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March 30, 2020
Reducing waste, delays and emissions from building projects is the focus of a collaborative initiative between 30 industry partners that received $28 million from the Australian Government.
Monash University, Lendlease, The University of Melbourne, Donovan Group, BlueScope, Sumitomo Forestry and CSR, along with 23 other partners including A.G. Coombs Group have been successful in a bid for $28 million to fund an initiative the group says will revolutionise the building industry.
The research initiative, named the Building 4.0 Cooperative Research Centre (CRC), has been awarded funding through the Federal Government CRC Program.
The Building 4.0 CRC research initiative is focused on use of digital solutions, new products and processes aiming to transform Australia’s building industry to a tech-enabled, collaborative future where the customer is at the centre of each building experience and buildings are not only better, but faster, cheaper and safer.
Target outcomes of the Building 4.0 initiative include a 30 per cent reduction in project costs through technology and offsite manufacturing, a 40 per cent reduction in project delays, 80 per cent reduction in construction waste and halving carbon dioxide emissions for more sustainable buildings.
Announced by The Hon Karen Andrews MP, Minister for Industry, Science and Technology, the $28 million grant will leverage a combined $103 million from industry, government and research partners – bringing the combined research budget to $131 million over seven years.
Building 4.0 CRC will bring together expertise in the fields of architecture, design, planning, construction, engineering, business, information technology and law to develop industry-wide practices and protocols intended to transform the entire sector.
It will also leverage the latest technologies, data science and artificial intelligence to enable the application of robotics and digital fabrication to optimise all phases of building delivery – including development, design, production, assembly, operation, maintenance and end-of-life.
Interim CEO of Building 4.0 CRC and Monash University Professor Mathew Aitchison said research and development will be carried out to demonstrate the building industry can come together and solve the big challenges of our times and deliver buildings that are more efficient, cheaper and sustainable, without sacrificing quality.
“By leveraging this government funding and our deep collaboration with research and training partners, we are committed to putting the Australian industry at the forefront of global developments.”
Bill Ruh, Chief Executive Officer, Digital, at Lendlease said: “Lendlease is proud to be part of the Building 4.0 CRC. We are committed to creating a safer, more sustainable industry, and our investment in the CRC is essential in the research and development of solutions to achieve this vision.”
A.G. Coombs Group is pleased to be part of the consortium comprising 30 leading players in the commercial industry, university, industry bodies and government partners, including: Lendlease, Monash University, University of Melbourne, Donovan Group, BlueScope Steel, CSR, Sumitomo Forestry, Utecture Australia, Victorian Government Department of Jobs Precincts and Regions, Bentley Homes, Queensland University of Technology, A.G Coombs Group, Coresteel Australia, Holmesglen Institute, Salesforce, Ultimate Windows, CadMakers, Hyne Timber, M-Modular, Shapeshift Design Technologies, Amazon Web Services, Fleetwood, Gelion Technologies, Master Builders Association of Victoria, Schiavello Manufacturing, Victorian Building Authority, YNOMIA, Green Building Council of Australia, PrefabAUS, Standards Australia and Taronga Venture Advisory.
More information on Building 4.0 CRC can be found here.
