68 Projects

Planning and building approval processes are still largely paper (PDF) based, which make them inefficient and time-consuming, imposing significant costs on both industry and government. Industry is effectively unable to test plan compliance against planning controls and building regulations, track progress of their applications, and efficiently track compliance through construction. The long-term objective of the Building 4.0 CRC in this area is to embrace the opportunities that digital workflow and digital twin technology provide to design, develop and deliver an innovative digital platform to facilitate effective, efficient and timely planning, building permits, approvals, ongoing compliance with planning controls, building regulations and other regulatory requirements.

In this project, a roadmap was developed for the phased design and implementation of an innovative digital platform to facilitate effective, efficient, and timely planning and building permits and approvals, thereby removing unnecessary delays and costs that impose substantial constraints on the building and construction sector. This objective must be viewed in the context of what industry perceives to be a broader problem, and the projects longer-term objective that extends beyond the planning and building permit process to the whole of the building lifecycle.

Researchers on this project included: Dr Davood Shojaei, Dr Soheil Sabri, Dr Eric Windholz, Dr Alexa Gower, Prof Tuan Ngo, Prof Abbas Rajabifard, Prof Colin Duffield, A/Prof Yee-Fui Ng, Dr Neda Malekzadeh, Dr Nilupa Herath, Ms Jihye Shin, Ms Susan Wright, Mr James Moutsias, Ms Cassandra Tremblay, Ms Vania Djunaidi & Ms Nellie Sheedy-Reinhard

BIM, Building approvals, Digital transformation, Digital Twin, Permits, Planning, Validation

The construction supply chain poses challenges and risks mainly due to its unstable, highly fragmented, and geographically dispersed nature. The ability to track and trace (i.e., traceability), is becoming increasingly important as it contributes to and associates with building compliances, safety, project efficiency, and sustainability. 

Our researchers have used multiple research methods (e.g., interviews, literature review and case studies) to assess existing and emerging tracking technologies (e.g., sensors, information systems) for sectoral and issue appropriateness. This was to understand the state-of-the-art of traceability in the construction industry and key stakeholders‚ perspectives, as well as recommend future research. 

Researchers on project include: Dr Wen Li, Dr Guilherme Luz Tortorella, Prof Robin Drogemuller, Dr Aravinda Sridhara Rao, A/Prof Joseph Liu, Dr Yihai Fang, A/Prof Tim Rose, Dr Sara Omrani, Prof Alistair Barros, Prof Tuan Ngo, Mr Declan Cox, Ms Negar Adebi, Mr Noor E Karishma Shaik, Mr Siyu Chen, Mr Xin Ma & Mr Tendai Makasi.

Digitalisation, Supply Chain, Traceability

Construction practice is rooted in project-based thinking as organisations use temporary teams to create one-off products in response to unique and changeable site conditions.

As a result, product platforms have begun to emerge in construction. However, the introduction of broader, platform-based business models promises fundamental and holistic change to traditional construction.

Such business models leverage a combination of strategies in terms of product and process that require investigation, definition, critique, and adaptation for their potential use in construction.

This project investigates construction's disparate ecosystem to consolidate the broader network of actors through an examination of industry-wide business-level platforms.

Researchers on project include: Dr Duncan Maxwell, Dr Priya Das, Dr Amer Hijazi, Professor Amrik Sohal, Dr Robert Moehler, Alka Nand, Daniel Samson, Prakash Singh, Zahra Seyedghorban & Liang Chen.

Business Ecosystem, Business Model change, Digital Platforms, Platforms, Supply Chain Innovation

The objective of this project was to develop a computational framework for producing optimised design options for modular facade and floor systems, which are both structurally and thermally efficient, early in the conceptual design phase. 

Given the multi-objective criteria (both structural and energy), several designs were presented to the client in a format that allows engineers to make an informed decision on the option that meets project constraints. The time/cost efficiency of these building systems was ascertained by benchmarking them against existing case studies of building systems (facade and floor) designed using traditional manual techniques.

Researchers on the project included: Dr Tai Thai, Prof Tuan Ngo, Prof Robin Drogemuller, Dr Veronica
Garcia Hansen, Dr Wendy Miller, Dr Abdallah Ghazlan, Dr Khuong Bui, Tu Le, Tay Son Le & Islam Mashaly.

Architecture and Building Design, Computational design, Daylighting analysis, Digital Twin, Energy analysis, engineering, Modular building, Prefabrication, Structural Engineering

This project  transformed the current manual process of energy compliance checks for new residential homes by integrating existing rapid digital building software with Australia’s building regulation and performance assessment requirements.

This project developed a comprehensive workflow to take Utecture’s existing home design and costing engine and propose subsequent compliance and NatHERS energy rating assessment procedures utilising CSIRO’s Accurate engine.  

The developed road map has paved the way for designers, builders, and clients to understand the energy performance and compliance of a home whilst also having an estimate of the capital and ongoing costs in near real time during design

Researchers on this project included: Dr. Philip Christopher, Prof. Tuan Ngo,
Prof. Lu Aye, Dr. Khuong, Dr. Victor Bunster, Prof. Robin Drogemuller, Dr. Sara Omrani.

Architecture and Building Design, Building Informatics and Analysis, Cloud Computing, Database and Cloud Security, Environmental Performance, Innovation, Reality Capture, Sustainability

Accurate and timely information about construction processes is essential to provide greater visibility and understanding of project progress and therefore deliver the projects on time and on budget.

This project has made significant advances in the knowledge and practice of acquiring and managing real-time operation data. More specific objectives include:
1) understanding how passive data collection can improve the management and coordination of on-site activities
2) analysing state-of-the-art in sensing and analytics technologies
3) conducting field tests to assess and validate the key assumptions underlying an implementation roadmap.

Researchers on this project included: Dr Yihai Fang, A/Prof Mehrdad Arashpour, Dr Robert Moehler, Dr Duncan Maxwell, Dr Ivana Kuzmanovska, Dr Ali Rashidi, A/Prof Kourosh Khoshelham, Dr Aravinda S. Rao, Prof Tuan Ngo & Prof Robin Drogemuller.

Data Management, Innovation, Internet of Things, Sensor Technology

This project seeked to design a high-performance wall system exceeding the performance of a 7-star dwelling, with window systems that can be manufactured in two weeks and wall systems that can assembled on-site  (lockup stage) in four weeks, and can be manufactured, delivered and installed in a cost-effective manner. 

The initial phase consisted of a technology review and scoping exercise that  lead a detailed design phase and a manufacturing systems design phase.

Researchers on this project included: A/Prof. Felix Kin Peng Hui, Prof. Tuan Ngo Prof. Lu Aye,
A/Prof. Tai Thai, Dr Philip Christopher, Dr Harry Khuong Bui, Dr Wasim Muhammad, Dr Ivana Kuzmanovska, Dr Duncan Maxwell, Dr Victor Bunster,  Dr Alexandra McRobert 

This 6-month research project aimed to understand: the current state of Lean and Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DFMA) knowledge within construction; their degree of implementation in both the local construction industry and abroad; and the implementation challenges that need to be addressed if we are to see broader uptake.

To address these points, the project team conducted a literature review, a case study of a local construction project, and a survey of leading local and international companies who have adopted DfMA and/or Lean practices. The findings were synthesised into a self-assessment tool and implementation roadmap concept aimed at individual companies hoping to adopt Lean and DfMA practices.

Researchers on the project included: Dr Ivana Kuzmanovska: Dr Rachel Couper, Dr Tharaka De Vass, Dr
Felix Hui, Dr Duncan Maxwell, Dr Robert Moehler, Prof Tuan Ngo, Achini Peiris, Dr Gao Shang, Prof Amrik Sohal, Rebecca Williams, Yiqin (Iris) Yu & Darcy Zelenko.

DfMA, Lean

Product platforms seek to standardise products, processes, company knowledge, and supply chain to drive efficiency, unlock design variability, and enable continual improvement in response to market conditions.

This project sought to define a framework and roadmap for the future development of a product platform specific to the context and the needs of our industry partner: a large Australian volumetric construction company.

The research involved: the investigation of best practice case studies; value stream mapping of our industry partners existing design, manufacture, and assembly systems; and identification of pain points‚ in the value stream and opportunities for commonality of parts and processes.

Researchers on the project included: Dr Duncan Maxwell & Dr Ivana Kuzmanovska

Monash Future Building Initiative

DfMA, Industrialised Building, Prefabrication, Product Platform, Volumetric construction

There is a growing need for environmental credentials to support B2B and B2C communication in the building industry. Solutions based on the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology are the most comprehensive, covering all the stages of the building's lifecycle – from extraction of raw materials to their end-of-life stages.

Despite the potential efficiencies of loosely-coupled supply chains, distributed decision making, and increased levels of digitalisation, there are no readily available methods to systematically assess the environmental impacts of building technology platforms.

This project is developing an ISO-compliant LCA framework to quantify and communicate these impacts using the uTecture and Airbuildr platforms as cases.

Researchers on the project include: Dr Victor Bunster, Dr Duncan Maxwell, Santiago Muñoz-Vela,
Fernando Pavez, Yussra Rashed, Seongwon Seo & Edan Weis.

Environmental Performance, LCA, Life Cycle Analysis, Net Zero Emissions, Platforms

Australia's Vocational Education Training sector has a critical role in preparing or updating current or future employees with job-related skills required in the workforce. The construction industry is highly regulated by VET programs that provide licensing requirements to many construction occupations. The number of VET-related occupations is expected to increase in the coming years, driven by a growing demand for skilled workers due to construction projects.

These requirements imply significant pressures to update the training delivery approaches in the construction VET system. Findings for this project were obtained from a literature review, market survey and a Delphi method as a research approach, which were selected to propose a decision making process to determine appropriate XR technology for specific skill training in the construction industry.

This study proposes the most significant factors that VET educational providers should consider when selecting XR technologies to be implemented in VET training programs. Likewise, this study presents a workflow process for translating conventional vocational skill training into XR-based (VR/AR/MR) learning environments.

Researchers on the project included: Dr Ali Rashidi (Project Lead), Dr Duncan Maxwell, Associate Prof Mehrdad Arashpour Dr Yihai Fang, Dr Barrett Ens, Prof Robin Drogemuller, Dr Leo Rezayan & Dr Fiona Lamari.

3D Visualisation and Modelling, Augmented Reality, Capability Development, Digital Twins, Extended Reality, Health & Safety, Human Resources, Industrialised Construction, Innovation, Mixed Reality, Reality Capture, Virtual Reality, Workforce Management

This project aims to optimise parts of the Australian sawn timber processing sector, so it can adapt to changes in market demand and material characteristics in ways that align with the future timber-based construction. The project is a review and scoping exercise to find ways of using the whole tree more effectively, while adding value to the built environment. The aim is to propose avenues of research that will address timber supply and provide manufacturing and structural design solutions to build a more resilient industry.

Researchers on the project include: Dr Benoit Belleville, Dr Wen Li, Dr Alireza A. Chiniforush,
Prof Tuan Ngo, Prof Barbara Ozarska, Prof Rod Keenan, Mr Richard Nero & Mr Johannes Fehrmann.

UoM Sustainable and Renewable Forest Products Group

Advanced Manufacturing, Engineered Wood Products, Plantation Resource, Sawn timber, Supply Chain

The Australian construction industry has faced severe challenges over the past few years. Spiralling costs of building materials and construction have made housing less affordable.

Productivity, sustainability, health and well-being, and safety imperatives together with the market-wide expectation for high-quality design have further challenged traditional construction.

This project developed a roadmap for Smart Prefab and Industry 4.0 for the Australian building industry.  This was developed through a thorough review of world best practice and industry 4.0 principles coupled with a series of workshops with industry leaders in construction in Australia to better understand opportunities and barriers facing them

Researchers on project included: Dr Philip Christopher, Dr Siddhesh Godbole, Dr Aravinda Rao,
Dr Francisca Rodriguez Leonard, Dr Sahar Soltani, Dr Ali Rashidi, Prof Tuan Ngo & Dr Duncan Maxwell.

Advanced Manufacturing, Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Reality, Australian Building Industry, Digital Engineering, Industry 4.0, Internet of Things, Robotics, Smart Prefab, Virtual Reality

CRC#18 addresses the lack of data-informed product evaluation methods in construction, through the benchmarking of nine long-span, low carbon floor systems.

The key outcomes of the research point towards a logic and workflow that could be applied to any productised building element, involving:

• product mapping according to material and element type
• visualisation of high level benchmarking findings for use during early building design
• synthesis of detailed benchmarking findings to enable transparent discussion of decision priorities
  
  This framework can be used as the basis for: further product benchmarking; evaluation and selection of most suitable products given an explicit set of selection priorities; and future product design development.

Researchers on the project included: Ivana Kuzmanovska: Mizan Ahmed, Mehrdad Arashpour,
Victor Bunster, Victor Chang, Lariza de Guzman, Tom Heath, Enzo Lara-Hamilton, Duncan Maxwell, Declan Murphy, Sejuti Saha, Angela Solarte, Jenny Zhou, Stephen Go, Felix Hui, Wen Li, Richard Nero, Tuan Ngo, Tuan Nguyen, Tai Thai & Muhammad Wasim.

Architecture and Building Design, DfMA, engineering, Environmental Performance, Industrialised Construction, Prefabrication, Sustainability

Mid-to-high-rise buildings in Australia are mainly constructed using reinforced concrete structures and have large carbon footprints.

Advanced manufacturing of engineered timber products, such as CLT and Glulam, as well as cold formed steel/high strength steel, with high strength-to-weight ratio, have paved the way for construction of those buildings, using hybrid timber-steel structural systems with a reduced carbon footprint.

Lightweight hybrid timber-steel systems may also enable a reduction in construction cost and time by allowing a DfMA approach to be taken to design and construction, and allowing the manufacturing of building components offsite.

Despite the potential of hybrid structures, and unlike North America and Europe, the high-rise building market in Australia is still dominated by concrete structures, and the use of steel and timber has made few in-roads into this market.

This project reviewed developments in hybrid timber-steel buildings to identify the barriers to the take-up of this technology in Australia, with a focus on medium and high-rise buildings.

Researchers on this project included: Assoc. Prof Amin Heidarpour, Prof Tuan Ngo,  Dr Craig Cowled, Dr Rackel San Nicolas, Mohammad Amin Farmani, Ali Shahin, Alireza Akbarzadeh Chiniforush.

Image credit: 547 Ann Street Fortitude Valley, QLD, Fulton Trotter Architects, Bligh Tanner and Kane Construction. CLT supplied by Xlam.

design for manufacturing and assembly, DfMA, hybrid steel-timber structures, Steel structures, timber structures

Unlike hot-rolled steel buildings, where the robustness requirement can be easily met with the use of bolted or welded joining methods with high tensile resistance for connecting structural members, the connections in LGS buildings are made in the form of screws and rivets with low tensile resistance, and thus they are usually vulnerable to progressive failure.

This project developed cost-effective systems and design methods to achieve suitable robustness in LGS buildings. The success of this study promotes the practical application of LGS to mid-rise construction markets.

Researchers on this project included: Prof Tuan Ngo, Prof Nelson Lam, A/Prof Tai Thai, Dr Tuan Nguyen, Mr Chris Mathwin, A/Prof Amin Heidarpour, Dr Mizan Ahmed.

Architecture and Building Design, engineering, Innovation, Materials, Steel structures

The construction industry is moving towards more industrialised practices, including offsite manufacturing of building components. However, current regulatory practices are not well suited to accommodate these industrialised practices. This project aims to build on previous work and propose reform to recognise industrialised building practices. It seeks to address two main questions: how to improve current regulations to accommodate various industrialised practices and how to "future proof" the reform for upcoming innovations. This will be done by reviewing current regulations, proposing standardised certification processes, considering new technologies and ensuring the proposed reform remains relevant in the face of future changes. 

Project team: Sara Rashidian, Dr Brydon Wang, Prof. Robin Drogemuller, Assoc. Prof. Timothy Rose, Selnina Mayer

Building approvals, Construction Management, Industrialised Building, Industrialised Construction, Regulation and policy

Light gauge steel (LGS) offers significant advantages over other materials including lightweight, quicker construction times, non-combustibility and resistance to rotting, shrinking, warping and termite attack.

Today, it is not clearly understood which tools and inputs should be considered at the early planning phase in order for an LGS solution to be considered a viable structural construction alternative to timber, steel and other structural systems, particularly in mid-rise building applications.

The project developed computational design and optimisation tools for generating LGS building systems with excellent structural/fire performance that was benchmarked against an existing project that has employed traditional methods to quantify time and cost savings.

Researchers on this project included: Dr Abdallah Ghazlan, Dr Tu Le, Dr Yousef Alqaryouti,
Dr Muhammad Wasim, Dr Sara Omrani, Dr Tai Thai, A/ Prof Hafizah Ramli Sulong, Prof Tuan Ngo, Prof Nelson Lam & Prof Robin Drogemuller.

Automation Workflow, Computational design, Light-gauge steel structures

Traditional construction practices in Australia have been criticised for their focus on the reduction of upfront construction costs at the expense of quality, performance and flexibility.

Current and emerging prefabrication processes could provide the efficiency and quality of construction to the traditional built-to-sell market, however by incorporating the possibilities to cater for the recently developing built-to-rent sector is considered to drive it even stronger.

This is because Build-to-rent shifts the housing profit model from capital gains to one based on ongoing rental income, with viability tied to minimising ongoing expenditure.

This scoping study examined the intersection of these assets and prefabrication processes, to identify opportunities for the housing and construction sector to reduce ongoing greenhouse gas emissions and increase the quality of stock.

Researchers on this project included: Dr Tanja Tyvimaa: Dr Alysia Bennett, Dr Judy Matthews, Dr Duncan Maxwell, Declan Murphy, Dr Francisca Rodriguez Leonard, Daniela Tinios, Dr Kirsty Volz, Rebecca Williams.

Housing, Prefabrication

This project will investigate the fire resistance behavior of light gauge steel (LGS) floor ceiling systems made of high strength lipped channel sections and truss configurations. It will use small-scale and full-scale fire tests and advanced numerical modelling. It will consider the commonly used sub-floor and ceiling materials, investigate the mechanical properties of floor and ceiling materials and associated connections at ambient and elevated temperatures, and study their effects on the fire resistance levels (FRLs) including those of board fall-off. It will develop FRL tables and spreadsheet-based design tools for all the selected LGS floor configurations for inclusion in fire design handbooks.

Light gauge steel (LGS) offers significant advantages over other construction materials such as easy to install and resistant to rotting, shrinking and termite attack. However, the structural robustness to resist progressive collapse under localised damage due to accidental loads is a critical concern in LGS systems. This is particularly the case given the connections in LGS buildings are usually made via screws and rivets with low tying resistance.

This project will develop cost-effective structural solutions for robustness of LGS structures to promote their applications in mid-rise construction markets such as offices, apartments, hotels, hospitals, student accommodation and aged care facilities.

Researchers on project include: Prof. Mahen Mahendran, Dr Anthony Ariyanayagam, Mr Fatheen Hisham, & Mr Gihan Ranasinghe. Prof Tuan Ngo, Prof Nelson Lam, A/Prof Tai Thai, Dr Tuan Nguyen, Mr Chris Mathwin, Mr Trac Nguyen.

In the manufacturing of modules off-site, steel fabrication often comes with many challenges, including supply chain reliability and clarity, the need for efficient production at both the steel producer and the modular builder end, and the flexibility for customisation.

This project looked for new methods of efficient production and new ways of collaborating in the steel fabrication supply chain from different perspectives such as monitoring, sustainability performance, efficient product platforms, innovative manufacturing techniques, transport and logistics and efficient communications.

Phase 1 of this project was a scoping exercise to review the current state of the market and a comprehensive technology review.

Researchers on this project included: A/Prof. Felix Kin Peng Hui, Prof. Daniel Samson, Prof. Prakash Singh,
A/Prof. Sherah Kurnia, Dr Guilherme Tortorella, Prof Tuan Ngo, Dr Siddhesh Godbole, Mr Omar Castrejon, Dr Robert Moehler, Dr Jenny Zhou & Dr Mizan Ahmed.

Data interoperability, Product Platform, Steel structures, Supplier relationships, Supply Chain

Double-glazed windows are a norm in many countries across Europe, Asia and North America due to their effective reduction of heat loss (~30%) compared to single -glazed windows.

However, in Australia, only 10% (approx.) of current window installations are double-glazed. This is in part owing to the temperate climate across many parts of Australia, but equally the high cost of double glazing. Material science has made rapid progress over the last two decades resulting in the development of many new advanced materials and coatings.

This project focussed on providing a critical assessment of the opportunities to apply new materials and coatings to reduce the cost, and improve the performance and ease of installation of double-glazed windows.

Researchers on this project included: Prof Jacek Jasieniak, Dr Jing Gong.

Building Transformation, Coatings, Double Glazed Windows, Energy Efficency, Polymers

There is a growing demand for reliable methods to rapidly assess and compare the environmental impacts of alternative building solutions. Approaches based on the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology are most commonly recognised by industry and academia; however, producing accurate results under this framework requires highly specialised skills and research effort that prevents their ready incorporation into the design of most buildings.

The main objective of this project is to generate a knowledge base to inform the development of decision-support systems, supporting environmentally efficient building design.

Researchers on project include: Victor Bunster, Victor Chang, Maxwell Chng, Peter Graham,
Santiago Muñoz-Vela, Safoura Salehi, Jenny Zhou, Lu Aye, Khuong Bui, Philip Christopher, Tuan Ngo & Thais Goncalves-Sartori.

Decision Support, LCA, Steel structures, Sustainability

Internal wall systems continue to rely on labour intensive and wasteful on-site processing despite advances in prefabrication and other aspects of multi-residential construction. Described performance requirements rely heavily on craftsmanship and supervision ‚when these fail, significant and costly legacy issues arise. 

Through a design-led, systems-thinking approach, this project explored componentised and connected internal wall alternatives, ranging from the improvement of BAU construction to the separation of performance core and surface, to plug-n-play installation. 

The investigation revealed a series of design principles for costing legacy and life-time value, allowing services and performance-based criteria to be integrated in a controlled, off-site environment.

Researchers on this project included: Dr Laura Harper, Dr Lee-Anne Khor, Dr Duncan Maxwell, Dr Ivana
Kuzmanovska, Dr Victor Bunster, Jean-Paul Rollo, Daniela Tinios, Prof. Tuan Ngo, Dr Yousef Alqaryouti & Dr Xuemei Liu.

Advanced Manufacturing, Architecture and Building Design, Building Operations, Business Processes, Circular Economy, Facility Management, Industrialised Construction, Materials, Prefabrication, Workforce Management

Human error is the largest contributor to onsite accidents in the construction industry, but can be reduced through improvements to workplace design and procedures. 

Through an examination of current practices, this project aims to identify existing relationships between variables such as worker behaviour and sentiment, site activities, and workplace incidents, from which we can uncover actionable insights to mitigate safety risks. 

An inspection of practices from industries with a proven safety record and a survey of novel technologies will reveal potential opportunities for detection and intervention of risks, including the application of digital twins for evaluating proposed changes to design and procedures.

Researchers on this project include: Dr Pari Delir Haghighi, Prof. Tim Dwyer, Dr Hamid Rezatofighi, Dr Teresa Wang, Dr Benjamin Tag, Prof. Tuan Ngo, Dr Tuan Nguyen, Prof. Rajkumar Buyya. 

Artificial Intelligence, computer vision, Construction Safety, Digital Twins, EH&S, Immersive Analytics, IOT, Site Monitoring, Site Safety, Worker Mood Monitoring

The critical path coordinates and supports construction planning and execution, and defines the prioritisation and interdependence of tasks.

The resulting build program establishes a timeline, informed by the production modes, plans and management practices.

New building production systems and planning arrangements have only partially resulted in achieving the construction phase productivity gains and performance improvements promised by their introduction.

This project examined the roadblocks to effective impact on transforming construction programs, and established the context and conditions of future project timelines.

Researchers on this project included: Dr Robert Moehler, Dr Felix Hui, Prof Tuan Ngo, A/Prof Lihai Zhang,
Dr Siddhesh Godbole, Dr Nicolas Diban, Dr Duncan Maxwell, Dr Ivana Kuzmanovska, Dr Yihai Fang, Becky Williams, Osama Hussain, Songbo Hu, Yimin Li & Kaveh Mirzaei.

Critical Path Analysis, Dynamic Scheduling, Impact, Integration, Product approach, Project Anatomy

The potential benefits of volumetric construction include faster builds, improved quality, and reduction in waste.

However, increased transportation costs, structural redundancy, and increased overheads can dilute these benefits, limiting their uptake. Within the Australian construction industry, the bathroom pod is one of the few volumetric assemblies that has become commonplace, and considered an acceptable method of delivering bathrooms in multi-storey buildings.

However, the degree to which manufacturing methodologies have been adopted in the design and delivery of bathroom pods varies.

This project unpicks the complexities of a volumetric construction through the lens of the bathroom pod, examining business models, design approaches, and production strategies.

Researchers on project include: Dr Ivana Kuzmanovska: Dr Lu Aye, Marcel Gono, Dr Felix Hui,
Mohaimeen Islam, Dr Lee-Anne Khor, Enzo Lara-Hamilton, Yimin Li, Dr Xuemei Liu, Dr Duncan Maxwell, Dr Robert Moehler, Prof Tuan Ngo, Mark Romei, Karen Tanfield, Dr Tanja Tyvimaa, Prof Clevo
Wilson & Darcy Zelenko.

Bathroom pods, design for manufacturing and assembly, DfMA, Modular construction, Productisation, Volumetric construction

The project aims to develop a robust method for predicting the acoustic flanking performance of floor and wall systems in mid-rise LGS buildings. The resulting design recommendations will give the building community confidence about how to reliably design and construct LGS buildings.

Researchers on this project include: Assoc Prof Amin Heidarpour, Prof. Tuan Ngo, Prof Lu Aye, Dr Bernard Gibson.

Acoustic, Australian Building Industry, Computational design, DfMA, Digital Engineering, engineering, Flanking, Impact, Light-gauge steel structures, Steel structures, Validation

Remote building inspections are expected to reduce the time and travel needs required by traditional in-person inspections while maintaining (or enhancing) the integrity and rigor of the inspection process and outcome. However, the effectiveness and suitability of technologies for remote building inspections are not fully understood and rigorously evaluated.

This project aims to:
1) review best remote inspection practices
2) evaluate digital technologies for remote building inspections
3) develop a guideline for the effective implementation of suitable technologies for remote building inspections.

Outcomes from this project are expected to guide the implementation of technologies and workflows for remote building inspection.  

Researchers on project include: Dr Yihai Fang, Eric Windholz, Kourosh Khoshelham, Tuan Ngo, Tanghan
Jiang, Jimmy Weng & Sajjad Einizinab.

Digital technology, Regulation and policy, Remote building inspection

Light Gauge Steel (LGS) structures have great advantages in terms of lower weight, easier to transport, minimum construction wastes and shorter construction time.

Although the resistance of various light gauge systems, including floor and wall systems, under different loading cases has been widely recognised and tested, there is very limited information on the acoustic flanking performance of LGS structures.

This scoping study lays the groundwork for developing a robust methodology for assessing the acoustic flanking performance of LGS buildings.

Researchers on this project included: Assoc Prof Amin Heidarpour, Prof. Tuan Ngo, Prof Lu Aye, Dr Bernard Gibson.

Acoustic, Flanking, Light-gauge steel structures, Steel structures, Sustainability

This study investigated the potential for prefabrication and advanced manufacture to be an alternative to traditional construction in providing both short-term and long-term housing solutions for those affected by bushfires and other disasters.

The research led to understanding the complexities and barriers to designing, manufacturing and installing prefabricated modular homes and units to bushfire impacted regions around the country.

Researchers on this project included: Prof Mel Dodd, Prof Nigel Bertram, Dr Duncan Maxwell, Dr Rachel
Couper, Dr Lee-Anne Khor, Dr Angela Solarte, Oscar Sainsbury, Prof Tuan Ngo, Dr Philip Christopher & Tu Le.

Bushfire, Disaster relief, Prefabrication

The report Closing the performance gap in Australia's commercial office sector (produced by Building 4.0 CRC and the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA)) showed modelled energy performance of Green Star certified buildings is being achieved in operation, as demonstrated by NABERS energy ratings. The GBCA aims to further validate and extend this research through an academically peer-reviewed publication.

This project involves undertaking research to understand the outcomes of the Closing the performance gap report in the context of international contemporary academic studies and literature.

Researchers on this project include: Dr Victor Bunster, Dr Thais Gonçalves-Sartori, Dr Duncan Maxwell.

Energy analysis, Energy Efficency, Environmental Performance, low-carbon, Regulation and policy, Sustainability

The Australian timber industry generates significant quantities of low-grade by-products, in the form of chips and sawdust, through the manufacturing of sawn and mass timber products. Most problematic among these are the H2 and H3 treated products that are not currently re-purposed into other products.

In addition to this timber waste stream, there are large amounts of other low-to-no value feedstock such as bark (currently exceeding 400,000 tonnes annually), single use timber pallets and other non-timber waste streams such as shredded plastic fibres. These by-products have the potential to be manufactured into higher value fibre insulation products for the Australian market. Currently, such products are not manufactured in Australia with importers servicing the market instead.

This presents a potential opportunity to divert considerable quantities of waste from landfill to produce a high performance, locally made, low carbon, natural fibre insulation product for the domestic and commercial building industry in Australia.

This project was a scoping study which assessed the techno-economic feasibility and opportunities associated with the creation of a timber fibre insulation manufacturing facility in Australia.

Researchers on project included: Dr Philip Christopher, Dr Benoit Belleville, Dr Neda Nematollahi,
Dr Lu Aye & Prof Tuan Ngo.

Australian Timber, Circular Economy, low-carbon, Manufacturing, Materials, re-cycle, re-use, recycling, Sustainable Building Materials, Timber Fibre, timber structures

This cross-sector collaboration aims to address the gap between theory and practice to facilitate greater uptake of digitally integrated building and offsite construction in Victoria. Three tranches of research will be used to build Victoria-specific evidence about digital building projects, practices and environments:

1) off-site and modular construction hubs
2) benefits of digital build
3) project applicability decision making framework.

Building on our partners’ expertise and project data, this project will integrate spatial, economic and socio-technical research to align government and industry imperatives for establishing and sustaining a robust, digitally integrated building industry in Victoria.

Researchers include: Prof Diego Ramirez-Lovering, Dr Lee-Anne Khor, Dr Duncan Maxwell, Dr Sahar Soltani, Dr Duncan Maxwell, Dr Laura Harper, Dr Ivana Kuzmanovska, A/Prof Lionel Frost, A/Prof Seamus OHanlon, Dr Claudio Labanca, A/Prof Gillian Oliver, Dr Abdallah Ghazlan, Dr Misita Anwar, Dr Caddie Gao, Prof Tuan Ngo, Dr Behzad Rismanchi, A/Prof Kourosh Khoshelham, A/Prof Tai Thai, Dr Lisa Kruesi, Dr Jocelyn Cranefield, Dr Siddhesh Godbole, Prof Tuan Ngo, Prof Nelson Lam, Dr Rackel San Nicolas & Dr Xuemei Liu.

DfMA, Digital Twin, Product Platform

Building 4.0 was commissioned by the AMGC in collaboration with prefabAUS to research, workshop and develop a report for the future of the building industry in Australia, with a primary focus on Business Model Innovation. Workshops were conducted in four Australian cities—Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane—with participation from all stakeholders in the building value chain, such as architects, engineers, consultants, contractors, governmental bodies, digital platform providers, and client body representatives. The cumulative participant count for the workshops was around 90. Through these one-of-a-kind workshops, concrete data was gathered for the first time on how participants in the industry value chain perceive such issues as business model innovation; changes to the structure of the building value chain; the positioning of their existing businesses within the value chain; operating models; and the adaptations required to embrace new ways of working. The final report is focused on presenting the platform ecosystem business model as an exemplar of business model innovation in the building industry and evaluating the desirability of such a business model. The report also outlines key recommendations for government, industry, peak industry bodies and academia. 

Project Lead: Claire O'Leary / Prof. Mathew Aitchison
Project Team: Prof. Chris Knapp, Dr. Duncan Maxwell, Dr. Priya Das, Dr. Siddhesh Godbole.

Workshop Participant Companies:
A.G. Coombs, AECOM, Amazon Web Services, Apex Wiring Solutions, Archistar, Artibus Innovation, AssetsLogics, AterlierTen, Aurecon Australia Pty Ltd, Bentley Homes, Bliss & Reels, Bluescope Steel, Bond University, Bryden Wood, Case Meallin, CNC Design Pty Ltd, Computational Design Lead, CPO Architects, Cross Laminated Offsite Solutions, Daryl Patterson P/L, DAS Studio, DB Architects, DCCEEW Energy Division, Department of Jobs Skills Industry and Regions, Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions, Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions, Donovan Group, DSDILGP (Department of State Development, Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning), Dynamic Steel Frame, Erilyan Pty Ltd, FAST FIX ARCHITECTURAL BUILDING SYSTEMS, Fleetwood, FormFlow, Future Map - Swinburne University, Gensler, Green Building Council of Australia, Grove Aust Pty. Ltd., Hansen Yucken, Hatch | Urban Solutions, Lendlease Digital, LIGHTWAVE Architecture, Mace, Master Builders, NSW Gov, Office of the Qld Government Architect, Populous, prefabAUS, Property Council of Australia, PT Blink, QUT, Simpel, SMEC, Taronga Ventures, Tech Central Alliance, The University of Queensland, Tribe Studio, University of Sydney, UTS - Design, Architecture and Building, Viridi Group, Weiss Insights, Xpede Pty Ltd

Monash Future Building Initiative

Business Ecosystem, Business Model change, Business Processes, Product approach, Product Platform, Productisation

Double-glazed windows are a norm in many countries across Europe, Asia and North America due to their effective reduction of heat loss (-30%) compared to single -glazed windows.

However, in Australia, only 10% (approx.) of current window installations are double-glazed. This is in part owing to the temperate climate across many parts of Australia, but equally the high cost of double glazing. Material science has made rapid progress over the last two decades resulting in the development of many new advanced materials and coatings. 

This project focussed on providing a critical assessment of the opportunities to apply new materials and coatings to reduce the cost, and improve the performance and ease of installation of double-glazed windows.

Image credit: Ultimate Windows

Researchers on this project include: Dr Greg Qiao, Tye Spierings, Daniel Lowden, Zak Ruitenberg, 
Carl Neilson,  Prof. Tuan Ngo, Joel Scofield

Windows

Volume builders are facing several challenges associated with the manual design of domestic homes where computational design automation can yield advantages, including many variations between house designs, regular design changes according to client requirements, time, resources and turnaround for each tender (cost estimation, drawings, material estimation and so on).

An integrated and automated process would bring all stakeholders together at the conceptual design phase to achieve a more integrated solution.

The project is focusing on reviewing currently available software and design workflows to propose a cutting-edge workflow for the automation of the residential home design process.

Researchers include: Dr Tu Le, Ben Huynh, Dr Khuong Bui (Harry), Dr Tuan Nguyen, Prof
Tuan Ngo, Dr Sara Rashidian, Fereshteh Banakar & Prof Robin Drogemuller.

Automation Workflow, BIM, BIM-integrated detailing, Generative Design, Home Design

Advancements in machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) models that produce graphics have dominated the discussion around computational creativity for the past 5 years.

Generative neural networks, like DALLE-2 and Midjourney, can render remarkably detailed, intricate and convincing images, to the point where they can be perceived as 'creative work'. This project aims to leverage these advancements to support creative processes in a more complex field: architectural design.

Using a combination of qualitative methods and advanced ML and AI models, our goal is to develop and implement prototypical digital tools, capable of 'proposing' multiple viable architectural design drafts, based on design value and performance. They will be used as a starting point for designers to build upon.

Researchers include: Dr Camilo Cruz Gambardella, Prof Jianfei Cai, Prof Shane Murray, Prof Dinh Phung, Prof Jon McCormack, Prof Mel Dodd & Dr Duncan Maxwell.

Computational Creativity, digital design, Generative Design

There currently exists significant logistical and material shortage challenges in the residential home construction market. This coupled with a highly competitive environment has translated into most builders focusing on price of delivery, assuming this is the most important aspect to consumers. Builders are also subject to increasing risk with greater supply chain, labour and material shortages hindering the on time and on budget delivery of homes.

This project tackles this problem through a two-prong approach (1) leveraging of existing work building a demonstration home that utilises a prefabricated wall system that delivers greater energy performance and lower supply chain risk with an integrated system and (2) to better understand the values of home buyers and the role that cost, energy performance and quality play in their decision making.

This project will see the materialisation of the high-performance wall system in the construction of demonstration home in Melbourne, showcasing constructability, performance and the aesthetics of the system.

Researchers include: Dr Philip Christopher, Prof Tuan Ngo, A/Prof Felix Hui, Dr Tu Le, Dr
Khuong Bui & Dr Lu Aye.

Prefabrication, Sustainability

The ongoing digitalisation of manufacturing companies enables new potential for optimisation of their processes. With a growing number of sensors implemented in manufacturing systems such as modern large sawmills, a huge volume of data is generated. This data is an important resource to maintain competitiveness.

This project used data analytics approaches to investigate relationships in the production database provided by Hyne Timber. We considered data at 3 different stages of the sawmilling process: the log merchandiser, the green mill, and the dry mill. We also considered how to link data across the various stages.

To develop predictive capabilities of key wood properties, we implemented 2 different machine learning models, and these approaches show promise. This scoping study uncovered a number of possible avenues for future investigations.

Researchers include: Dr Steven Psaltis, Dr Xiaoyu Wang, Prof Ian Turner & Rebecca Cherry.

Data Analytics, Machine Learning

The Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade) commissioned Building 4.0 CRC to profile Australia’s emerging building and construction technology capabilities, ecosystems and research strengths. As part of this research, Building 4.0 CRC conducted a mixture of desktop research, surveys and recorded interviews with 16 industry and ecosystem organisations, 11 research organisations, and 43 building and construction technology companies over a period of eight weeks. The final report contains a mixture of empirical data and bespoke insights to form a holistic overview of the national landscape. The 'Future Building Technologies and Solutions' report is now used as an internal tool for Austrade's international direct investment initiatives, highlighting Australia's national capabilities for the sector along with shaping their international direct investment campaigns. 

Project Lead: Isaac Coonan & Claire O'Leary

Contributors & Featured Organisations: 3DB, Archistar, Build-Apps, Fologram, Hindsite, Immersiv, Mastt, Matrak, ProcurePro, SimPro, SPACECUBE, Trendspek, Verton, Veyor, Allume Energy, Boom!, Calumino, Cognian, Exergenics, Ground Floor, Outbound, PAM Wayfinding, Propella.ai, Space Platform, UbiPark, Valte, Happy Co, Inndox, Little Hinges, Spacetoco, Third Place, Work Club Global, Patch, Openn, AsBuilt, Bridgit, Prop App, QFlow, Utecture, Forbury, Bond University, Holmesglen, University of Technology Queensland, University of Melbourne, Queensland University of Technology, Monash University, University of Queensland, Green Building Council of Australia, Bentley Homes, Bluescope Steel, Coresteel Buildings, Real Tech X, Fleetwood Australia, Greater Springfield, Hyne Timber, Lendlease, PieLab, Sumitomo Forestry, Proptech Association Australia, Ultimate Windows, Taronga Group, Viridi Group, The Australian Proptech Industry Map (APIM) 

Advanced Manufacturing, Architecture and Building Design, Augmented Reality, Automation Workflow, Computational Creativity, Computational design, Decision Support, digital design, Digital Platforms, Extended Reality, Facility Management, Health & Safety, Machine Learning, Mixed Reality, Virtual Reality, Visualisation

With C&D materials accounting for 44% of all waste generated in Australia and the building sector’s energy consumption and CO2 emissions at a record high, the move to a circular economy presents a significant opportunity for positive change. Given the complex socio-political and economic factors at play, and the potentially competing needs of key stakeholders, this scoping study will form a solid foundation on which to plan the necessary steps and actions to enable the transition to a circular economy. Study findings and the resulting roadmap will be widely disseminated to study participants, industry stakeholders and government to catalyse meaningful action. 

Researchers on this project include: Professor Leonie Barner (Project Lead), Dr Judith Herbst, Dr Melissa Teo, Senior Lecturer, Associate Professor Mirko Guaralda, Professor Tim Schork, Dr Sara Omrani, Associate Prof. Peter Graham, Dr Victor Bunster, Dr Duncan Maxwell, Prof. Amrik Sohal, Fernando Pavez Souper, Dr Phil Christopher, Prof Lu Aye, Prof Robert Crawford & Ali Pakdel.

QUT Centre for a Waste Free World

Building Life Cycle Assessment, Building Transformation, Circular Economy, Energy analysis, Energy Efficency, Life Cycle Analysis, low-carbon, Net Zero Emissions, recycling, Sustainability, Sustainable Building Materials

New technologies in the building and construction industry will have a major impact on workplace processes, skills, infrastructure and working conditions. This project aims to understand the implications of emerging technologies on work practices, workforce training and working conditions in the building and construction industry.

The project identifies the challenges and opportunities of emerging technologies, their impacts on workplace practices and working conditions, and the requirements for future workforce training. The project outcomes will include recommendations to:

• support the transition in work practices (especially in moving from onsite to offsite work)
• guide the scope and focus of an effective skills training program
• identify the issues and opportunities for employee working conditions posed by new technologies.

Together, these recommendations will contribute to the choice, design and integration of new technologies to create safe, satisfying and productive workplaces in building and construction. 

Project team: Dr Wafa Johal, Prof. John Howe, Prof. Eduardo Velloso, Dr Andrew Irlitti,
Dr Jens Emil Grønbæk, Emily Wong

Capability Development, Construction Safety, EH&S, Health & Safety, Human Resources, Industry 4.0, Training and upskilling, Workforce Management

This project will see the development of a next generation cloud based artificial neural network for new home operational energy efficiency and embodied carbon. It is intended that designers, builders and clients in both Australia and New Zealand will be able to utilise this engine to gain near real time feedback on the estimated energy performance and embodied carbon of a new home empowering those in the industry to make better informed decisions when it comes to sustainability, cost and performance.

Researchers on this project include: Dr Phil Christopher (Project Lead), Dr Khuong Bui, Dr Victor Bunster, Prof Tuan Ngo and Dr Lu Aye, Gavin Tonnet, Brett Donovan & Edward Massey

Artificial Intelligence, Building Informatics and Analysis, Cloud Computing, Energy analysis, Energy Efficency, low-carbon, Building Life Cycle Assessment

This project aims to improve Fleetwood's business by digitising the physical components and assets of their product platform, and automating their design and estimating processes, procedures and workflows. Expected operational benefits for Fleetwood include more efficient material use and production time, competitive market bidding and ease of installation while also minimising cost.

Project team: Dr Abdallah Ghazlan, Dr Camilo Cruz, Associate Professor Tai Thai, Dr Victor Bunster, Professor Tuan Ngo, Professor Nelson Lam, Dr Duncan Maxwell, Dr Yousef Alqaryouti, Research Assistant (TBA)

Automation Workflow, BIM, Computational design, Design and estimating process, Digital assets, Revit-dynamo

Building is one of the largest sectors of today’s global economy, representing 13% of GDP and employing 7% of the world’s working age population. So, it is essential that the building industry benefits from the latest research findings and new knowledge created through rigorous research initiatives. To enable industry to co-create and draw on Australian research and technology, and for the Australian research ecosystem to engage with industry to conduct research, both sectors must upskill their researchers and industry professionals in collaboration, engagement and adoption of innovations across sectors.

The capability gaps for researchers and industry professionals increase the difficulties of adopting and translating research into industry impact and industry outcomes. They also hinder effective translation and investigation of industry problems in research projects. This project investigates the capability gaps that impact effective collaborations between researchers and building industry leaders for producing sector-level changes. We will investigate skills, behaviours and experiences that industry leaders apply while engaging with researchers to co-create research and practical knowledge that solves industry innovation challenges.

This research project aims to support the CRC's vision of developing a thriving Australian advanced manufacturing sector by enabling industry to direct and draw on Australian research through a scalable methodology that upskills researchers and industry professionals in collaboration, engagement and adoption of innovations. 

As part of this project, 2 professional development programs will be available for B4.0CRC researchers and industry partners.

Trek program for researchers and industry project leaders

This multi-week coaching program gives researchers and industry project leaders a methodology to validate the pathways to adoption for research and development activities. Click here for more information about the Trek Program. Registrations are now open.

Base program for early career researchers and students

This purpose-designed online learning program aims to develop researchers' skills for articulating the potential positive impact of their research, and provides a set of tools and a framework to plan for impactful research by engaging with industry, government and end-users. Click here for more information about the Base Program. Registrations are now open.

Research inputs will be gathered from program participants before and after the Base and Trek Programs for research report via a short survey by Associate Professor Niharika Garud (University of Melbourne). If you have any questions or would like to discuss how you can best engage with what is being offered through the project, please reach out to us via hello@cruxesinnovation.com or niharika.garud@unimelb.edu.au

Project team: Professor Daniel Samson, Professor Tuan Ngo, Research Assistants (TBC), Jonathan Lacey, Emily Chang

Capability Development, Impact

For a typical engineering project, Engineering design (upstream) and operation downstream) commonly follow a linear process through multiple contracting parties. Such a process is inefficient and unsustainable for continuous improvement and IP retainment.

To resolve such dilemmas in building wind comfort design, Lendlease Digital collaborates with Monash University to develop a new pathway by coupling cutting-edge multidisciplinary technologies, including wind tunnel experiments, numerical simulations, and field testing.

The new pathway will improve efficiency by introducing a feedback loop to the system, to date an unprecedented approach to wind design for the built environment. Potentially, this pathway can also quickly transform comfort design within other engineering disciplines, for example, fire, water, and thermal.

Researchers include: Mr David Burton, Prof Mark Thompson, Dr Daniel Tudball Smith & Dr
Shibo Wang.

Aerodynamic, Computational fluid dynamics, Pedestrian winds, Wind engineering

This project aims to develop a novel structural flooring system covering mid- to long-spans that:

• minimises material use
• provides the possibility of fast and modular construction
• reduces manufacturing and construction costs
• improves space quality and aesthetic look
• complies with the requirement of Australian standards and BCA.

The initial phases are an extension of existing experimental knowledge and the development of reliable numerical and analytical models. Later stages of the project will include optimising the floor components.

Researchers on this project include: Prof Tuan Ngo, Dr. Philip Christopher, Dr. Rackel San Nicolas,
Dr. Alireza Chniforush, Khin Sheng Chin.

Acoustic, BIM, BIM-integrated detailing, Bushfire, Computational design, DfMA, Engineered Wood Products, Flanking, hybrid steel-timber structures

Existing studies have indicated organisational and wellbeing benefits of mass timber buildings such as reduced illness, increased job performance and reduced stress and fatigue. In this study we aim to collect measured data, combining the data with surveys and interviews to create metrics to demonstrate workplace wellness and productivity in mass timber buildings. This study searches economic benefits of mass timber buildings by analysing health-related cost savings, performance improvements, reduced absenteeism and workplace engagement.

Researchers on the project include: Dr Stephen Whyte, A/Prof. Christhina Candido, Professor Uwe Dulleck, Dr Ben Chan, Dr Jenny Zhou & Dr Duncan Maxwell.

QUT Centre for Behavioural Economics, Society & Technology (BEST)

Environmental Performance, Materials, Sustainable Building Materials, timber, wellbeing

The common adage “If you can't measure it, you can't manage it” can be applied to building
products, processes and projects. Current data capture in construction practice is typically scarce,
inaccurate, lagging and non-standardised. Through the lenses of product, process and people,
Project #61 investigates how the capture, analysis and use of data can contribute to waste
reduction, quality assurance, safety, and improvement of efficiency and effectiveness in the building
industry. The project aims to understand:

(1) What is impact of people (human factors/aspects) on the process and product efficiency?

(2) What kind of data is needed?

(3) When is it to be collected and by whom?

(4) Which methodologies, tools and technologies would be best suited?

Project leads: Dr Duncan Maxwell, Dr Rachel Couper

Project team: Dr Victor Bunster, Dr Lee-Anne Khor, Dr Laura Harper, Dr Camilo Cruz Gambardella, Dr Sahar Soltani, Dr Yihai Fang, Prof. Amrik Sohal, Mohaimeen Islam, Fernando Pavez Souper, Miyami Pathiranage

Building systems, Construction Management, Platforms, Process efficiency, Procurement, Productivity

Building 4.0 CRC led a delegation to Berlin, Copenhagen and Malmö, to provide delegates with firsthand experience of cutting edge technology and innovative building techniques. Delegates had the opportunity to engage with overseas teams from the Australian Government and embassy officials, learn from industry experts and researchers, exchange ideas and insights with peers and collaborate on research projects, leveraging the knowledge and expertise of several organisations to drive innovation and change within the industry.

Delegates consisted of industry representatives, government officials and researchers from Fleetwood Australia, Donovan Group, Verton, Property Council of Australia, ARUP Singapore, Finding Infinity, Inner West Council, Tech Central Alliance, Fishermans Bend Precinct, University of Sydney, Monash University, Queensland University of Technology, University of Melbourne.

Advanced Manufacturing, Affordable Housing, Architecture and Building Design, Artificial Intelligence, Building systems, Business Ecosystem, Circular Economy, Construction Management, DfMA, Digital Platforms, Digitalisation, Energy Efficency, Industrialised Building, Industrialised Construction, Platforms, Prefabrication, Product approach, Product Platform, Smart Prefab, Supply Chain Innovation

This research will contribute to the body of knowledge on the future skills required for the building and construction industry and the role of technology and automation in meeting those skills demands.

The research will provide valuable insights for higher education institutions in the development of contemporary, forward-looking industrialised construction degrees. It will also have broader implications for workforce development in the building and construction industry, highlighting the skills and training required to meet the industry's changing landscape.

The project will have implications for construction education in Victoria and nationally.

Project team: Dr Henry Pook, Dr Sam Duncan, Cedomir Gladovic, Dr Duncan Maxwell, Dr Laura Harper, A/Prof. Ari Seligmann, Prof. Mel Dodd, A/Prof. Maryam Gusheh, Prof. Tuan Ngo, A/Prof. Felix Hui, Dr Robert Moehler, Jane Dash, PhD Students TBC

Capability Development, Human Resources, Workforce Management

This research centres on an innovative project to bring the Post & Plate timber structural system to Australia's multi-residential sector. The project comprises 4 elements:

• Reviewing in-depth precedent studies from around the world to extract critical engineering, compliance and construction insights
• Understanding Australian building typologies
• Conducting a targeted engineering and compliance review
• Making data-driven recommendations to adapt the Post & Plate system to Australia’s unique architectural, regulatory and sustainability needs.

The research is designed for rapid deployment and aims to revolutionise high-density, sustainable living in Australia.

Project team: Dr Alireza Chiniforush, Richard Nero, Karl-Heinz Weiss

Building systems, Building Transformation, Construction Management, Engineered Wood Products, Housing, timber structures

This project aims to develop algorithms and techniques to facilitate and streamline the spatial negotiation that originates from coordinating building systems throughout the different stages of the building design process. The hope is that building design teams can use these techniques to make informed decisions when developing a building design, which in turn should improve performance and reduce time and cost.

Project team: Dr Victor Bunster, Dr Camillo Cruz Gambardella, A/Prof. Duncan Maxwell, Prof. Peter Stuckey, A/Prof. Guido Tack, Dr Allen Zhang, Tim Butler, Vidish Iyer, Bryon Price, Research Fellow (TBC) and Research Assistants (TBC)

Architecture and Building Design, Computational design, Decision Support, design for manufacturing and assembly, DfMA, Digitalisation

Objectives  
The study aims to explore the potential reuse of excavated clay-based materials for concrete applications as both cement and aggregate replacements. This project addresses two concurrent challenges: the disposal of excavated soil, often unused and sent to landfills, and the high carbon footprint associated with concrete applications.

Overview
In Australia, traditional low-carbon cement substitutes, such as fly ash (a coal industry by-product) and blast furnace slag (a steel industry by-product), face constraints due to ongoing changes. Cleaner energy production, leading to the closure of coal-fired power stations in the next decade, and modifications in steel manufacturing processes contribute to shortages of fly ash and blast furnace slag respectively. With a forecasted 70% growth in concrete demand, Australia must establish alternative cementitious materials that are eco-friendly, locally sourced and abundant to avoid dependence on imported cement alternatives.

Project description
Through sampling and characterising by-product clays sourced from two major Victorian construction projects – the M80 Ring Road Completion and the North East Link project – the trial aims to showcase the feasibility of incorporating heated spoil into concrete constituents. The study will progress to full-scale trials, paving the way for innovative and environmentally friendly concrete solutions. This study will demonstrate and confirm the use of calcined clay derived from clay/spoil excavated from project sites as a viable Supplementary Cementitious Material (SCM) and aggregate in concrete production. This will redefine the criteria for calcined clay in concrete, pushing the boundaries of sustainable construction practices.

Due to commercial calcinators not being available in the market, the study is proposing to use a heat treatment process normally used to treat contaminated soil to develop calcined clay and validate the feasibility of using alternative heat treatment facilities for the calcination of clay. 

The project unfolds in 5 distinct stages:

• Phase 1 – A preselection process involves analysing soil through borehole assessments across the M80 Ring Road Completion project site and the North East Link project site. Characteristic soil is preselected based on predefined criteria from literature and site capacity. A full characterisation of these samples narrows down the highly promising soil samples.
• Phase 2 – This phase is conducted at a mortar scale and involves testing the preselected samples from Phase 1 in 3 different cement and mortar systems. Performance and long-term behaviour are thoroughly analysed.
• Phase 3 – The 2 most promising clay samples will be calcined/heated in larger quantities, transitioning from mortar-scale experiments to concrete-scale assessments in Phase 4.
• Phase 4 – This phase involves the concrete mix design development and testing, evaluating both mechanical and durability performance.
• Phase 5 – The most successful laboratory concrete mix is subjected to a full-scale trial, encompassing both in-situ and precast scenarios. This trial is conducted with the support of a concrete mixing plant and precast facility.

Project team: Dr Echo Wang, Laura Jukes, Sasika Perera, Miles Dacre, Ross Brookshaw, Lexie Walter, Julia Rogerson, Lucy Whalen, Rachel Lee, Adrian Pagnoccolo

Project parties: M80 Ring Road Completion, Spark – North East Link, Acciona

Advanced Manufacturing, low-carbon, Materials, Sustainability, Sustainable Building Materials

Imagine humans working alongside collaborative robots (cobots), laying bricks to build urgently needed homes for the growing Australian population. This human robot collaboration project will
develop a digital design to physical construction workflow for masonry construction using cobots to
be employed alongside labourers. Using masonry bricks, the project elevates the efficiency of
building brick walls which are essential building elements in the housing industry. Based on
observational studies of masonry construction of highly skilled labourers, the project aims to train
cobots working alongside human workers to pick and place masonry bricks with precision.

Project team: Dr Tatheer Zahra, Prof. Glenda Caldwell, Prof. Tim Schork, Lloyd Gainey, Maja Caballero, Hamidreza Rafizadeh

Construction robotics, Human robot collaboration, Machine Learning, Robotics

Robotic 3D printing has the potential to revolutionise the concrete industry and contribute to more sustainable concrete construction through material optimisation, carbon emission and waste reduction, design freedom and greater precision.

This study aims to develop a prototype of bespoke infrastructure elements using Robotic 3D printing technology. Optimised mix design for low carbon 3D printed concrete with enhanced fresh and hardened properties will be proposed. The structural performance will be enhanced by incorporating short fibres and embedding textile meshes. The outcomes will give positive impact to precast drainage, sewerage and civil infrastructure industries.

Project team: Dr Muge Belek Fialho Teixeira, Dr Tatheer Zahra, Dr Sabrina Fawzia, Adam Turner, Daniel Sweatman, Dr Mohammad Kangavar, Ahmed Sakr, AHM Javed Hossain Talukdar, Shabnam Lotfian

Advanced Manufacturing, Industrialised Building, Industrialised Construction, Materials, Productisation, Robotics, Sustainable Building Materials

Building 4.0 CRC led a delegation to San Francisco and the Greater Bay area to provide delegates with firsthand experience of cutting edge technology and innovative building techniques. Delegates had the opportunity to engage with industry experts and researchers, exchange ideas and insights with peers and collaborate on research projects, leveraging the knowledge and expertise of several organisations to drive innovation and change within the industry.

Delegates consisted of industry representatives, government officials and researchers from Breathe, Finding Infinity, uTecture, Republica/MIT, Porter Group, SuppliLab, MAB, MULPHA, Sumitomo Forestry, Fleetwood Australia, Sightdata, URBIS, Council of Mayors South East Queensland, Business NSW, Master Builders Association Victoria, Property Council of Australia, AHURI, University of Sydney, University of Auckland, Monash University, Queensland University of Technology, University of Melbourne.

Advanced Manufacturing, Affordable Housing, Architecture and Building Design, Artificial Intelligence, Building systems, Business Ecosystem, Circular Economy, Construction Management, DfMA, Digital Platforms, Digitalisation, Energy Efficency, Industrialised Building, Industrialised Construction, Platforms, Prefabrication, Product approach, Product Platform, Smart Prefab, Supply Chain Innovation

The aim of the project is to develop strategies and methods to utilise modern methods of construction (MMC) in Homes NSW projects which is termed “The Homes NSW MMC Program”. The intent of the program is to deliver more social housing with increased benefits for Homes NSW and their tenants. In addition to this project focused on scoping, strategy and development, Homes NSW, in collaboration with Building 4.0 CRC, will demonstrate the application of the MMC Program on a series of live Proof-of-Concept projects to further facilitate and support industry adoption of innovative methods of housing delivery.

Focus areas will address:

• Quality of housing solutions
• Speed and efficiency of housing delivery
• Cost and value for money
• Tenant satisfaction and experience
• Sustainability and resilience
• Operations and maintenance.

The project will comprise the following interdependent research streams:

Stream 1: Land, Housing Types, Residents – This stream will identify priority sites and design criteria for a 4–6 storey apartment model to be developed and tested in Stream 2. It will also develop a framework for identifying replicable development opportunities for low- and medium-rise dwelling typologies that can support the longevity of the MMC Program. Recommendations for the MMC Program will be based on a survey of the existing Homes NSW portfolio of assets, an examination of future housing needs, opportunities for land use, dwelling design guidelines and relevant planning frameworks. This research will help to determine the location of the pilot projects to be delivered within the program.

Stream 2: Product, Supply Chain, Platform – This stream will focus on an MMC approach to delivering quality buildings efficiently. It will propose a kit-of-parts system that building designers can configure into a range of different project outcomes. Initially, the kit of parts will support one typology with the intent to expand to further typologies later. The primary goal is to achieve economic efficiencies while attaining the design standards and product requirements set by Homes NSW. This stream will also establish whether there is a viable supply chain to support future deployment of such a system and that this system can be eventually developed into a platform of processes, rules, tools, parts and supply options.

Stream 3: Change Management and Housing Delivery – This stream will deal with the anticipated difficulties that arise when implementing new solutions for housing delivery. The team will engage with all stakeholders to ensure they understand and share the purpose and strategies of the MMC Program. The MMC Program will require the building value chain to interact and transact differently, creating new roles and responsibilities for actors involved in housing delivery. This includes changes to risk management, procurement, contracts and commercial arrangements. The process and organisation of building delivery will also change, requiring new internal and/or external teams to manage housing delivery. Finally, educational initiatives will ensure the industry can understand how to grow and adapt, and skills and training initiatives will upskill the workforce who will deliver new housing.

Project manager: Belinda Ngo
Stream 1: Dr Lee-Anne Khor with Prof. Shane Murray
Stream 2: Adjunct Prof. Daryl Patterson, with Dr Duncan Maxwell, Daiman Otto, Prof. Tuan Ngo, Sonal Jawale
Stream 3: Kathy MacDermott, with Prof. Chris Knapp, Rob Van Wanrooy 

Advanced Manufacturing, Affordable Housing, Architecture and Building Design, Computational design, DfMA, low-carbon, Platforms, Product Platform, Productisation, Sustainable Building Materials

This project provides an online interface into the current state of the self storage industry by mapping and benchmarking self storage facilities. It will also support demand forecasting and planning for new facilities. It uses demographic, financial, regulatory and geospatial data to assist in optimising the current and future self storage industry.

The platform will be a comprehensive digital solution that enables members and suppliers to:

1. map the existing state of and provision for self storage facilities in a geographical context
2. support benchmarking of the performance of facilities using a range of standard industry operational metrics
3. understand current supply pipeline
4. assist authorised users to assess the potential of new locations for self storage facilities
5. forecast future demand
6. assess zoning, site feasibility and unit mix potential
7. understand the economic impact and benefits of the sector.

Project team: Makala Ffrench Castelli, Prof. Alistair Barros, Dr Lyndall Bryant, Jason Gray, Dr Mark Limb, Dr Sara Omrani

Business Processes, Digital assets, Digital Platforms, Facility Management, Planning, Platforms

The shortage of affordable and quality housing in Australia, particularly in regional, rural and remote communities, is exacerbated by slow and costly traditional construction methods. In response, the NSW Aboriginal Housing Office (AHO) is piloting 3D printing technology to construct 2 townhouse units in Dubbo, NSW. This project aims to test the effectiveness of 3D-printed houses in providing comfortable indoor environments. The research will evaluate Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) through objective sensor data and subjective tenant feedback. The findings will provide the AHO with insights into the suitability of 3D-printed houses for larger-scale deployment, with the aim to provide improved housing options for Aboriginal communities across NSW. 

Project team: A/Prof. Veronica Garcia-Hansen (Co-Lead), Dr Francisca Rodriguez, Dr Kirsty Volz, Kieu Pham, Mahdi Valitabar

Environmental Performance, Materials

Building Ministers from the Commonwealth, state and territory governments are keen to support the increased use of high quality offsite manufacturing to help speed up the delivery of new housing. They have asked the ABCB to prepare a new Handbook explaining how the current regulatory arrangements outlined in the National Construction Code (NCC) relate to prefabrication and modular technology. Building 4.0 CRC is a key partner in delivering the handbook.

Advanced Manufacturing, Building approvals, Industrialised Building, Industrialised Construction, Modular building, Modular construction, Prefabrication, Regulation and policy, Smart Prefab

Digital twins are an emerging technology with the potential to revolutionise the building industry by digitising the operation and maintenance of physical assets. However, several challenges need to be overcome before their widespread adoption in the built environment. The Monash Smart Manufacturing Hub (mSMH) aims to tackle these challenges through the creation and utilisation of a digital twin for the hub. This endeavor will focus on assessing the performance of the digital twin by using the built environment's resilience and well-being as a case study. The project entails enhancing the existing design and deployment of a multimodal sensing network, a data engineering and analytics platform, domain-specific data analytics and simulation applications, as well as a front-end portal for spatial visualisation and interaction with sensing data and simulation results. 

Researchers on this Project Include: Dr Yihai Fang, Dr Jenny Zhou, Dr Duncan Maxwell, Dr Sahar Soltani & Prof. Hai Vu.

Building Operations, Data Analytics and Simulation, Digital Twins, Multimodal Sensing Network, Resilience and Wellbeing

The NCHA Independent Living Lab is a piece of research infrastructure within the NCHA’s Simulated Environments stream of work. The aim of this Living Lab is to support research and related activities to deliver the NCHA vision and aims, by providing a simulated home environment for multidisciplinary research, testing and demonstration of integrated spatial, assistive technology, and care models for healthy living and ageing.  To ensure the NCHA vision and aims are delivered from the outset, the B4.0CRC Lighthouse Project (LHP#03) has been developed over the last 9 months - to focus on the design and construction of the Independent Living Lab. It will take advantage of a rare opportunity to test research objectives of the NCHA through the procurement of the Living Lab itself. This aligns with key research questions about how modular and prefabricated production can create new innovations in living environments for ageing. 

Partners & Stakeholders: Fleetwood Australia, Monash University: Urban Lab, Future Building Initiative, Design Health Collab School of Primary Allied Health Care (RAIL Lab), Monash University Buildings and Property Division,  Peninsula Health Allied Health Team.

Research Teams include:

Stream One: Associate Professor Leah Heiss, MADA Design Health Collab (Dr Troy McGee and Dr Myra Thiessen)/School of Primary and Allied Health Care RAIL Research Centre and Occupational Therapy Departments (Associate Professor Libby Callaway and Dr Linda Barclay)/Peninsula Health Allied Health Team (Ms Pip Veerman) 

Stream Two: Professor Mel Dodd, MADA Urban Lab/Maryam Gusheh, School of Primary and Allied Health Care RAIL Research Centre and Occupational Therapy Department (Associate Professor Libby Callaway and Dr Eli Chu)/Peninsula Health Allied Health Team (Ms Pip Veerman) 

Stream Three: Dr Rachel Couper, MADA FBI Team with Dr Duncan Maxwell.

Monash Future Building Initiative

Aged Care, Home Design, Housing, Industrialised Construction

Although significant claims exist with regards to the benefits of utilising offsite construction, often, these are anecdotal, context-specific, and challenging to quantify in comparison to business-as-usual. Previous CRC project findings suggest that the benefits of offsite construction are often not realised because the design consultants, developers, and builders do not effectively collaborate to deliver integrated solutions.

This project will document, benchmark, and suggest improvements to realise the benefits in offsite construction using an offsite timber pilot project in Malvern East in order to quantify benefits and recommend improvements.

Research streams will focus on Integrated Design (Design for Manufacture and Assembly -DfMA) considerations, Life Cycle Analysis, Building Performance (Acoustic, Vibrations and Indoor Environmental Quality), Market Perceptions and Digital Project Management (10D-Building Information Modeling) to holistically demonstrate the value of the off-site timber approach in building construction.

Researchers on this project include: Sahar Soltani (Project Lead), Ali Rashidi, Duncan Maxwell, Victor Bunster, Camilo Cruz Gambardella, Jean-Paul Rollo, Jenny Zhou, Victor Chang, Mohaimeen Islam, Miyami Sinhala Pathiranag, Dilshi Dharmarathna, Tuan Ngo, Lu Aye, Tuan Nguyen, Xuemei Liu, Bernard Gibson, Alireza Chiniforush, Richard Nero, Siddhesh Godbole.

Monash Future Building Initiative

10D BIM, Building Information Modelling, Construction Management, Construction Monitoring, Industrialised Construction, Integrated Design, Prefabrication, Visualisation

This project centres on a collaborative affordable housing development in Western Australia, founded on lead partner LTCM's patented offsite construction approach. It aims to showcase speed, efficiency, waste reduction and sustainability in construction using a unified digital platform. Key objectives include:

– demonstrating sustainability improvements
– validating digital construction processes
– quantifying value gains through the offsite, platform approach.

Specific research streams delve into value analysis using Building Information Modelling (BIM), waste reduction through increased BIM usage, embodied carbon quantification using BIM and supply chain efficiency enhancement via shared Digital Twin technology. These streams aim to uncover correlations, efficiencies and insights for sustainable, cost-effective construction. 

Project team: Prof. Nelson Lam, Prof. Lu Aye, Assoc. Prof. Tai Thai, Dr Xuemei Liu, Dr Alireza Chiniforush, Dr Siddhesh Godbole

Associated Organisations: Steel Framing Australia

Affordable Housing, Home Design, Housing, Platforms

This project harnesses Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) to enhance prefabricated component assembly in carpentry and construction. By integrating AR/VR tools like Twinbuild by Fologram, the project aims to improve training and upskilling process, assembly instructions, spatial awareness, quality control, and collaboration. A real-time assembly of a complex timber pavilion at the Building 4.0 CRC Annual Conference will showcase these technologies' efficacy in addressing construction challenges.

Project leads: Dr Sahar Soltani, Dr Duncan Maxwell
Researchers: Lisa Giusti Gestri, Darcy Zelenko

Third party partner: Fologram

3D Visualisation and Modelling, Augmented Reality, Building systems, Construction Management, Construction Safety, Digital Twins, Mixed Reality, Training and upskilling, Virtual Reality

The current method of recording productivity on construction sites relies heavily on manual inputs limiting both accuracy and efficiency. This project will explore more automated and technologically advanced solutions that can provide real-time, accurate and unbiased data on on-site performance. Such innovations can not only streamline the data collection process but also free up labour resources to focus on essential construction activities, ultimately leading to more efficient and reliable project outcomes.

Project team: Prof. Tuan Ngo, Dr Paul Reichl, Dr Amir Soroush, Ed Muthiah, Jay Humble, Research Assistants (TBC)

Associated organisations: LXRP

Artificial Intelligence, Construction Safety, Internet of Things, IOT, Machine Learning, Site Safety