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Industrial production concepts, which are based on a high degree of modularisation and the mass customisation of products, have proven difficult to make work in the construction industry. The projects where they have been applied are often of low architectural ambition, the desired cost and time savings rarely materialise. Still, most architectural projects are designed as one offs, with no transfer of embedded knowledge and a highly manual and bespoke construction process, while clients increasingly demand better performance and higher quality of the outcomes.

At the last FabricationGap Symposium in April 2024, the hypothesis of productized building was tested with mainly those involved in the design process. Great alignment was found around the proposed approach, which focuses on the early involvement of the supply chain in the design process, and a digital kit of parts approach that looks at the standardisation of performance criteria and interfaces.

This year’s Fabrication Gap wants to explore further what needs to happen to effect the necessary change in the AEC industry. Who can drive this change? What are the success criteria? What are the blockers?