Brian Sweeney, Director of Projects at KPM Engineering discusses the evolution in the construction industry across many aspects
In recent years, the industry has made significant progress in many areas, and three of these areas that we see progressing the most are sustainability, modular and prefabricated construction, and automation.
At KPM, our unwavering commitment to sustainability drives us to constantly seek innovative design solutions. We strive to improve efficiency and quality while reducing the impact of building construction on the environment. Our in-house team is dedicated to providing expertise and guidance on constructability and modern methods of construction. We understand that with the current construction boom in the region and the global drive to reduce carbon emissions, it is more essential than ever that the construction industry modernises the way we build. The growth of modular off-site manufacturing is evidence that this is happening, and we are proud to be at the forefront of this movement.
Modular construction offers benefits on a range of fronts, including reduced waste, transportation, labour, and energy performance due to improved quality of construction, reduced cost and time, and reduced reliance on low-skilled labour. The social impact of modular construction can also not be underestimated, as it is ideally suited to low-cost housing developments.
While modular construction has been widely used in other regions, the timing is now right for the Middle East market to embrace it on a much larger scale. We understand the challenges that have previously slowed progress in this area, such as the lack of an established supply chain for full-scale modular construction. However, this is changing fast. There are now a number of modular manufacturers across the region, particularly in KSA.
At KPM, we are able to leverage our network of contacts and relationships with these manufacturers to collaborate during the early stages of a project. This ensures the solutions we propose are suitable for off-site manufacture. As a result of the benefits outlined, it is apparent that off-site manufacture and modular construction align very well with the visions for the future outlined by the different nations across the GCC. We are confident that this market sector will continue to grow, and we are well-positioned to lead the way.
In the realm of sustainability, KPM recognises the urgent need for solutions that not only mitigate environmental impact but also enhance occupant comfort and well-being. As such, sustainability remains a cornerstone of our strategy for growth. We are dedicated to providing the best, most responsible service to our clients. We see tremendous potential for positive change to minimise waste, conserve resources, and create buildings that are truly regenerative in nature. From the selection of materials to the design of systems and components, our team is committed to embracing circularity at every stage of the project lifecycle, ensuring our clients receive the highest quality service.
Another market trend where we are well positioned to leverage ourselves is through automation in the design process. We have invested in our in-house automation team, and they are continually developing scripts and plug-ins to streamline our BIM processes and workflows, drive efficiency in our delivery of projects and improve upon the quality of our product.
In addition, our team has been focused on advancing our digital twin capabilities, using our offices as a test bed for introducing intelligent technologies to provide live feed and obtained data to demonstrate where the technology and our understanding can benefit their business objectives. This is now a powerful tool we can use to show potential clients the real benefits of creating a digital twin to help them better understand how their facilities are operating and where improvements in energy performance and usage can be made.
In summary, we understand how the industry is developing for the better and believe we are well positioned to provide our clients with solutions that use advanced technologies to minimise our impact on the environment.