Climate Innovation Compass

Built Environment

Problem Overview: Traditional construction is superfluously costly and time consuming

Conventional on-site bespoke construction can create large amounts of waste materials since builders typically order most materials with an extra margin to avoid the risk of standing still. These margins can also make the process more costly and time intensive. Additionally, conventional construction uses formwork (temporary wooden or steel shuttering) to contain concrete as it sets. This formwork accounts for 15-30% of conventional concrete construction costs and generates substantial waste. There are several design-based strategies and technologies such as offsite prefabricated modules and 3D printing that can be adopted to reduce this waste and save construction costs as well as time.

Core Bottlenecks: Speed, cost and material efficiency trade-off

Urban India is growing at a record pace. By 2031, cities could hold more than 600 million people. Conventional construction is too slow to meet this demand. Construction speed is increasingly becoming a key competitive differentiator. Several challenges plague current construction methods:

1. Construction Speed

Weather conditions, sequential scheduling (e.g., waiting for concrete to cure before starting interior work), and on-site coordination issues lead to extended & unpredictable project timelines.

2. High Wastage

Traditional methods result in significant extra material waste due to over-ordering, on-site damage, and manual cutting errors. Disposal of this debris takes up valuable time and incurs high financial and environmental costs.

3. Construction Cost

Projects regularly experience budget overruns caused by supply chain volatility and on-site rework.

Existing Approaches and Technology Readiness

Off-site, modular construction

TRL 9

3D sections/2D panels fabricated in factory and transported

3D Printing

TRL 7-8

Additive manufacturing process that builds structures using digital blueprints

Where is the white-space for innovation?

Modular construction and 3D printing promise faster builds and reduced waste, but presents key hurdles: steep upfront capital outlays, high initial equipment costs, inflexible designs dictated by transport rules, complex logistics requiring specialized cranes, limited material options and weather sensitivity. There is a need for innovation on 3 fronts:

Engineering Innovation

Creation of high quality, sustainable materials which can meet structural and durability requirements. Complex 3D-printed structures require building expertise in both architecture and 3D printing technology.

Business Model

Modules must be transported on public roads, meaning their dimensions are strictly capped by local transport and highway regulations, plus there is safety risk which needs to be taken care of.