The Hadrian X bricklaying machine built its first house in under three days
‘Google-style construction revolution’ from platforms approach
CM 27/11
About time, too. In the late 1990s I tried to persuade Mowlem (Manchester) to use Ytong (now part of Xella) to use large module aerated blocks in large warehouse construction for diaphragm walls. Their use is widespread throughout the world but I’ve not seen them in the UK. Perhaps someone might pick this up and run with it?
David McCormick
Lots of factory workers instead of skilled and proud tradespeople. Lots more estates of near-identical boxes, instead of inspiring and beautiful architecture.
We already have modular building methods in the form of timber kit. No need to think outside the box, we just need well-trained, well-paid people to do the work. Spend the money on training like the old TOPS courses and nationalise all public building projects.
Andrew Hall
This kind of deskilling ideology has been going on for at least 20 years and the result is an industry that cannot build a simple one-bedroomed dwelling without multiple snags and breaches of regs.
Darren
Prototype offsite house can be built in a single day
CM 29/11
Though this concept is a great idea why should it only be used for student accommodation and emergency shelter. It seems to me that the creators of module homes deem their products only worthy of those in desperate need.
In China they build modular homes and ship them to us for a fraction of the cost instead of us building a better quality home. Is that where the industry is going?
Benjamin Sewell
Steel framing for domestic housing is completely unnecessary. Tmber would cut the cost and do the same job structurally.
Sheila
“A design life of at least 60 years”. Is this when DIYers discover they cannot do anything to improve their homes or before? A bit like us amateur mechanics discovered with our computerised cars. Perhaps the plan is to disassemble the homes at 60 years and replace them with a new model.
John Broomfield
Robot bricklayer builds first house
CM 15/11
For a traditional wall cavity, how would it deal with wall ties and insulation?
Andrew
Network Rail is trialling similar technology with the University of Birmingham.
Mindaugas
Andrew, there are two choices with what you say. Firstly, you have a human doing the complex work with accessories (no one said the technology does away with people). Or you redesign so wall ties are no longer needed and the insulation is elsewhere.
Anyway, the technology will have limits, like restricted access for the vehicle, and limits on complexity it can cope with (lintels, anyone?). It wouldn’t do away with bricklaying as a skill, just compensate for the shortage of skilled tradesmen.
John
CIOB chief executive announces retirement
CM 29/11
Chris, you came in like a breath of fresh air, both modernising and rescuing the CIOB from the ignominious fate that many other professional bodies of that era suffered. Your tenure has been good for the organisation, increasing both awareness and quality of the CIOB designation. I wish you well in your retirement.
Adrian Cox
Well done Chris. We haven’t always agreed, we don’t need to, but we both want the same thing – a changed, transformed and world-class industry.
John Eynon
Chris Blythe has done an excellent job. Who will be the next for the challenging position?
Raja Pillai
London super sewer costs under pressure
CM 26/11
Project contingency is there to be spent. The idea is that when planning all you know is some things won’t go to plan, but you don’t know exactly which things.
So you allow contingency. It acts to aggregate allowances of money and time to protect against risk and uncertainties and is vital on projects. If contingency is largely unspent, or if projects claim they don’t have any, something is wrong.
If most of the work is now well under way, this means that most of the potential risks have emerged, so having spent 80% of the contingency is not a problem. The problem arises when contingency is used very early, and none remains to protect the later stages of the project.
The key piece of information is how much contingency remains unallocated to protect the remaining four to five years.
Ian Heptinstall
