Construction 4.0: Digitalisation of the Construction Industry

On Monday 20 November 2023 the Industry and Parliament Trust (IPT) hosted a dinner event for parliamentarians and industry representatives on ‘Construction 4.0: Digitalisation of the Construction Industry’. This discussion was chaired by Clive Betts MP, Chair of the Select Committee on Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with guest speakers Trudi Sully, UK & Europe Lead – Industrialised Design & Construction at Mott MacDonald and Marcus Bennett, Head of Analysis and Forecasting at the Construction Industry Training Board. The event considered the modernisation and digitalisation of the construction industry.

Key discussion points:

• A big part of the modernisation and digitalisation of the construction industry will need to be attitudinal change and diversification.
• The technology to modernise is there, but a lack of confidence and low data literacy acts as a barrier.
• The construction industry can learn from other industries (automotive and aerospace) about how digitisation can improve standardisation and reduce errors and defects.
• An investment in training and skills is vital to combat workforce shortages which will continue to be a problem as an ageing population creates demographic challenges.
• Retrofitting is going to be a big challenge for the industry going forward as the majority of buildings that will form the UK’s housing stock have already been built.
• Industry and regulators need to work together to create mutually beneficial regulation to incentivise changes in the industry.

Enhancing the UK Economy through Immersive Technology

On Tuesday 21 November 2023 the Industry and Parliament Trust (IPT) hosted a dinner event for parliamentarians and industry representatives on ‘Enhancing the UK Economy through Immersive Technology’. This discussion was chaired by Dr Rupa Huq MP, Vice Chair, Metaverse and Web 3.0 APPG with guest speakers Richard Earley, Head of UK Content Regulation Policy, Meta and Professor Paul Coulton, Chair of Speculative and Game Design, Lancaster University. The event discussed the barriers faced by immersive technology.

Key discussion points:

• Thre are different types of immersion and immersive technology currently focuses predominantly on sight, for example VR rollercoasters don’t recrate the physical feelings.
• Phones are currently the biggest platform for immersive technology but aren’t great for immersive viewing as they are a narrow window- the future looks towards some form of wearable glasses.
• Safety and privacy need looking at, how will people’s data be used and understanding the mental and physical impacts of immersive technology should be looked at.
• Immersive technology has other uses from assistive walking aids to detailed mapping of buildings such as the Notre Dame which is using the mapping for Assassins Creed to help rebuild.
• The ideal is for an unfractured metaverse where all products work interchangeably and subsequently are more accessible, although common standards develop naturally.