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Eight Reasons To Specify Offsite Construction For Education Projects

Offsite construction is increasingly seen as a perfect fit for education projects. Pretty soon, offsite will be the way that most new schools and education facilities are built – for some very powerful and persuasive reasons.

The capacity to deliver projects more quickly is well understood. And here are eight more reasons why offsite construction is moving to the mainstream for education building programmes.

  1. Productivity

Stagnating productivity levels have been a feature of the construction industry for decades. With extensive building projects planned for the education sector it’s time to move on. Creating buildings in an advanced manufacturing facility opens the way to achieving the sorts of productivity gains that other economic sectors have long enjoyed.

  1. Process Integration

Unprecedented demands are being placed on the design of educational buildings. These include enhanced ventilation, maximum use of natural light, and greater flexibility to adapt internal spaces as needs change. Offsite construction is an integrated design and manufacturing process. It offers greater scope for ambitious designs that incorporate all of the flexibility needed – with the reassurance of guaranteed buildability.

  1. Safety

With offsite there are fewer onsite personnel and operations. Along with reduced vehicle movements this all contributes to worksites that are safer for workers and for school and college communities. The nature of much of the work is also different with less need for working at height. This reduces the risk of accidents and injuries.

  1. Reduced Waste

The general rule for offsite construction is that nothing is shipped to the site that isn’t needed. Issues of over-ordered and badly stored materials, and those that need to be cut to size are largely eliminated. Most offsite specialists retain any waste within the manufacturing facility where it can be reused or recycled so that nothing goes to landfill.

  1. Standardisation

Even where designs share elements, traditional construction projects are essentially one-offs. In the world of offsite construction, standardising design elements leads to repeatable processes and genuine economies of scale. This allows projects to be delivered faster and cheaper.

  1. Increased Sustainability

Whether we are talking about embodied carbon or emissions produced by heating and cooling the building, offsite has many benefits. Materials with the lowest levels of embodied carbon can be selected while guaranteed levels of thermal efficiency in the finished structure ensure that in-service emissions are minimised.

Additionally, during construction there are fewer vehicle movements for materials, plant and labour and less use of energy and water.

  1. Reduced Costs

Increased standardisation and reduced waste drive significant costs out of construction projects. At a time when a great deal of construction activity has to be delivered in the education sector, achieving the maximum output for every pound invested is critical.

  1. Certainty

Time and cost savings, improved quality, and energy efficiency are not much help if they are just promises or potential. In the case of offsite construction, they are proven.

Osborne has delivered many projects for schools, colleges and universities using offsite methods. We can confirm that these benefits are both real and deliverable.

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