(And by extension – this can encompass building control, health and safety and other types of compliance checking.).

Population growth coupled with the required infrastructure will generate massive amounts of carbon.We must find ways to deliver what we need using much less.

Optimisation of materials, better control of logistics, automation in construction, fewer people on site – all of these factors will help to create an overall lower carbon version of the built environment.We’re already working hard with concrete manufacturers to find the lowest carbon form of concrete we can possibly use.We’re talking to steel manufacturers about the types of steel which will be made by electric arc furnaces powered by hydrogen fuel cells.

We’re evaluating whether it’s viable to grow enough forests to build buildings using timber.All of these issues must be addressed now.. Modern construction for the next generation.

Finally, there is the question of the workforce itself.

At present, there simply aren’t enough young people coming into the construction industry.How will we adapt workspaces, ventilation, lifts and kitchens so that we can keep working if (when) new viruses arrive?

What can we do with existing buildings?.Our Platforms approach to Design for Manufacture and Assembly (P-DfMA) provides some answers here.

As a method of construction, it presents many advantages, but in this context three stand out:.The Platforms approach to construction uses standard components for buildings that can be assembled in a number of ways, depending on the purpose of the building.