It feels like an unavoidable law of nature that construction sites will always feel like some of the busiest and most hectic places on earth. Even when they’re being efficiently managed and streamlined as much as possible, they are a space that demands hyper-vigilance as multiple teams work in tandem. While the ultimate goal is the same, the paths that lead there tend to overlap constantly.
That’s why the construction industry is increasingly looking for ways to make elements of the construction process function remotely – and there are plenty of benefits to doing so.
Fewer Full-Time Personnel Cuts Production Costs
Meeting construction targets would be a lot simpler if money weren’t also a key concern for developers. It’s not that accomplishing large scale builds is out of the question in and of itself, but that completing those large scale builds with the number of skilled workers actually available – and pressures to strip on-site personnel down to a skeleton staff – is a recipe for delays, rework, and risk. At the same time, when there is scope for bigger teams, the UK’s ongoing skills shortage means that sites are often lacking the level of expertise needed to meet targets effectively.
Offsite methods are an excellent alternative. They ensure that expertise and skill is still available, but that developers and site managers don’t need to account for having that expertise actually on-site.
The time, tools, and cost of these workers is far better utilised as and when it is needed.
More Space for Tasks That Cannot be Moved Off-Site
Here’s an example.
Casting and curing concrete is a job that can be completed off-site – fortunately so, because it requires a significant amount of space (space which may not always be available) and time before it can be walked on, or constructed on top of. It represents a perfect use case for utilising offsite methods, since it no longer dominates the building site for weeks – thus leaving space for tasks that have to be carried out in situ.
In this example, a lengthy process can be carried out in tandem with early site prep, meaning that it’s ready as and when it is needed for the build, rather than only being able to begin at that point.
It Often Allows for Higher Quality
When tasks aren’t constantly fighting for space on site, and when factors like weather and exposure can be controlled far more effectively than they would be on site, they can often be completed to a much higher standard.
To use the example of precast concrete once again, factory conditions mean full control over temperature, moisture, and traffic, which results in a far more consistent result from the concrete itself. A precast retaining wall system can be created to fit perfectly together once it’s delivered to the site, rather than entire teams having to work against the elements, only to fall short of precision simply because the site is not a factory.
There are constant pressures on site in terms of time and space, and these pressures often result in concrete that is weaker or less durable or consistent than it ideally should be.
Removing work that can be removed, and making a smaller on-site taskforce feasible rather than ‘just barely manageable’, is the key to streamlining work sites in a way that works productively toward targets, rather than against them.
David Prior
David Prior is the editor of Today News, responsible for the overall editorial strategy. He is an NCTJ-qualified journalist with over 20 years’ experience, and is also editor of the award-winning hyperlocal news title Altrincham Today. His LinkedIn profile is here.
