Theme 1: Sustainability in Construction & Building Operations
Reducing energy consumption, water use and carbon emissions for both construction sites and operational facilities. Includes use of sustainable materials during construction, and for interiors.
1a. Reducing Energy Consumption
How might we reduce energy consumption in commercial and industrial facilities?
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New facilities are designed and built to meet local Green Mark and Super Low Energy requirements at the time of completion. However, it can be difficult to maintain the energy consumption levels to maintain these certifications due to the behaviour of building occupants. Similarly, there is increasing pressure on ageing buildings to find new ways to lower energy use. We are looking for solutions that can support the reduction of energy consumption in high-energy facilities such as office buildings, cold-storage warehouses and hotels.
1c. Low Carbon Materials
How might we integrate low-carbon materials into our construction projects – across building structures, exteriors and interiors?
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We strongly endeavour to use low-carbon materials in our construction projects, and when selecting finishings for building interiors, however are also face pressure to keep costs low. We are looking for solutions around green concrete (that has lower embodied carbon than standard concrete), concrete alternatives, low-carbon steel and sustainable materials for interior finishings, that are cost competitive with traditional options.
1b. Reducing water consumption
How might we reduce water usage across commercial facilities?
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We are looking for solutions which support reducing water consumption in commercial facilities such as hotels and office buildings, that do not affect the occupant experience. ​
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In addition, low-energy cooling systems that are typically chosen to reduce energy consumption can lead to higher water consumption costs if not optimised. We are looking for solutions that can increase water efficiency of cooling systems.
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1d. Reducing and Tracking Carbon Emissions
How might we better track and reduce embodied and direct carbon emissions in construction projects?
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Currently the process to gather and input data for calculating embodied carbon is fragmented and time consuming, with difficulties in sourcing accurate data. We are looking for solutions that can support in making this process more efficient, and highlight where embodied carbon savings can be made. ​
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In addition, solutions which support decarbonisation of construction projects, including supporting the transition to electricity or low-carbon powered equipment and energy generation and storage on site.
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Theme 2: Productivity & Safety on Construction Sites
Solutions to enhance construction site efficiency and safety by optimising staff productivity, automating repetitive processes, and improving compliance with safety procedures and PPE.
2a. Digitalisation
How might we support our construction workforces to be more productive through digitalisation of work practices?
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With the increasing challenge of manpower shortages, we seek innovative digital solutions to optimise the efficiency of our construction staff. We are interested in solutions that streamline the inspection process, enable smart labour planning, and enhance data capture. Any technology that saves time and reduces the need for on-site staff is encouraged to apply.
2c. Safety Compliance
How might we better monitor and improve employee compliance with site safety procedures and PPE?
​Safety on construction sites is of upmost priority, however it is difficult to ensure all employees are always adhering to the safety procedures and PPE requirements. We are looking for solutions that can support in monitoring and improving compliance, and that can create safer conditions on sites.
2b. Robotics and Automation
How might we automate repetitive construction processes to reduce reliance on human labour?
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We are looking to continuously automate repetitive, manual processes during the construction phase to reduce project timeframes and manpower costs.
Theme 3: Smart Buildings & Occupant Wellbeing
Supporting operations for our buildings of the future, that prioritise the occupant experience. Includes monitoring user behaviour, developing new building insights and AI for large dataset processing.
3a. Wellbeing-Focussed Smart Building Solutions
How might we effectively assess occupant wellbeing and productivity inside buildings to optimise building and interior design?
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As humans typically spend 90% of our time indoors, we want to ensure the buildings we design and operate support the health, wellbeing and productivity of those who occupy them. ​
A key part in being able to achieve this is effectively monitoring occupant movement, behaviour and vital signs, in addition to indoor air quality and thermal comfort. ​
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We are looking for solutions that can contribute to generating insights on occupant behaviour and wellbeing, in addition to solutions which directly enhance it.
3b. Accelerated Data-Driven Insights
How might we use digital automation and AI tools to improve smart building data management?
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With the huge volume of sensor data being generated in smart buildings, we are looking for solutions that can enhance the operations of smart building platforms and accelerate how we can generate meaningful insights. This includes maintaining data hygiene, AI solutions for data analysis and querying. In addition, improving the ability centralise multiple data streams in one location, and easily add new sources, to have a cohesive understanding of building function.
Theme 4: Next Generation Facilities & Infrastructure Management
Improving infrastructure resilience through enhanced asset maintenance and monitoring of sub-surface conditions.
4a. Maintenance Efficiency
How might we improve the efficiency of maintenance of facilities and assets in order to free up technicians’ time and prevent critical failures?
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Maintenance technicians are currently stretched for time and are often at capacity tending to reactive maintenance requests. ​
In addition, for redevelopment projects, it is difficult to accurately assess the condition of existing aged assets and appropriately plan maintenance works for them. ​
We are looking for solutions that can enhance technicians’ efficiency, which could be in terms of digital process/workflow improvements, leveraging digital twins for data-driven decisions, and minimising the risk of critical asset failure.
4b. Infrastructure integrity and Resilience
How might we monitor structural integrity of buildings, infrastructure and subsurface conditions efficiently and accurately in order to assess and proactively maintain their condition?
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For new construction projects, we need a clear understanding of the sub-surface conditions to suitably design the foundations and plan construction activities. ​
For completed project, as infrastructure ages, it becomes more costly to maintain them. ​
We are looking for solutions with advanced sensing technology that can accurately assess structural integrity – for buildings, infrastructure and sub-surface / geological assets.