Just as Bryden Wood’s focus lies in our Design to Value approach to construction, for asBuilt, adding value is also a key priority.

And yet, once all of the cross-departmental pipelines were put into Uniclass, a great deal of cross-department commonality was revealed.This has delivered a huge body of evidence in terms of how platform design (P-DfMA) can unlock industrialised construction..

Improving diversity and attracting young workers into construction.Understanding how we can attract more people into the sector is vitally important when we consider shaping the future of the construction industry.Although it’s widely recognised that there aren’t enough women and minorities joining construction, Professor Glass says this important issue has been noted and there are people trying to rectify this situation.

She also believes academics and researchers could generate enthusiasm by sharing what attracted them to this stimulating, fascinating space, and discussing what motivates them to stay.. We also need to take stock of what competencies are needed in the construction industry, and acknowledge that digital skills must be made a priority.The UK government's decision to bring coding into the national curriculum means we now have digitally enabled young people coming through with these important skills.

In principle, upon graduation that new workforce is just as available to the construction industry as to any other sector, but we need to attract them into construction at the right time, or they’ll go elsewhere.

Similarly, while it is certainly important to maintain a focus on bringing apprentices and young people into the industry, we also need to prioritise graduates and master’s degree students.A reduced quantity of building materials reduces a building’s weight.

This in turn reduces the load on the foundations, allowing a further reduction in materials used in the substructure.Lean design places a renewed emphasis on optimum sizing, without unnecessary redundancies or capacities.

This is an important component of sustainable architectural design..Using fewer materials overall means less embodied carbon in the extraction of raw materials and their fabrication into building products.