Automated construction: boosting on-site productivity using a platform-based approach

Since 2018, the UK government has been supporting a new approach to construction, called a platform approach to design for manufacture and assembly. It bridges the gap between manufacturing and construction, offering lower costs through economies of scale, reduced waste and higher productivity but retaining sufficient flexibility for architectural freedom. The approach was first developed and prototyped in the UK prison estate transformation programme, although for commercial expedience it was not implemented. This paper discusses the lessons learned from the prototypes and the opportunities for the two platforms to be applied on future programmes for prisons as well as homes, hospitals, schools and many other building types.