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Industry events, thoughts and news
SEISMIC SHAKES UP MMC
Seismic II has been selected as one of the UK’s key demonstration projects in offsite construction.
It represents an important milestone in the industry’s journey towards Modern Methods of Construction (MMC).
The project aims to prove that using standardised, mass-produced components delivers high quality, high performing buildings at better value. The consortium is working closely with the Construction Innovation Hub to align platform interface standards. These components will reduce waste, cost and carbon dioxide emissions while increasing speed of delivery.
We are focusing at first on the healthcare and education sectors, showing how hospitals and schools can be delivered more efficiently. But the […]
SEISMIC CONSORTIUM – New consortium launched to pioneer greater use of offsite construction for primary schools
NEW INNOVATIONS LAUNCHED FOR SCHOOL DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION – HAILED AS TRAILBLAZER FOR TRANSFORMING CONSTRUCTION
The results of a pioneering new consortium which set out to transform the way primary schools are designed, procured and built have been unveiled at a launch event in London and have been hailed as a trailblazer for transforming construction.
Two key innovations have now been unveiled by the Seismic Consortium – an innovative open source app for the design of primary schools and a universal connection solution and standardised structural frame for schools built offsite.The framing system has the potential to reduce carbon emissions for a […]
The housing crisis can be solved – but only through modern methods of construction
We all know Britain faces a housing crisis, yet few people have any confidence the challenge can be met. I am not one of them, because I firmly believe the colossal market failure in housing can be reversed, provided that we rethink how we procure and construct houses. The key to that is harnessing the power of modern methods of construction, also known as MMC.
Perhaps my confidence is misplaced? After all, if anything, the goal of owning a home or even renting one for a fair price is receding further into the distance for the younger generation.
Successive governments have failed […]
SEISMIC CONSORTIUM – New consortium launched to pioneer greater use of offsite construction for primary schools
NEW CONSORTIUM LAUNCHED TO PIONEER GREATER USE OF OFFSITE CONSTRUCTION FOR PRIMARY SCHOOLS
A new consortium has been launched to transform the way primary schools are designed and built. This is managed by construction consultants Blacc and is funded by Innovate UK, the public body established to drive productivity and economic growth through innovation.
The other partners in the Seismic consortium are technology-led design practice Bryden Wood, the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC), and two of the UK’s leading offsite specialists, Elliott and The McAvoy Group.
Around 100 new and replacement primary schools are needed every year in the UK at a cost of […]
To Glasgow and beyond – blacc and world class transport systems
We’ve recently finished an intense few weeks in Glasgow, running the Coordination Centre for the transport system as the city hosted the prestigious European Championships. This major sporting event is a new fixture in the global sports calendar and was a successful joint venture in Berlin, running from August 2nd to the 12th. The Championships attracted a TV audience of over 1 billion and of course thousands of athletes, officials and spectators to Glasgow itself, on top of all the usual residents, commuters and business travellers.
The goal is simple to state, not so simple to achieve, namely for everyone to […]
blacc – the most influential company you’ve never heard of
blacc as a business is already causing a stir, and not just for starting sentences without a capital letter. Who are they? What do they do? Why now? What makes them tick? Will they put me out of business? Will they offer me a job?
I have the privilege of chairing this young company, so here’s why I got involved and what I think blacc has to offer both the market and our public realm. It’s early days, and we wish to be judged on our collective actions rather my words, but let’s get this conversation started.
One of my favourite quotes […]