Partner Article

Three construction predictions for 2017

The Construction Products Association (CPA) has predicted that in 2017, construction output will rise by 4.1%[1]. This year (2016), the industry has already had great success - it grew 3.6% - and the CPA has given an optimistic forecast for the whole of the construction sector until 2019.

In preparation for the year ahead, Matthew Goff, Actavo | Building Solutions’ director of UK operations, discusses three construction trends that are set to continue in 2017.

1. BIM technology will become more critical

Building Information Modelling (BIM) has been gathering momentum for many years. But it wasn’t until July 2016 that the government stipulated BIM Level 2 must be fully engrained into any contractor’s business that is tendering for a public building.

Governing a project from its conception to disposal, BIM is heavily reliant on thorough planning and design to enable a building to perform to its highest standard throughout its life cycle. Making building more quality-consistent, accurate and less time-consuming, BIM also encourages better environmental performance and identifies clashes early in the construction process.

With BIM now leading public sector projects across the UK, it’s only a matter of time until every building project complies with BIM. In 2017, we’ll see BIM grow and expand across different sectors – not just public services such as education and healthcare, but also private developments such as residential, retail and commercial.

2. Offsite construction’s popularity will continue to rise

Offsite construction has grown substantially in popularity over the past five years. Although initial costs are comparable with traditional construction, offsite construction has the upper-hand when it comes to whole-life costs and building efficiencies, including faster delivery.

With a reduction in construction timeframes, modular-constructed buildings adhere to the exact same standards as traditional methods, including sustainability targets such as BREEAM, Passivhaus and AECB.

Manufactured in factories and then assembled onsite, offsite buildings are safer due to the controlled environments in which they are made. In 2017, the popularity of modular build will continue to rise as we start to see more and larger-scale building projects being awarded to offsite solutions specialists.

3. The skilled labour shortage is set to stay into 2017

The chronic skills shortage in the construction sector will continue into 2017 and beyond. Too little is being done to address the issue in the UK. We have the highest proportion of over 55s working in our sector and we need a steady stream of young talent entering the industry to balance and sustain the business.

Although the industry needs the knowledge and expertise of its well-established workforce, in 2017, we need to get better at communicating the advantages of working in construction to appeal to a younger, more digitally-savvy generation.

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Actavo | Building Solutions, the UK’s fastest-growing modular buildings company*, was one of the first offsite UK construction companies to meet BIM Level 2 requirements and it has been fully integrated into the business since July 2015. Showcasing the true benefits of offsite construction, Actavo delivers cost-effective and high-quality solutions quickly.

*Plimsoll Analysis.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Actavo Building Solutions .