Panelised steel frame buildings combined with intelligent software models and AI could help the industry tackle the impacts of the ongoing construction skills shortage, says Andy Higson, Business Director of Intrastack.
With the latest Construction Skills Network report predicting that an additional 50,300 extra workers will be required each year to meet UK construction output by 2028, now is an opportune time for the industry to embrace the benefits of offsite construction and panelised steel frame solutions for multi-storey and low-rise housing.
By pre-fabricating components in a factory-controlled environment, offsite construction can help address this skills shortage, freeing up valuable skilled workers on-site for other specialist tasks – and enabling projects to run to schedule despite a limited labour pool.
Speed of construction is another key area, with project start to completion times reduced significantly alongside a positive impact on safety, by removing many of the hazardous construction methods away from the building site.
It is essential that a balance is struck between the use of offsite, prefabrication and the availability of onsite skills that cannot be replicated in a factory environment.
This is where the use of intelligent software solutions and AI has a key role to play, offering a viable solution to make day-to-day tasks more efficient.
Such software models are most useful in the earlier stages of a project and can complete a large percentage of estimating or take-off services, when used appropriately and alongside the expertise of a professional estimator. Software is also playing a role in design procedures and system component development, helping to keep processes lean, cost-effective and efficient.
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