cladding & facades 29
A solution to the productivity problem
Sharing knowledge across the supply chain and driving innovation is vital to boost the construction industry’s productivity and meet the UK’s housing needs, says Neil Ash of Siniat UK.
T
he construction industry is suffering from a productivity crisis. Only last month, the Farmer Review of the UK
construction labour model called for the industry to do more to improve its efficiency, recommending closer collaboration, innovation, and new recruitment and training models to support the country’s development needs. It is an issue facing the entire UK economy.
According to research association the Conference Board, productivity per hour in France, Germany and the United States is now around 30 per cent higher than in the UK. Put simply, French, German and American workers can achieve in just four days what their British counterparts deliver in five. The need to boost the speed of construction is
particularly acute in the residential sector. An estimated 300,000 additional homes are needed each year to meet the housing shortfall, and with the UK’s population continuing to expand this demand looks only likely to increase over the coming years. Britain’s populace is expected to reach 70 million by 2027, while London’s population alone is set to reach 10 million by 2030. Boosting activity in the multi-residential
“Put simply, French, German and American workers can achieve in just four days what their British counterparts deliver in five”
sector in particular will be vital in making the best use of the land resources available, plugging this growing gap between supply and demand. There is no silver bullet solution to the
productivity challenge, but there are incremental steps that we can take that together will drive significant change. For a start, we need to do more to unlock the valuable knowledge that lies within the supply chain.
Better together
If we are to drive productivity within the residential sector, we need to embrace more collaborative working methods. The housebuild- ing industry has come a long way in this regard, but an important disconnect remains between the different parts of the supply chain. Crucially, we need to do more to bring
materials providers in from the very start of the design process. More often than not these groups are still only engaged towards the latter stages of a project. Getting them onboard from the beginning allows clients and contractors to tap into their expertise early on, when a project’s design and the programme of works can still be influenced. Getting the building products right for a
development can significantly speed up project build times. The cladding and facades sector is a key example in this regard. The quicker a building can be made watertight, the quicker interior trades such as electricians and plumbers
can access the inside of a building, dramatically speeding up the build process. This is why companies have been exploring the
use of specially designed gypsum boards as external sheathing boards, driving significant time savings for projects. Researchers have developed a highly water and mould resistant board, which is faster to install than traditional cement particle boards and can be left exposed on frame for up to three months. By making a building completely weathertight, it allows dryliners, electrical engineers, heating engineers and others to begin work in advance of the completed facade. If contractors and clients need to engage with
materials providers earlier on, then it is also vital that building products manufacturers and suppliers do what they can to drive innovation. It will require a significant time and monetary investment, but larger companies with the necessary resources need to work with industry experts and customers to drive research into products that can cut down installation times and boost on-site efficiency. Suppliers have been working with the BRE
(Building Research Establishment) to look at the speed of installation of different partitions, ceiling and wall linings, concentrating in particular on multi-residential projects. This kind of research can help to further target innovations in work, making sure that companies can focus on the material solutions that offer the best results for installers and their projects.
respond online at
www.hbdonline.co.uk
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