Building 4.0 CRC
Better buildings, new efficiencies through technology and collaboration.
Investigators
- Professor Mathew Aitchison
- Dr Duncan Maxwell
- Dr Rachel Couper
- Dr Victor Bunster
- Dr Sarah Breen Lovett Monash Art, Design and Architecture
- Prof Tuan Ngo
- Dr Bill Humphries University of Melbourne
- Dr Robin Drogemuller Queensland University of Technology
Partner organisation
- Building 4.0 CRC comprises 30 leading players in commercial industry, university, industry bodies and government partners, including: Lendlease, Monash University, University of Melbourne, Donovan Group, BlueScope Steel, CSR, Sumitomo Forestry, Utecture Australia, Victorian Government Department of Jobs Precincts and Regions, Bentley Homes, Queensland University of Technology, A.G Coombs, Coresteel Australia, Holmesglen Institute, Salesforce, Ultimate Windows, CadMakers, Hyne Timber, M-Modular, Shapeshift Design Technologies, Amazon Web Services, Fleetwood, Gelion Technologies, Master Builders Association of Victoria, Schiavello Manufacturing, Victorian Building Authority, YNOMIA, Green Building Council of Australia, PrefabAUS, Standards Australia and Taronga Venture Advisory.
Funded by
- Department of Industry Innovation and Science
Undertaken within
Australia’s existing high-cost, low-tech building sector is an ideal target for disruption. Building 4.0 CRC will prepare the industry for this event and place Australia among world-leaders in the field.
Professor Mathew Aitchison
The building industry is central to our economy, contributing 13% of GDP and employing over 1.4 million Australians. Unlike other sectors, it has failed to modernise and is plagued by rising costs and stagnating productivity. Through deep collaboration and new technologies of the 4th industrial age, Building 4.0 CRC will catapult the industry into an efficient, connected and customer-centric future. This will deliver better buildings at lower cost and the human capacity to lead this future industry.
Construction and property have a major impact on the economy, environment and society. With the world’s urban areas increasing by 200,000 people per day, access to housing is critical. Importantly 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions are attributable to buildings.
For decades, building has been plagued by rising costs, stagnant productivity, high waste and low margins. These problems are compounded by the record demand for buildings of increasing complexity, higher performance standards, with increased customer expectations and sustainability requirements. The industry needs to meet these demands while finding new efficiencies to lower costs.
In Australia, evidence of the building sector’s shortcomings are found in the housing affordability crisis, several recent high-profile safety events, falling quality, skills shortages and the highly disproportionate levels of insolvency of the industry’s 345,000 SMEs.
Building has not kept pace with the rapid technological and organisational change of modern business and society, which has led other sectors to gains in productivity and customer satisfaction. Building’s core challenge remains the modernisation of a fragmented and adversarial industry, which has hitherto blocked the collective problem-solving approach required for change.
By taking a ‘whole-of-system’ approach, the Building 4.0 CRC aims to create an innovation ecosystem. This leverages the entire construction value chain to underpin the sector’s future prosperity and unlock opportunities for growth and productivity. This will lead to an increase in GDP share, growth in high value employment for Australians, a reduction in greenhouse gases and make better housing that is more liveable and affordable for Australians.
For more information, visit www.building4pointzero.org
