The UK government has announced a new partnership with the construction industry which will accelerate home-building with technology.
The country is currently facing a housing shortage, and the government has already indicated its intention to deliver 1.5m additional homes by 2022. The newly announced partnership will accelerate home-building with technology, support clean growth in the construction sector, and pursue energy efficiency strategies to reduce the environmental impact of new buildings.
According to the UK government’s figures, almost half of the country’s economy is directly reliant on the built environment and its services, meaning that higher energy efficiency and better productivity in construction could deliver a big economic – as well as environmental – impact.
What will the partnership involve?
The deal aims to deliver a £420m (~€475.5m) investment in order to transform the ways in which construction is undertaken. This will include the improvement of digital building design technologies and the development of new approaches to manufacturing – in particular, offsite manufacturing, which could cut the time it takes to construct a new building by 50%.
As well as aiming to accelerate home-building with technology, the government will contribute to this effort by bolstering employment in the construction sector, through offering 25,000 construction apprenticeships by 2020. This will also involve a £34m investment in new and innovative training methods.
How will the transformation of construction affect homeowners?
The most immediate benefit to homeowners in the new strategy is its commitment to energy efficiency, which could help to save money on bills and in turn reduce the impact of these new homes on the environment. Business and Energy Secretary Greg Clark the new partnership by explaining some of these benefits.
He said: “The construction industry is fundamental to growing our economy as we build to invest in our future. Major infrastructure projects… mean that we need a construction sector that can drive innovation, delivering homes and infrastructure quicker. As buildings account for around 30% of total emissions, we also want to ensure that we are at the global forefront in designing and building smart, energy efficient and affordable homes.”
