is making sure the systems around construction evolve at the same pace as the technology.” One of the biggest issues is that traditional construction finance and insurance models have largely been designed around buildings being progressively constructed on site. In volumetric construction, a significant portion of the building is manufactured offsite before being transported and installed, which creates a different risk profile that is not always well understood. JMB has been working closely with clients, financiers, insurers and regulators to help bridge that gap and create greater confidence around the delivery model. “Housing is still a major part of why we built AMC1,” James says. “We believe advanced manufacturing can play a significant role in delivering more housing, more predictably and at greater scale. The opportunity now is to align the regulatory and financial frameworks with the way these buildings are actually designed, manufactured and delivered.” While those frameworks continue to mature, JMB is also applying their manufacturing platform across commercial, key worker accommodation, social housing and other projects where speed, programme certainty and repeatability provide significant value. For these clients, the sooner their building is delivered, the sooner they are generating revenue, which makes it worth it to spend a little bit more up-front. The company’s most advanced current project is a four-storey hotel and apartment building – that features one level of on-site ground-floor car parking topped by three levels of apartment units, made up of 21 modules. All 21 modules are currently moving through the factory in various stages, with the ground floor fully framed, the second level having its structural steel welded to the floors, and the third level’s concrete floors already poured. The project is also an important proof point for JMB’s manufacturing system. Rather than limiting volumetric construction to detached homes or low-complexity accommodation, the company is applying its DfMA, lifting and structural systems to multi-level development. For James, that is where the next stage of modular construction becomes particularly significant. “The real opportunity is not just making houses faster,” he says. “It is proving that advanced manufacturing can be applied to increasingly complex buildings while still giving architects, developers and builders the flexibility they need.” THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE AUSTRALIA
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