The Construction Playbook - making it possible.
One thing which happens when working this way, is that we’re forced to approach projects differently.Design to Value offers unique benefits but can also reveal some uncomfortable truths.. As an example: we were evaluating a brief to build a new carbonated drinks factory in Africa.
The initial projected cost of £70 million was determined to be prohibitively expensive, and so the client asked for this to be reduced.Our team went through a process of evaluation and analysis.We adapted and optimised the factory size and construction techniques in order to substantially and successfully reduce the cost.. Something even more interesting happened in the process, however.
As we began to evaluate the facility, we began to ask different types of questions.This led to some interesting realisations.
One of the primary products to be manufactured in the factory was bottled water.
The team discovered two important things: the first was that the energy costs to manufacture the product would be high; the second was that the sale price for bottled water in Africa is low.This is a problem as connections cannot be relied on geometrically and presents a challenge particularly for DfMA solutions and other situations where small tolerances are required.. Our response is to:.
- Transport and store timber in waterproofed flat stacks.. - Engage early with contractors to produce an on-site maintenance plan with special attention to timber elements.. - Enable sufficient drying periods within the project programme.. - Use preservative natural treatments to prevent woodboring and avoid the use of toxic chemicals such as chromium, chlorophenols or arsenic.. - Use preservative natural treatments on all sides to prevent water ingress.Oil based primers penetrate wood better than latex or water-based primers, providing greater resistance and are less likely to be scraped off during construction.. - Consider design details to prevent water ingress during construction and use.. Fire and insurance.
Since the Grenfell tragedy, public policy has shifted towards a zero-combustibility approach in certain higher risk buildings, making the use of engineered timber more complicated.This has increased insurance costs for mass timber construction.
(Editor: Modern Monitors)