The University of Melbourne will collaborate with Speedpanel Australia to research and develop innovative pre-fabricated building systems over the course of three years.
The Australian Government Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) program awarded the partners $3 million to undertake the $12 million iBuildCRC project. The aim is to exchange knowledge and engineering expertise between Speedpanel Australia, Speedpanel International, and the University of Melbourne, in order to create technologies that will fire up the potential for growth in Australia's prefabricated building industry.
According to the program organisers, there is a need for cost-efficient and agile manufacturing processes that are highly flexible and reconfigurable, but also meet the standardisation, regulation and compliance aspects that would allow these products to be exported for use in global supply chains.
The research is being led by Associate Professor Tuan Ngo, from the University of Melbourne's Department of Infrastructure Engineering. According to him, the iBuildCRC project will develop an innovative building system, leveraging advanced manufacturing techniques such as 3D virtual prototype modelling and CAD/CAM technology for faster and cheaper construction.
"This new panelised system will be a significant advancement on traditional building products because it will be lightweight, easy to construct, reusable, recyclable and have better load resistance,” he said. “It also promises a much lower carbon footprint.”
By applying advanced manufacturing principles to the prefabricated building industry, the researchers hope to create a competitive advantage for the Australian industry, leading to local employment growth, and increasing exports of pre-fabricated products and services.
David Visser, Managing Director of Speedpanel Australia said that funding from the CRC programme will lead to more efficient, sustainable construction in Australia and elsewhere.
The aim is to create the next generation of pre-fabricated panel systems, which can be applied to a wide range of areas such as facades, floor panels and roof panels. Key attributes for the panels include easy customisation, and multi-functionality to ensure as wide a potential application as possible.
To reduce costs and improve completion times, the researchers will prioritise automated production capabilities, easy on-site installation and modelling to reduce assembly times.
"Prefabricated construction is ideal for affordable inner city developments and this technology will help close the gap with reduced construction costs and increased fire protection qualities which are pressing issues for the Government,” he said.
Don't forget to register for the Australian Engineering Conference 2016 in Brisbane on November 23-25.