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Originally Published Green Review 15th August 2022
The IPCC Sixth Assessment Report recommend that the world needed to move at scale and with speed if it was going to achieve rapid and deep emission reductions at the levels required.
With the built environment responsible for contributing 37% of global energy related carbon emissions each year, and responsible for around 40% of global resource demand, the construction sector represents one of the biggest opportunities to drive the change needed to mitigate climate change.
A massive drive on digitalization and technology adoption will be required.
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VinZero Chief Executive officer, Paul Laycock, said companies needed to develop holistic frameworks that define an implementation strategy to step towards net zero operations.
He added: “Implementing a decarbonization roadmap will require skills, processes, and governance to drive the transition one step at a time, and that’s where we come in.”
VinZero’s approach is to recognize there is no single solution and to partner with organizations to firstly understand the unique complexities and challenges; and then to act as the trusted technology advisor utilising their ‘Think. Future’ discovery methodology.
Laycock continued: “We understand part of the solution will be technology, but other parts may include educating and empowering people within the organizations to adopt digitization processes and workflows and understand their impact on the journey to net zero – which is why we are investing in our Global Sustainability Council framework.”
VinZero’s purpose is to accelerate the adoption of digital technologies in architecture, engineering, construction, owner-operator (AECO) and manufacturing organizations, supporting the urgency, momentum, and demand for more sustainable design, build, operation and maintenance practices for building a better world.
Being a future-focused company, VinZero is always looking for emerging technologies that can bridge the gap and remove project challenges.
Globally Vinzero’s development team have a breadth of experience covering the entire lifecycle design, construction, and maintenance with a current focus around digitizing and automating the planning, tendering, and facility management within the construction lifecycle.
As one of the largest Platinum Partners for Autodesk globally, VinZero’s leverages industry experts across its global footprint to drive best in class project, product utilization, and workflow collaboration outcomes.
Data crucial for real-time project lifecycle information
Net zero refers to the balance between the amount of greenhouse gas produced, and the amount removed from the atmosphere – the key for an industry to develop net zero solutions is to incorporate a sustainability strategy that is implemented end to end.
Such strategies, however, are inherently complex, requiring new ways of thinking and scalable, actionable solutions.
Importantly, formulating an effective sustainability strategy is only possible through having the right data, accessing real-time project lifecycle information, and leveraging technology solutions to achieve true digitization.
As the construction sector becomes more digitized and its supply chains more integrated, it gains access to endless streams of data. This poses challenges in how to effectively manage and collect the right data. But, when managed correctly, we see data as the biggest opportunity for the construction sector in the race towards net zero.
Data management platforms seek to address this gap by capturing, storing, and organizing data for the purpose of utilising it to make predictive and informed decisions. In the context of construction, it allows information to be more coordinated and shared effectively, which is crucial to making construction planning more efficient and profitable. BIM (business information modelling) adoption and design continues to evolve, however, particularly in the design and construction sectors.
Prior to using BIM, Russell and Yelland Architects re-examined their business and workflows by reviewing a number of projects, some that worked and some that did not.
This review was conducted to improve their workflows and make the introduction of BIM successful.
Tasked with maximizing the gym footprint of Cabra Dominican College in South Australia without negatively impacting a nearby vital pedestrian thoroughfare, the project team worked in a collaborative manner under a managing contractor procurement model.
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Incorporating the builder’s input early in the project proved beneficial to cost and schedule, saving weeks of labour on the site and ultimately delivering the project on time and under budget. Using BIM, the project team was empowered with more information and was able to make better choices, as the information stream ensured all stakeholders were involved in decision making.
The constant flow of information across the team from design through manufacture into construction, meant the design process didn’t need to stop at the commencement of construction.
Producing quality design outputs in almost real-time as the project developed allowed Russell and Yelland to continue to optimize the solution from beginning to the end.
BIM is fundamental waste reduction in design and construction phases
Not only is the construction industry one of the world’s biggest consumers of natural resources, an often-overlooked aspect of the construction process is what happens to many products at their end-of-life and the embodied carbon they contain.
While some materials such as PVC and metals are recyclable, the construction sector is a diverse environment for waste management and there is heavy reliance on engaging with contractors to collect these recoverable resources.
Building information modelling (BIM) adoption and strategies have only strengthened in recent years and will be fundamental for the construction industry in reducing construction waste, this is evident in the BIM mandates announced by government organizations.
The sophisticated nature of data analysis available when utilizing BIM enables real time project information to be used to make smarter and more profitable decisions.
Beyond BIM at project completion this data can be transferred using digital twin software to manage the asset for its entire lifecycle providing the opportunity to reduce operational costs whilst maintaining the health of the building.
According to Gerbert et al (2016), full-scale digitalization in non-residential construction will lead to annual global cost savings of $1.2 trillion (21 per cent) in the engineering and construction phases and $0.5 trillion (17 per cent) in the operation phases.
In Australia, nearly 40 per cent of companies are planning to establish a digital transformation roadmap.
Wherever you are on your digitalisation journey, VinZero can provide full end to end or modular support to meet you where you are at and support your successful migration to new technologies and workflow processes
Laycock said: “What excites us the most is we have an incredible opportunity to leverage our global capacity and coverage to provide our customers locally in Australia with world class support, access to global trends and developments, and support from our global sustainability council through our VinZero Think Community.
“It is an incredible privilege to know that we are working with industry every day to build a better world.”