A collaborative initiative between 30 industry partners has received $28 million from the Australian Government to establish the Building 4.0 CRC – an initiative seeking to transform how buildings are designed and manufactured in Australia.
The Building 4.0 CRC research initiative is a collaborative project between Monash University, Lendlease, the University of Melbourne, Donovan Group, BlueScope, Sumitomo Forestry and CSR, along with 23 other partners.
Funded by the Australian Government Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) Program, the initiative is focused on use of digital solutions, new products and processes aiming to transform Australia’s building industry to a tech-enabled, collaborative future where the customer is at the centre of each building experience and buildings are not only better, but faster, cheaper and safer.
Interim CEO of Building 4.0 CRC, Professor Mathew Aitchison, from Monash University said the $28 million grant will leverage a combined $103 million from industry, government and research partners.
“By leveraging this government funding and our deep collaboration with research and training partners, we are committed to putting the Australian industry at the forefront of global developments,” Mr Aitchison added.
The CRC – to be based at Monash University in partnership with the University of Melbourne, and in collaboration with the Queensland University of Technology – will bring together expertise in the fields of architecture, design, planning, construction, engineering, business, information technology and law to develop industry-wide practices and protocols intended to transform the entire sector.
Monash University President and Vice-Chancellor Margaret Gardner said it will also leverage the latest technologies, data science and artificial intelligence to enable the application of robotics and digital fabrication to optimise all phases of building delivery – including development, design, production, assembly, operation, maintenance and end-of-life.
“Building 4.0 CRC will lead to a growth in high-value employment, a reduction in greenhouse gases, and create better housing that is more affordable, liveable and environmentally friendly for the future of all Australians,” she continued.
“Monash University is proud to be leading this initiative, and we are grateful to the Federal Government for their recognition and support of this transformational CRC.”
University of Melbourne Vice-Chancellor Duncan Maskell added: “The University of Melbourne welcomes this funding, which will see the building industry benefit from world-leading research.
“With significant innovation and collaboration expertise across the CRC group, Building 4.0 is an exciting new opportunity to transform the building industry.”
