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C. ontinued research into these technologies, alongside more evidence of cost benefits, may help in incentivising industries to adopt these technologies.. Energy Efficient Plastic Production: It’s a Team Effort.

This standard kit of parts can be configured to offer a broad range of building products without limiting design ambition.Design effort can be spent where it adds the most value – creating places where people want to live and work.. 105 Sumner Street consists of two new-build commercial office buildings, built around a publicly accessible internal courtyard, in total comprising c. 135,000 sq ft.

It will be nine storeys high with reception and basement areas.The development will be a high quality and sustainable building with a vastly improved streetscape and public realm, continuing the transformation of Southwark..It will use a hybrid steel and concrete structural platform that was developed as part of an Innovate UK First Phase Challenge Fund research project on Automated Construction.

The structural platform developed as part of the R&D project will provide the chassis for the office floor space and the project will include the development of cladding and building services components to create a reusable kit-of-parts-based solution for offices..The project will validate and showcase the benefits that can be delivered using P-DfMA techniques, Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) and digital technologies on a large-scale new build commercial office development.

It is designed to a ‘zero carbon in use’ strategy, and is already achieving gains:.

efficiency: a predicted 9.5% reduction in capital cost, 13% reduction in programme, 40% reduction in steel used and 50% reduction in site operatives for superstructure and facade.As it dries it changes geometry losing original accuracy.

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.