The Platforms approach to construction uses standard components for buildings that can be assembled in a number of ways, depending on the purpose of the building.

‘It’s effectively a way of thinking, a principle where the rationale in design supports the rationale in construction in a fully unified, virtuous circle effect.’.Johnston elaborates, explaining that the project employed an ‘evidence based approach’ to ‘balance various and often contradictory [stakeholder] needs.’ These included those of individual clinical specialisms, nursing staff, catering providers, facilities and maintenance providers, the Care Quality Commission etc...

Ultimately, Johnston explains, this facilitated an ‘overall optimum outcome,’ which he describes as being a combination of fantastic patient experience, minimised costs, optimised use of DfMA and more.‘We aren’t aware of anyone doing it in this way before,’ says Johnston, ‘because anyone who could do the stakeholder piece couldn’t then design the DfMA systems and vice versa...’.As the Reading project demonstrates, working in this way drives a great number of efficiencies and Johnston remarks that ‘Circle were highly supportive of the design and delivery approach developed for them evolving in this way,’ noting that they ‘have always been keen to share best practice with other clients.’.

Indeed, as Wood points out, the benefits of Platforms can be applied across typologies, from healthcare to educational facilities and housing.As time progresses and ushers in vastly increased productivity demands for the construction industry, the use of digital technologies and automation will provide a key solution to facilitating the necessary increases, as well as generating an array of client, end-user and societal benefits.

It’s a methodology which facilitates higher accuracy, reduced costs, less waste, improved user experience and performance.. To this end, Circle Reading provides a glimpse into the efficiency anchored future of architecture, delivering a 25% cost savings on Circle’s previous Bath hospital and being delivered in just over eighteen months.

Uniquely, the focus for the facility was designed to be on cost per clinical outcome, rather than square meterage, or other metrics traditionally associated with buildings.“That's why it doesn't happen, not because it's not a good idea.

It's just everything works against it…”.One challenge relates to the complexity of the construction ecosystem itself, which is made up of multiple different industries, all with different value propositions.

These don’t match up, Marks says, commenting that this is why she went to work at.Ultimately, she realised that she just couldn’t make the level of impact she wanted to by working from the bottom up, within just one small portion of the ecosystem.. Marks says the level of change needed to facilitate a true industry shift to industrialised construction requires a top-down level of influence.