Methodology
and deliverables
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Digitising construction for a greener future
The core innovation in this project is the development of digital infrastructure to enable a distributed network SMEs to manufacture low-carbon, validated and tested building elements with locally grown timber, with local skills.
Methodology and deliverables
The project deliverables have been developed following a codesign approach, involving industry partners and advisors in the design and prototyping of these digital systems. Fieldwork included the participation of manufacturing companies, design companies, housing organisations, and community trusts involved in the delivery of affordable housing.
Data was gathered via site visits, interviews, and workshops over a year-long stage, and supported by a state-of-the-art scoping review conducted by the University of Plymouth. The development of the Material Passport system began through initial requirements gathering, a specifications brief, and early proof-of-concepts by University of Plymouth. Open Systems Lab developed the MP and DfDMA platform web application through user stories, UI wireframing,and the design of the database and schema architecture.
See Key findings /
Potential impacts here
This digital infrastructure is composed of three core deliverables:
Deliverable 1 ––
Material Passport (MP)
A prototype data architecture and web application that documents the sustainability and manufacturing provenance of housing building blocks. This includes data on material origin, custody chain, and transport history - a “track and trace” system for building components.
Deliverable 2 ––
Design for Distributed Manufacture and Assembly Platform (DfDMA-P)
A web application designed for SME manufacturers to oversee the management and production of building components, from order to delivery, including integrated quality control checks.
Outcome 3 ––
Demonstrator case study
Both of these applications were tested and validated in the design, manufacture and assembly of a case study building: a WikiHouse timber cabin built in Dartington, Devon. A Life-Cycle Analysis of the embodied and operational carbon of the cabin was also carried out by SCS Partnership, leveraging data from SME partners and the Material Passport database to develop a comparative whole-life carbon assessment when compared with an equivalent “brick and block” building model.
It is estimated, on the basis of currently available data, that in the long term 100 manufacturing SMEs can collectively produce 1,000 houses per year. These outputs will be validated in 2 case study production ecosystems in the South West of England (Woodlab and Wessex Community Assets) and the Midlands (Maahee’s), including development feedback and evaluation cycles facilitated by actual applications of WikiHouse building blocks in housing projects. The validity and accuracy of manufacturing and quality control information will be verified through high resolution 3D scanning technology, to be bookended by a project evaluation report involving stakeholders and an advisory board composed of academics, industry leaders and housing organisations.
Meet the Team
