File to Factory: A case study of automated prefabrication house-building methods for small-to-medium enterprises

Abstract

The Eco-Digital Fabrication (EDFAB) research project aimed to investigate how automated prefabrication technologies and off-the-shelf construction products can be employed to disrupt building industry norms. The aim of this research – conducted at the University of Auckland and Unitec Institute of Technology from 2014 onward – was to provide small-to-medium enterprises in the construction industry with a pathway to upskill and increase construction productivity through the use of these processes. The availability of automated machines and easy-to-use fabrication software is increasing dramatically and this can be paired with readily available construction products to produce novel mass-customised housing solutions. The application of basic automated technologies – such as CNC (Computer Numerical Control) routers – allowed researchers to create ‘recipes’ that can be adopted and adapted relatively easily. By no means did the research favour digital manufacture or assembly processes over traditional analogue construction techniques – the goal was to provide logical, productive and accessible blended solutions for greater affordability and flexibility in design. For example, the designed experiments were required to be built from readily available products, and used simple readymade screw fixings rather than digitally produced custom fixings or joining mechanisms. The research project aimed to generate discussion and provide recommendations on how the construction industry might support the adoption of automated prefabrication technology in small-to-medium enterprise (SME).

Automation in New Zealand's offsite construction (OSC): a status update

“…However, the country's construction industry that is already criticised for its low productive performance (ITA, 2020), could not deliver the KiwiBuild targets, and the Government had to drop the KiwiBuild scheme after a year (Samarasinghe et al, 2020;Hatton, 2019). Patel (2017) has indicated that house building in New Zealand is comparatively more costly. He concludes that it cost 15-20% more dollars to build in New Zealand than in Australia, its closest neighbour.…”

“…Other factors that increase the capital cost of OSC include; increased requirement of professionals, training cost for workers and large storage sheds (Chen et al, 2018;Steinhardt et al, 2013). Patel (2017) suggests local legislation is significant to OSC and could constitute an impediment to its development. The New Zealand construction industry has rigid regulations and regulatory requirements.…”

“…Patel (2017) has indicated that house building in New Zealand is comparatively more costly. He concludes that it cost 15–20% more dollars to build in New Zealand than in Australia, its closest neighbour.…”

“…Patel (2017) suggests local legislation is significant to OSC and could constitute an impediment to its development. The New Zealand construction industry has rigid regulations and regulatory requirements.…”