The everyday life of construction sites is changing as construction moves to factories and processes become standardized. The reform is not limited to prefabrication, but applies to the entire logic of construction.
Finnish construction sites are witnessing a quiet but rapid change. Construction no longer proceeds in stages on the site, but an increasing part of the whole is created in industrial conditions before even the first element is lifted into place. Development Director of the Construction Industry RT Antti Aaltonen describes the change as a shift from project-based work to predictable production.
"Controlled conditions, standardized production and rhythmic processes shorten lead times and improve consistency. Prefabrication makes the whole process more efficient and reduces factors that have traditionally weakened productivity."
Cost pressures and labor shortages are accelerating the change, as every hour saved is directly reflected in efficiency.
"The benefits of prefabrication are only realized when it is taken into account from the beginning of the design. Geometry, connections, logistics and site methods must be defined in terms of industrial production," says Aaltonen.
Industrial construction requires new skills
Aaltonen describes the design work of the future as the management of wholes, where structural design, architecture, building services, logistics and production are intertwined into one whole.
“Digitalization supports coordination and also controls the flow of the construction site in real time. In 2030, the construction site will be more of an assembly site than a traditional construction area.”
Prefabrication is already widely used in Finland, but Aaltonen still sees an opportunity to increase its share.
“When the entire chain operates in the same rhythm, productivity can even double and emissions can be reduced by a third.”
Traditional bottlenecks on the construction site – weather delays and interruptions in work phases – are reduced, and prefabrication reduces the total number of hours on projects. Aaltonen reminds us that efficiency is also driven by cost pressures and labor shortages.
“This is not a single add-on, but a broader systemic change that will renew the entire rhythm of implementation and ensure the prerequisites for industrial production.”
The article has been published in Mediaplanet's Sustainable Construction supplement in Kauppalehti and on the rakennamme.fi website.
Antti Aaltonen
Director, Construction Development
antti.aaltonen@rt.fi + 358 40 514 3626Confederation of Finnish Construction Industries (CFCI)
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