30 groups have been successful in obtaining $28 million in funding for a new initiative transforming how buildings are designed and manufactured in Australia.
The partners, who include Monash University, The University of Melbourne, Lendlease, BlueScope and CSR, have established the Building 4.0 CRC, whose projected outcomes include reducing production costs and construction waste.
Announced by the Minister for Industry, Science and Technology, Karen Andews, 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.
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.
Building 4.0 CRC is funded by the Australian Government Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) Program, which has the potential to boost the economy through job creation and position Australia as a leader in the advanced manufacture of buildings.
Completely unique to the Australian and international markets, the Building 4.0 CRC could set trends, break rules and transform the way the industry engages and responds to customers’ needs, where buildings are built faster, cheaper and smarter.
The CRC will be based at Monash University in partnership with the University of Melbourne, and in collaboration with the Queensland University of Technology.
Some of the outcomes this initiative hopes to achieve include:
- 30 per cent reduction in project costs through digital technology and off-site manufacturing
- 40 per cent reduction in project delays
- 80 per cent reduction in construction waste
- 50 per cent reduction in Co2 emissions for more sustainable buildings
“Building 4.0 CRC demonstrates that industry and government can come together to solve the big issues facing the building industry today,” Monash University’s Professor Mathew Aitchison, Interim CEO of Building 4.0 CRC, said.
“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.”
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.
For more information, please visit https://www.building4pointzero.org/