Many construction methods have remained stagnant for a century. However, the urgent need for improved buildings, increased housing, and a more eco-friendly process demands immediate modernisation. As technology progresses, so do the materials we use in construction. Breakthroughs in materials science have led to the development of engineered timber products. These products bear more load, span greater distances, and are unrestricted by the size of the original tree. The construction industry, heavily reliant on physical, hands-on labour, must adapt to meet current demands and educate a new workforce that will embrace these new technologies and methods.
At their core, construction managers are practical engineers. They move digital designs into the real world while adjusting designs to work around existing conditions. Construction managers integrate new, unproven materials and cope with an ever-shrinking labour force. This means that modern construction professionals bridge the gap between physical construction activity and the digital world we increasingly live in. We need better collaboration, faster communication, and stronger leaders. Educating future construction managers requires a different approach. We need to evolve education as newer materials and technologies emerge. This unique challenge needs a three-stage solution:
1. Policies to move beyond traditional methods and rapidly deploy new methods of construction.
2. Flexible education options to continuously train on new methods.
3. Research in real-time to bring solutions to market more rapidly.
Government intervention, like the Timber in Construction Roadmap released in late 2023 in the UK, plays a crucial role in supporting the need for new methods to work towards a zero-carbon economy. This support reassures us that the industry is moving in the right direction.
Education needs to change more quickly: current models in construction education focus on structured degrees that take years to complete. These programs also take years to integrate newer methods and technologies into the curriculum. Students starting a traditional program today may, therefore, leave school in three or four years unprepared to work with the latest advancements in the industry. We need to teach Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) and create new pathways through and after formal education to upskill for the future continuously. Stackable credentials, used in many other fields of study with rapidly evolving methods, will help us train a new workforce. This creates better workers at the start of their careers with means to upskill.
Research is the final piece of the equation. Many research projects focus on large-scale, high-cost methods that are unattainable in most projects. With a growing cost of living crisis, research needs to shift to explore affordable solutions. As we research timber and timber-based construction methods, affordability and speed of construction will improve. The new research will inform new educational pathways. The importance of cost-effectiveness in our research will ensure that our industry remains sustainable and accessible.
Keywords: Modern Methods of Construction, Education, Timber
Authors
Steve Bertasso
New Model Institute of Technology and Engineering, United Kingdom
Sarah Jayne Hitt
New Model Institute of Technology and Engineering, United Kingdom
Robert Hairstans
Edinburgh Napier University, United Kingdom, Hairstans
Benjamin Shirley
New Model Institute of Technology and Engineering, United Kingdom
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