UK construction directly accounts for 10% of the country’s emissions and influences a staggering 45% of all emissions through all of the work in the sector.
Within just five years, construction related emissions and project delivery times must be halved, while construction costs are required to be reduced by a third to meet the Government and industry 2025 strategy.
The statistics are stark, but a more rapid adoption of offsite construction methods would significantly increase the likelihood of achieving the 2025 targets and move the industry quickly along the road towards the Government’s 2050 zero carbon commitment.
Offsite construction is up to 50% quicker than traditional methods. While groundworks are being completed at site, up to 90% of the building is being manufactured in a controlled environment, dramatically reducing the carbon output that comes with lengthy daily site operations.
It is possible to achieve up to 90% reductions in the waste using offsite when compared to traditional construction methods and as much as 67% less energy is required in offsite manufacture of buildings that are themselves more energy efficient.
Offsite specialist, Merit has introduced zero carbon design which ensures that it’s not just the construction process that’s green, but the building is also energy efficient for life.
A recent survey by the Electrical Contractors’ Association on offsite manufacturing showed that almost two thirds (61%) of respondents reported increased productivity, while 57% saw improved quality, 59% reduced operational costs and 43% experienced a reduction in carbon footprint.
With a public sector infrastructure plan for £37 billion in the next year alone, construction needs to quickly embed offsite construction methods into the mainstream to achieve the greener future that it aspires to.