National Precast is the peak body of the Australian precast concrete industry. Chief Executive Officer Sarah Bachmann offers updates from the Association and its members. Even before the infrastructure-led recovery out of the pandemic, the construction industry was facing a shortage of skilled workers in every state. It’s a phenomenon that has reached into the manufacturing sectors that supply construction, and that includes the precast industry.

UK specialist offsite manufacturing and construction company British Offsite completes construction of 14-storey residential tower in “just a few months”.

Proprietary building technology created by Sustainable Living Innovations (SLI) has global opportunities

Work has begun installing the high-performance building panels that form the 15-storey modular apartment building under construction in Seattle’s Belltown neighbourhood.

UK-based digital construction firm uses software platform to design, manufacture and deliver offsite constructed housing, but, it doesn’t own a factory.

Project launched in collaboration with AMGC to break down barriers to advance offsite construction.

Australia’s building codes and standards, along with the regulatory systems that apply to zoning land and approving the construction of buildings, are based on traditionally (conventionally) constructed buildings, products, practices and systems.

Autodesk, the Australian Constructors Association, Consult Australia, and the Infrastructure Sustainability Council has released a joint report to support the construction industry in reaching net zero.

The 2022-23 Budget will continue to create jobs, guarantee the essential services, and build a more secure and resilient Australia.

In a first-time collaboration, Autodesk along with Australian Constructors Association, Consult Australia and the Infrastructure Sustainability Council have released a report to support industry in accelerating a net zero future through the design and construction of the infrastructure pipeline.

Australian property tech start-up PT Blink has attracted a multi-million-dollar investment by the owners of Holland Partner Group (HPG), a major United States developer and operator of high-quality investment properties. Supporting PT Blink’s “do it and digitise it” strategy, the investment backs a partnership that will see PT Blink technology applied to HPG developments in the US as the cloud-based platform is being created.

The Victorian Health Building Authority (VHBA) has appointed modular contractors to help deliver the $492 million Mental Health Beds Expansion Program. Modscape and Grove were selected and will manufacture three new acute mental health facilities in Epping, Geelong and St Albans – totalling 98 beds.

Embodied carbon emissions in materials used in Australia’s building and construction sector are the next frontier to significantly reduce carbon emissions, according to a new report released by the CEFC.

The report, Australian buildings and infrastructure: Opportunities for cutting embodied carbon, identifies great potential in the building sector to cut emissions, finding that on average, sustainability rated infrastructure projects achieve a reduction of up to 33 per cent in embodied carbon compared to similar designs with no such measures.

The Western Parkland City Authority has lodged plans for the first building to be built in the new Western Sydney airport city of Bradfield.

Designed by Hassell, in collaboration with Daniele Hromek, Bernadette Hardy and Samantha Rich of Dijnjama, the Advanced Manufacturing Research Facility is being pitched as a “shared platform for collaboration and innovation.”

Straw buildings are invariably associated with anything from one-off owner builds through to historical digs, but its environmental credentials have followed it through the centuries; it now has new dimensions with prefabricated structural panels.

With the phrase ‘housing affordability’ acquiring increasing currency and urgency in recent years, the housing divide has never been greater.

It’s an imbalance for affordable housing that’s confronted daily in Australia, but according to Sensum, specialists in the design and delivery of MMC (modern methods of construction) buildings, implementing a clear strategy of quantitative and qualitative analysis of prefabricated housing will directly translate to improve affordability and quality of housing stock.

The WA Government’s Department of Communities is seeking registered builders to construct modular housing across the state.

Delivering on their recent State Budget commitment to build modular housing properties across Western Australia for their Modular Build Program, they’ve published a modular housing tender document via Tender WA.

A just transition to a circular economy is crucial to achieving climate goals. After all, only 55% of emissions can be tackled with renewables and energy efficiency. The remaining 45% must be addressed by changing the way we produce and consume.

The circular economy’s approach to designing, producing and consuming goods eliminates waste and regenerates nature. In short, it ensures we can live within our means and in harmony with the planet.

Samaritan House exists to help men experiencing homelessness in the Greater Geelong Region, by providing those struggling with accommodation, an evening meal and ongoing support.

The future of construction is changing. Like every industry there is the necessary drive when it comes to construction to attain higher levels of efficiency in all areas of work and reduce our carbon footprint.

Consumers are demanding action on climate change, and voting with their wallets seeking out sustainable products and green buildings—which we in the BDAA work continually to build.

Businesses, whether driven by profit or altruism or both, are motivated to meet this demand and do their bit but they are unsure how. In fact, many of the 632,000 businesses operating in the built environment (nearly 30% of all Australian business) do not have sustainable development on their business horizon—something the BDAA aims to change.