Around the world, construction designers have been exploring ways to deliver highly efficient "net zero" buildings with a reduced energy demand. A key motivation for this is because around 40% of man-made global carbon emissions come from the construction and operation of buildings. Although significant advances in reducing building's operational energy have been made, the energy use within the construction process remains high. One of the biggest opportunities for concrete and steel energy-efficiency lies in the volume and energy-intensive production of a building's structure. Because despite advances in manufactured approaches to construction, the vast majority of buildings are still delivered through a traditional approach to steel-framed construction. We propose a prefabricated offsite alternative: a reusable, net-zero carbon structure made from recycled steel and cement-free concrete. Targeting commercial offices and infrastructure applications, the components will be manufactured offsite and delivered to the project site as sub-assemblies and installed as a single operation. Compared with conventional construction this will reduce: * Weight of the structural frame by 10% * Structural steel content by 15-20% * Deliveries to site by 40% * Labour resources for steel frame erection and following trades by 60% * Reduced embodied energy (and therefore carbon reduction of 80%) * Cement content in floors by 100% Through the application of digital engineering and sensor technology, the project will interrogate design and construction elements to optimise the design-life of the product, and create an end-of-life deconstruction strategy for the building, making it reusable. Key aims include ease of manufacture, ease of assembly on site, reduction in complexity, improved safety, logistics and long-term performance. We will deliver a full factory trial of a two-storey, 9mx12m demountable mock-up assembly. The output will be energy efficient, reusable and scalable. The solution supports both the cement and steel industry to be more energy efficient and competitive: * The full-scale mock-up and performance testing of a clinker-free concrete in a structural module will demonstrate the material's capabilities in structural applications and offer a route to market - increasing trust and catalysing the uptake of low-energy (and carbon) concrete products * The development of a reusable product and an 80% offsite construction methodology will significantly increase the ease of reuse and rework of steel, helping future-proof the steel industry. We viewed this competition as an opportunity for the construction, concrete and steel industries to work collaboratively to develop an impactful low-energy solution suited to widespread adoption, accelerating all three industries simultaneously.

"**Productivity is a critical factor for the UK economy** -- especially in the construction industry. . As stated in the Farmer Review of the Construction Industry, we need to ""modernise or die"", and this is recognised by the Construction Sector Deal. While offsite manufacturing techniques improve both quality and productivity, a step change is needed to realise the true potential of Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA). That step change is product-based design solutions and manufacturing capacity that unlocks optimised construction and extends efficiency throughout the delivery cycle. We call this **Product Based Building Solution (PBBS) DfMA 70:60:30** -- with 70% of the building being premanufactured, providing 60% greater productivity and 30% faster construction than traditional approaches. The potential improvements to productivity are enormous, with only a small team of skilled technicians needed to place and integrate the pre-manufactured and quality controlled building components. The key to realising this potential lies in having good products and approaching the early design process with product-based solutions in mind, rather than trying to apply them as an after-thought. As such, Laing O'Rourke, AMRC, Hoare Lea, Autodesk, Project Frog, BRE, ActivePlan, Dynamic Knowledge, Converge, University of Cambridge have aligned to demonstrate this product-based approach to design and construction -- an approach that could radically change the industry. By creating a product-based approach to buildings, we have the potential to transform site construction to a place of assembly of pre-engineered and certified building products. Together, we will: * Evidence **lower carbon lifecycles, targeting a 30% operational reduction** -- based on integrating heating and cooling systems within the structure -- and a **50% saving in embodied carbon** through a reusable structural system with predicable performance through smart commissioning and better science. * Demonstrate **productivity improvements in each delivery phase** -- design, manufacture and assembly -- through physically and digitally enabled process efficiency and waste elimination. * Use a product-based architecture with defined and repeatable interfaces to provide quality and certainty in delivery. This will include **facades, frame, internal walls and finishes, pods, and building services and controls**. This will enable: * **Digital demonstration** of configuration to products sets to a range of sector applications using real-world building examples * **Physical demonstration** of integrated product-based building solutions at full scale for a representative building at Explore Industrial Park * **Evidence of productivity and performance** assurance metrics and benchmarking to support further scaling up and adoption"

"**Challenge** - Understanding and accurately predicting concrete curing time is critical to construction projects as curing dictates subsequent build and fitting activity. But concrete curing time cannot be predicted given site-specific complex variables and human error. This results in time wastage, fines and poor productivity. **Project** -- CORE will allow Converge and BAM Nuttall to develop technology to improve construction productivity."

"This collaboration is designed to develop the HIPER pile, a cutting-edge Keltbray Piling development that has the potential to revolutionise the piling industry. It combines a series of new, emerging technologies and ""around the corner"" innovations to create larger benefits applied to foundation solutions. The project is perfectly aligned with Construction 2025 objectives and the UK Industrial Strategy. A game changing development with wide-ranging benefits that has the potential to enhance the standing and reputation of the collaborating parties involved, and to drive larger industry change in the UK and beyond. * Improved Productivity * Enhanced capacity * Environmental benefits * 100% Re-use * Reduced embodied CO2 **Future research:** The project is focused on the combined deployment of a suite of highly innovative technologies. Further research includes, but is not limited to: * HIPER pile solutions applied to deep embedded retaining walls * Fully building integrated hybrid environmental control systems that combine ground source heat pumps and geothermal systems with rain water collection, solar thermal arrays, as well as solar PV and wind generated renewable energy to operate the system * Following this first step, the longer term vision is that hollow deep foundations can become more than a structural component in support of the development of (near) zero carbon and energy plus buildings and districts"

Converge is a connected sensor data analytics platform. We provide the hardware, and software to connect sensors to the internet, and fully utilise and visualise their data. This applies across industries such as construction, smart cities and even hospitals. We are developing robust wireless technology that will provide reliable mesh networks in environments hostile to EM waves such as construction sites (where steal and concrete is plentiful). More info at www.converge.io