| | | | | | Dear Colleagues
We are very excited to soon be welcoming you all to our Inaugural Annual Conference, Change Making // Making Change. The conference is next week, in person, in Melbourne. Please RSVP as soon as possible. We've put together a stimulating day of discussions and showcases.
As you will also note, we are also happy to welcome our new colleagues to the team: Michelle, Jenny and Daniel. I hope you will track them down at the conference and introduce yourselves.
And finally, I am also delighted to announce we have launched a further 7 projects, taking our collective research effort to yet new levels. Onwards!
Best wishes from Mathew and the Team | | | | Building 4.0 Inaugural Annual Conference
| | Register here Our inaugural annual conference launches next week.
Under the theme Change Making // Making Change, we’ll explore the pressing questions facing the property and construction industries:
| | | | What are the most urgent areas for change? How can we remove the barriers to change? What does ‘change’ look like in building? What are the effectives of making change that the industry need to consider?
We’re bringing together research and industry experts and thought leaders from Australia and around the world. Check out the program. | | We’ve also organised a range of other activities that encourage questions and connections: Mixing Chamber: Lunch is an opportunity to hear from our Partners & SME demonstrators, who’ll talk about their experiences as innovators and disruptors PhD poster exhibition: Wander through the exhibition and talk to the next generation of research and industry leaders. Drinks and dinner: Join us for drinks and dinner at the end of the day.
To see the conference program, ticket prices and other key details, please visit the conference website. | | | | We've started 7 new projects | | We launched the Building 4.0 CRC 2 years ago with an ambitious research agenda. We are delivering on our promise, having already completed 17 projects. We currently have 19 projects in progress, and another 24 projects in the pipeline.
Over the past 4 months, our research teams have commenced 7 new projects that support our 4 primary themes: Sustainability, Productivity, Digitalization, and People, Practices & Culture. The Building 4.0 CRC aims to not only meet industry-led research needs for the present, but to also enable industry to meet yet unknown challenges and opportunities of the future. These forward-focused projects will collectively help us in this objective: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | #38 Victorian Government Digital Build – Translating theory into practice: This project aims to demonstrate the benefits of digitally integrated building and offsite construction in Victoria via pilot construction projects. Partners on this project are AG Coombs, BlueScope, Fleetwood Australia, Coresteel Australia, Office of Projects Victoria, Victorian Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions, Lendlease Digital, Monash University, Sumitomo Forestry Australia, SFDC Australia, Master Builders Association of Victoria, the University of Melbourne and Ynomia. | | | | | | #44 Generative Architectural Design Engine: This project aims to introduce AI-driven generative design models that can explore diverse, highly performative design alternatives. Partners on this project are Lendlease Digital and Monash University. | | | | | | | | | | #57 Wind Comfort Simulation and New Engineering Design Process: This project aims to introduce a feedback loop for improving building wind comfort design. This loop will feed operational data back into the design process. It will also examine if the loop can be extended to other design disciplines, including fire, water, thermal, occupancy, lighting, electricity and connectivity. Partners on this project are Lendlease Digital and Monash University. | | | | | | | | Building 4.0 CRC research contributes to Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry | | In January 2022, Building 4.0 CRC made a submission to the Victorian Parliament’s Inquiry into Protections within the Victorian Planning Framework. Our submission drew on the research from Project #1 (ePlanning and eApprovals – Scoping Study). The scoping study developed a roadmap for the phased design and implementation of an innovative digital platform for planning and building permits and approvals. Our aim is to remove unnecessary planning delays and costs that constrain the building and construction sector. The project addresses several issues in the inquiry’s terms of reference, specifically the high cost of housing and delivering certainty and fairness in planning decisions.
The Parliamentary Committee has now tabled its interim report on the adequacy of the Planning and Environment Act 1987 and the Victorian planning framework. You can read the report here. You can also read our submission here. | | | | | | As well as launching new projects, we’ve held several events to highlight some of our research and help build connections between researchers and industry.
| | Loops, Lattices, Systems: Circular Economy for the Building Industry (25 May 2022) | | | | Moving the building industry to a circular economy involves radically changing how we design, procure, operate and maintain our cities. What are the technical, material, financial and cultural implications for the various sectors of the building industry? What are the quick wins, and the significant challenges, facing industry actors wishing to lead in this space?
Presented by Research Director Professor Chris Knapp, this public seminar featured key exemplars and practices of this emerging paradigm shift ranging from urban systems to technical detail. Chris was joined by: Anne Beim, Professor of Architectural Technology from The Royal Danish Academy, Architecture, Design and Conservation Karl-Heinz Weiss, Head of R&D, Lendlease Digital Usha Iyer-Raniga, Professor in the School of Property and Construction Management, RMIT Robert Crawford, Professor Construction and Environmental Assessment Architecture, Building and Planning, University of Melbourne Peter Graham, Associate Professor, Department of Architecture Monash University.
| | Construction Platforms: Potentials and Pitfalls from Product to Ecosystem (22 June 2022) | | | | Platform-thinking promises to change construction in terms of product design, supply chain coordination, and business models. Dr Duncan Maxwell (Lead Researcher at Monash University, Program Coordinator of Digitisation and Director of the Future Building Initiative) led a lively discussion about the emergence of platforms in construction – from product platforms in manufacturing to digital platforms that leverage developments in the technology sector.
Duncan was joined by: Matthew Barbuto, Co-founder Ynomia Dr Ivana Kuzmanovska, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Future Building Initiative Monash University, and Building Design & DFMA Theme Coordinator Building 4.0 CRC Priya Das, Researcher Future Building Initiative, Monash University.
| | | | | | We've welcomed some new faces to the executive team. | | Daniel Rex is our new Industry Lead. He brings 20+ years of building, transforming and operating established and start-up businesses internationally, with a technology focus. For the past 5 years Daniel has been leading innovation within a property development / property investment management company. | | Michelle O’Grady is our executive assistant. She brings 20 years’ experience across the building, government, health education and not-for-profit sectors. Her previous roles include Corporate Services Manager, Business Manager, National Service Manager and Project Manager with particular interest in process improvement. | | Jenny Flynn is our communications manager. Her role with us builds on her previous experience with the CRC for Water Sensitive Cities. She has been providing freelance research, writing, editing and communications services for the past 12 years. | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
