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PRESS
RELEASEFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ManuBuild, the EU funded construction initiative looking to transform the industry, is aiming to attract leading researchers, academics, industry practitioners and policymakers from throughout the European to its first conference next year. The conference, The Transformation of the Industry: Open Building Manufacturing, which will explore the themes of open building manufacturing, is being held in Rotterdam, appropriately celebrating its Year of Architecture.
The two day programme, April 25 and 26, 2007 will include keynote speakers from Japan and the USA, where the construction industry is considered to be technically more advanced and sophisticated than in Europe.
Papers are also sought from other speakers to highlight and encourage debate on issues of concern and showcase appropriate solutions through the exchange of experience, best practice, scenarios and innovative and design management concepts. A 300 word abstract is requested as soon as possible from those interested. See the website - www.manubuild.net - for full details of the call for papers, the conference and to register interest in attending.
The four year ManuBuild project has secured 50 million euros and the highest EU funding ever awarded to a R&D project in the construction industry. It is part-funded by the EU under Framework6 and aims to drive a paradigm shift from current craft and resource based construction towards open building manufacturing that enables highly customised building using manufactured knowledge based components from the open market and assembling them efficiently on site. 24 partners in 10 countries have signed up to the initiative, including Taylor Woodrow Construction and Corus in the UK.
ManuBuild is delivered through targeted research with results validated by demonstration in several full scale building projects, including demonstrator projects in Spain, Sweden and the UK. The first of these is under way in Spain, where an architectural competition has been held for the design of an apartment block of 40 one, two and three bedroom units for Madrid City Council.
Dr Russell Matthews, who heads up Taylor Woodrow Construction’s Technology Centre and the ManuBuild initiative for the company, said:
“Currently construction processes are very fragmented across Europe and are certainly years behind the sophisticated manufacturing processes used in the automotive and aerospace industries. We want to see a step change from current construction methods towards an era of unconstrained design with ultra-efficient manufacture and industrial-style construction.”
ENDS
See the website www.manubuild.net
The proposed programme for the 2007 conference in Rotterdam, which is available as a PDF leaflet to download, will combine both industry and academic presentations exploring a full range of topics related to open systems to deliver manufactured buildings:
• Concepts of Manufactured Buildings
• Business Processes
• Production Technology and Automation
• Information and Communication Technology
• Training
• System Integration
Full list of partners:
Corus – UK
DRAGADOS S.A. – Spain
EMV - Empresa Municipal de la Vivienda (Madrid) - Spain
FCC Construcción S.A. - Spain
Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering (IAO) - Germany
Mostostal Warszawa S.A. – Poland
NCC Construction Sverige AB – Sweden
Taylor Woodrow Construction Ltd. – UK
VTT (Technical Research Centre) - Finland
YIT Construction Ltd - Finland
Universidad Carlos III de Madrid - Spain
CIRIA - Construction Industry Research and Information Association - UK
Consolis Oy ab - Finland
Enterprixe Software Ltd - Finland
Graphisoft R&D Rt - Hungary
ITB (Building Research Institute) - Poland
IVF (Industriforskning och Utveckling AB) - Sweden
Fundación Labein - Spain
NUOVA QUASCO - Italy
Saint-Gobain - France
TNO Building and Construction Research - The Netherlands
Technische Universität München - Germany
University of Salford - UK
University of Stuttgart - Germany
*In 2007 Rotterdam will be celebrating its Year of Architecture.
‘Rotterdam is increasingly to architecture what Paris is to fashion or Los Angeles is to entertainment.’ (March 2005, New York Times)
For further information please contact:
Louise Nicholson
Taylor Woodrow
01923 478 538
07816 511158
louise.nicholson@uk.taylorwoodrow.com
Or
Heather Power/ Lisa Brearley
Haslimann Taylor PR
0121 355 3446
07917 186905
heather@haslimanntaylor.com/
lisa@haslimanntaylor.com