4 Things We Learned Last Week
Last week Andre and Ricky attended COLAB23, the annual OffsiteNZ conference. It was a great opportunity to network with our colleagues in the offsite industry and to share our journey so far. Here are our 4 key takeaways from the 2-day conference:
If it’s not a system, it’s not a solution
Keep the team together
Create value for partners
Build better for the planet
Left to Right: Leah Singer, Martin Fenn, Gerry McCaughey, Scott Fisher, Andre and Ricky
If it’s not a system, it’s not a solution.
Keynote speaker Gerry McCaughey from OffsiteTek warned that his presentation might ruffle a few feathers, and it certainly did. But while he had just about every speaker following apologising for using the C word (components) and all but invalidating our kit-of-parts approach, his core message was spot on: If it is not a system, it is not a solution.
It is not panels that make offsite construction better than traditional onsite means. It is the systems that are put in place to facilitate the design, procurement, construction and delivery. The system creates 80% of the benefit before the first stick of timber is even cut.
At Flexi, we have a big focus on systems. Everything we design for clients is based on a set of rules that ensure optimisation for offsite manufacturing. We’re fussy, too - if it doesn’t fit the system we do not offer it as a solution. No matter how minor a small design variation may seem, it compromises the efficiency of the system.
A standardised system creates a large but finite number of unique outcomes. It then becomes very easy to determine the design which would best fulfil a particular demand - the optimal sunlight hours, the best orientation for solar panels on the roof, or the most cost-effective 3-bedroom home. There becomes a particular outcome that solves each problem the best. It is often said that “design is never finished”, but with a closed system, we can quickly arrive at the best solution achievable within that system and back it up with data.
Keep the team together
Alex Jonovski called in to share his knowledge from running DEMAIN, a construction consortium bringing together key partners in order to deliver offsite projects in the US. For projects to be successful, he stated, we must reduce the rework required when transmitting information between disciplines.
As an Orchestrator, Flexi is responsible for bringing together the right partners for the job. Whereas on most projects, these partners go their separate ways once the project is complete, it is important for us to keep these partners together. As Henry Ford famously said, “Coming together is the beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” Keeping partners together allows us to build on the shared experiences and the knowledge created from their experience on past projects. This, as Mr Ford suggests, is critical to progress. It also helps ensure the expectations of what each party delivers are known, strengthening communication and reducing costly rework.
Create value for partners
A kit of parts can create certainty for manufacturers. Flexi’s scalable system of repeatable and standardised components is optimised for mass manufacturing, and we’re looking to partner with manufacturers all over the country to deliver our housing system at scale. Our system is great for manufacturers, who will be able to produce Flexi Panels in the downtime between bigger jobs. Supplementing their production in this way will flatten out the peaks and troughs in their pipeline and optimise their manufacturing capacity.
Consistency of throughput provides certainty for operators but also helps to attract workers to the factory, safe in the knowledge that they have regular work. This vision is only possible by defining a kit of parts from which to design so that panels can be manufactured in advance of the projects to which they will eventually be deployed ever being dreamed of.
As we say in the office, imagine Flexi House panels on the shelves in Mitre 10…
Build better for the planet
Peter O’Leary from WSP explained that the triangular construction paradigm of cost, quality and time is now a square, with carbon creating the fourth corner. What’s more, carbon is the only one which will be mandated. This is promising, as it means we can expect a greater uptake within the construction sector of offsite construction!
Offsite manufacturing has a significant advantage over traditional onsite construction in regard to mitigating the carbon footprint of construction. Less waste to landfill (construction waste makes up approximately 50% of landfill waste globally) and reduced transport emissions (offsite tradespeople work at one factory rather than driving between multiple sites) are the two major advantages.
It is important, however, to compare these reductions to the additional embodied carbon of operating an offsite facility and the transport emissions involved in getting the offsite components to site, along with any subsequent onsite works to be completed. This is why it is critically important that manufacturers are operating at capacity, and where Flexi’s kit of parts has the potential to add immense value.
Flexi House was the subject of a study conducted by students at the University of Auckland in 2021 that compared the carbon footprint of the materials used in a 180m2 home to that of a traditional build. The building envelope of a 180m2 Flexi House is expected to sequester 4,900kgCO2e. The next step will be to conduct a Lifecycle Assessment to understand the holistic impact that the construction, deployment, operation and potential deconstruction of a Flexi House has on the environment.
A Flexi House inherently mitigates deconstruction waste. While typical buildings, whether they were constructed onsite or offsite, will be demolished and end up in landfill once they no longer serve a purpose, Flexi Houses are able to be deconstructed into their individual components - floor, wall and roof panels - to be redeployed to new locations or deconstructed further into their raw materials to be recycled. This is all made possible by considering circular economy principles in the development of our panels. It also reduces waste in renovation or extension, allowing your home to grow with you at no added cost to the environment. Our prototype build in Cromwell has started as a 1 bedroom, 2 bathroom workers accommodation, but will grow to a 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom dwelling when we unbolt the end wall, add in the panels for three additional bedrooms, and bolt the same end wall back on.
In summary
COLAB23 made it clearer than ever that we must look to quantify the value we’re creating. If we can compare numerically the sustainability of our system, indoor thermal comfort, the reduction in power bill or decreased energy consumption to that of traditional construction, we can offer clarity to consumers. Likewise, if we can quantify the dollar value of our speed of delivery to building partners and developers, we can better communicate the value of the Flexi House system. Potential clients often ask about square-metre rates because area and cost are the only two variables that are currently quantified. If we can quantify the other values that are important to consumers, we can bring them to the forefront of consumer decision-making, which benefits everyone.
A special thanks must go to Scott Fisher and Jessica Gray from OffsiteNZ for organising a great event. It was an awesome opportunity to share our journey and to meet up with old friends and make new connections.
Here’s to the continued growth of Offsite Construction! 🍻
