components from which buildings can be manufactured.

What is the opportunity?

Opportunities are being made available to UK-based researchers and businesses. Key programme activities include:

Construction innovation hub

We invested £72 million to establish a Construction Innovation Hub (CIH) that will support collaboration in the construction sector.

The Hub consists of a consortium including Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC), the Buildings Research Establishment (BRE) and the Centre for Digital Built Britain (CDBB) at the University of Cambridge.

The Hub will develop and apply technology used successfully in other industries to construction. For example, using the same modular design platforms as the automotive industry and developing precision manufacturing processes to realise these designs. This will enable the delivery of better performing schools, hospitals, homes and economic infrastructure. It will also drive reductions in waste and energy consumption. The Hub will develop a better model for construction, one that facilitates innovation and continuous improvement and enables integration of the value chain.

For more information, visit the Construction Innovation Hub.

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Active building centre

A new Active Building Centre is being created from a £36 million investment by government and industry.

The centre will look at energy generation, storage and release technologies and ways to commercialise and increase adoption of this infrastructure.

Energy positive schools, offices and homes have already been prototyped at SPECIFIC Innovation Knowledge Centre. The next step is to develop economies of scale and robust supply capability to achieve widespread uptake across the private and public sectors.

Find out more about the Active Building Centre and other Transforming Construction projects

Research and development

There will be numerous calls for research and development projects that encourage cross-sector collaboration.

These will include grants to support academic groups in undertaking creative user research and development, as well as business-led projects that streamline processes, create cost efficiencies and improve productivity, quality and performance.

Find out more about funding

See recent winners

Construction network and community

As part of the challenge we are funding networking events for the construction sector.

The N+ networking will bring together experts from a range of disciplines to tackle the most pressing problems across the digital, energy, construction and manufacturing space. It is led and managed by The Bartlett, UCL’s Faculty of the Built Environment, with co-investigators and staff from Imperial College London and WMG, University of Warwick.

The network will also manage the allocation of small-scale funding. This funding is available for projects which address Transforming Construction Challenge’s core themes

Apply for small-scale funding

3.CITB Projects To Increase Digital Adoption

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A comment from Andrew Goodenough to kick off the discussion on getting SMEs involved in

digital :

We like using local SME's but their IT skills generally are not good in particular when we add BIM into the mixer. And even when we get drawings done in BIM, site operatives using BIM is non existent. > > I don't know what we can do but definitely worth a discussion.

Update from Gerald Crittle Gloucester Construction Training Group

Involvement of second-tier supply chain in technology and digital - Six projects funded by the CITB

designed to increase digital adoption.

Gloucestershire Construction Training Group (GCTG) project – Developing Digital Leadership Skills

in Construction SMEs .

More information can be found here. The site is a work in progress, and it needs content, so

please get in touch if you wish to help with any of the following:

Companies to take part in the programme

Host a taster Digital Boardroom in Bristol

Host a Digital Discovery Sessions

Presenting at Digital Discovery Sessions

Submit Case Studies

Take part in a vlog or podcasts

Information about Digital Solutions to raise awareness of what is available – free listing

Information about digital events

Sponsorship

Have membership access to the forums on the GCTG site

The other five projects funded by the CITB:-

1.Digital Transformation through Leaders

Setting Out For Construction - Digital Construction Skills

2.Digital Leaders: Taking Action on Construction’s Digital Future

National Federation of Builders (NFB)

3.Downloading a Digital Mindset

Supply Chain School

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4.Digital Leadership for the Construction Supply Chains

Leeds Beckett University

5.Establishing Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT)

Willmott Dixon

Gloucestershire Construction Training Group (GCTG) project has got two years of funding for two

cohorts of SMEs

Gerald is keen for people to nominate organisations or signpost organisations who might benefit

from the Gloucester project .

Please encourage anyone who may be interested to get in touch . Ideally organisations will be within

reach of the base in Quedgeley Gloucester .

4.Date and topic for Next Meeting

12th May Exeter – by videoconferencing

Topic : Jim Mason has volunteered to speak on Legal forms of contract for digital

construction