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APRIL 2023

Dear Colleagues

Welcome to 2023. It’s been a busy start to the year for everyone involved with Building 4.0 CRC.

  • We have hosted 3 events, including our Annual Showcase.
  • We’re planning an industry of tour Germany, Denmark and Sweden.
  • We welcomed a new industry partner.
  • We welcomed 2 new members of our executive team.
  • We started 4 new projects.
  • We completed 2 projects.

This activity sets the scene for another busy and productive year. I’m looking forward to it.


Best wishes from Mathew and the Team

SAVE THE DATE – ANNUAL CONFERENCE WED. 20 SEPTEMBER 2023

Annual Showcase 2023 – Showcasing the impact on industry

The Annual Showcase profiles projects that can transform Australia's property and construction industries. Thank you to all our industry partners, researchers, CRC team members and participants who attended.

  • 150 participants (almost double attendance at last year's event)
  • 18 presentations and demonstrations
  • 49 projects exhibited
  • 28 PhD posters exhibited
     

 We welcomed a new partner

Verton Cranes combines traditional lifting engineering with digital and disruptive technology, to create lifting solutions that improve both safety and productivity. Verton developed the world’s first remote-controlled load-management system, making building and construction safer, faster and smarter.

     

 We started 4 new projects

We currently have 18 active projects, launching 4 new projects since our newsletter in December:

#29 Real-time EH&S intervention to improve site safety (scoping study) – aims to improve health and safety in building and construction, through better workplace design and procedures. Partners on this project are Monash University, Lendlease Digital and the University of Melbourne.

     

#41 New materials for windows of the future (phase 2) – assesses the opportunities to apply new materials and coatings to reduce the cost of double-glazed windows, and improve the performance and ease of installation. Partners on this project are the University of Melbourne and Ultimate Windows.  
     

Light House Project #3 NCHA Independent Living Lab – aims to develop an efficient, sustainable and robust prefabricated building that also contains design features for healthy ageing. Partners on this project are Fleetwood Australia, Monash University: Urban Lab, Future Building Initiative, Design Health Collab School of Primary Allied Health Care (RAIL Lab), Monash University Buildings and Property Division, Peninsula Health Allied Health Team.
     

Light House Project #6 Malvern East Apartment Development – a pilot project in Melbourne that aims to quantify benefits of offsite construction and recommend improvements. Partners on this project are Monash University, Sumitomo Forestry Australia and the University of Melbourne.

     

 We're launching a new project with Cruxes Innovation soon

We are working with Cruxes Innovation who design and deliver experiential learning and coaching programs for researchers –  to help our industry partners and researchers increase and define the impact of our projects. We will send out the details soon about this new research project focused on cultivating impact readiness and capability for CRC researchers and theme coordinators in partnership with our industry partners.
     

We're looking for new project ideas

We're starting a new initiative to develop and diversify our research profile. 

Every quarter, we'll release an Expression of Interest (EOI), asking members of the CRC community to propose new research projects. 


We're releasing our first EOI round on 17 April, seeking project proposals focusing on cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and the digitalisation of construction. We will accept proposals from CRC researchers and industry partners. Successful projects will begin in July 2023. 


Keep an eye out for our emailed EOI invitation, which will contain further details and criteria. We look forward to your proposals!

     

We spoke with industrialised building expert Professor Jerker Lessing

Professor Jerker Lessing is Adjunct Professor at Stanford University’s Civil and Environmental Engineering Department. He’s also Director of Research and Development at Boklok, Sweden’s leading housing company within industrialised construction.


In our latest podcast, Jerker does a deep dive on industrialised building: what it is, how it’s changed over time, what is the recipe for success, why Sweden is a world leader in this area, and what other countries and companies can learn from Sweden’s experience.

     

We hosted and participated in several events

We're continuing to make the most of opportunities to come together.

Industrialized Construction Forum (7.2.23). Professor Mathew Aitcheson gave a keynote address at this Forum at Stanford University. Watch his address on 'The future of building (and how to get there ...).
     


International Women's Day (8.3.23). 

For our first International Women’s Day event, our Chair, Dr Bronwyn Evans AM, shared her reflections on career highlights and some poignant insights into what it take to become a leader.
     

Better Buildings and Better Bottom Lines (Workshop 2, 23.2.23) We held workshop 2 in Melbourne in February 2023. Two more workshops will take place in May 2023.
     

AEC Hackathon (July 2023). We are teaming up with the AEC (Architecture, Engineering, Construction) Hackathon, giving those designing, building and maintaining our built environment the opportunity to collaborate with cutting edge technologies, and their developers and designers. 
     

We welcomed new expertise

We farewelled 2 Executive Team members at the end of 2022. Thanks to Paul Stroud and Dr Tanya Tyvimaa for their valuable contributions. 


Our new Executive Team members are Professor Chris Landorf (Project Milestone and Reporting Manager) (left) and Dr Sara Omrani (Program Lead, QUT) (right).