The recovery is bringing its own challenges. As the market
picks up the development opportunities increase but everyone wants to build at
the same time. Costs are increasing as the market adjusts to new conditions and
it leaves us looking at the price of land in a different light. These pressures
are greatest in the South East with London topping the chart of most expensive
places to build in the world [1].
A skills shortage may slow the growth of
the sector but what can be done to keep developments on track?
Tightening up on material and resource costs has helped many
to maintain margin and the use of more efficient building techniques not only
reduces material use but can also reduce onsite labour. To make the most out of
sites and the talent in the industry do we need to rethink how and what we
build?
Planning how we use materials and how their use affects
programme and budget have been common in large infrastructure projects for a
number of years and the savings are significant. Off-site construction and
management plans for materials, carbon, waste and water have all contributed to
lower costs and are now common in value management. After getting over the
initial hump of implementing BIM, the projects that use it are also seeing
savings, particularly in early clash detection.
Often it is left to the contractor to kick off these
techniques to manage their own costs. Could more developers make use of these
tools to make more out of their sites? Instead of tucking in a wall here or
reducing a quality specification there could we revisit the design completely?
What if, from the outset, we looked at the development from a focus of low
construction cost brought about by reducing time on site, using higher value
techniques and minimising the use of materials?
Resource Management Planning is an effective way to engage
the whole supply chain in using resources efficiently and saving cost. Housing
and commercial developments can expect to realise a cost benefit of up to 2% [2].by taking this approach.
If you would like to reduce the cost and environmental
impact of your resources, speak to our Technical Director, Ben Harris on 0207 394
3700.
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