Now our construction sites will be waste-free

“This is an important project for us. We stand behind the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and in doing so will be taking a huge step in the right direction with regard to reducing resource consumption,” says Bjørnar Tretterud, Sales and Marketing Director at OBOS Block Watne.

Tretterud will take charge of this work together with Technical Director Sverre Kirkevold in close dialogue with Logistics and Purchasing Director Åge Willy Bergerseter.

Sverre Kirkevold, Head of Development OBOS Block Watne.

The next phase of work

OBOS Block Watne has John R. Moen (BAdigital) on the team. Moen has been in charge of the waste-free construction site initiative from the inception phase to it becoming a national initiative in the industry. We will start by implementing a pilot study which will involve submitting an application to Innovation Norway based on the goal of waste-free construction sites and production.

During this introductory phase OBOS Block Watne will do the following:

• Formulate an application to Innovation Norway regarding support for the project.
• Submit the application in collaboration with a construction client, manufacturer and the trade network.
• Further develop our BIM model in which we will include an IT supplier who can link our BIM model to production.
• Work in accordance with the Lean start-up model and build on our success with Digital X BO, an initiative for a shared data structure and communication platform for the construction industry.

Start-up for the pilot study is September 2019, to be concluded in October 2019.

This means a “waste-free construction site”

A feasibility study by design agency Halogen, under commission from Innovation Norway and several large municipalities, inspired Block Watne to start this project. The study indicated that there were major challenges associated with waste in the construction industry. There is generally poor planning, much damage to materials and loss in connection with production.

A waste-free construction site is about developing a form of production that does not generate waste, either by the actual construction sites or by the manufacturer.  In the first phase OBOS Block Watne will start with timber framing.

“We will develop a form of production for structural timber that generates zero waste, both on the construction site and at our respective manufacturers. Timber is an important input factor in all of our construction activities, and we consume up to 8,000 trailer loads every single year. This constitutes a large volume of waste, and we should do something with it,” says Sverre Kirkevold, Head of Development at OBOS Block Watne.

For many manufacturers this will involve using digital tools in the production process in order to increase industrialisation. OBOS Block Watne expects that all measures implemented in the project will eventually lead to reduced resource consumption, reduced costs and a greater competitive edge.

“This is extensive work. There’s no doubt that it will take time, but we are certain that we will manage it. We are approaching the job that lies ahead of us with a great deal of enthusiasm, because this really matters to us,” says Kirkevold.

Waste-free construction sites

• Waste-free construction sites were first discussed in an article written by John R. Moen in 2017.
• Sandnes Eiendomsselskap KF and Stavanger municipality were the first to respond and invited the construction industry to talks in 2018.
• Waste-free construction sites have subsequently been raised to a national initiative in which a total of 11 construction clients have stipulated requirements for waste-free construction sites. These construction clients are: Sandnes Eiendomsselskap KF, Stavanger municipality, Statsbygg, Kristiansand municipality, Bergen municipality, Tromsø municipality, Trondheim municipality, Municipal Undertaking for Educational Buildings and Property (Oslo municipality), Municipal Undertaking for Social Service Buildings (Oslo municipality), Bærum municipality and Drammen Eiendom KF.
• In the first place, waste-free construction sites are limited to newbuilds and the production of materials for newbuilds.
• The requirements for waste-free construction sites will take effect in 2022 or as soon as solutions for this are available in the market. In the first phase this includes wooden products, plaster, metals and packaging such as cardboard, paper and plastic.
• The joint initiative for waste-free construction sites has been formulated by the National Programme for Supplier Development and BAdigital/John R. Moen.

Sources:

• Innovation Norway – Waste-free construction sites (report, 2019)
• Statistics Norway – waste from building activity (2019)
• SSB - Avfall fra byggeaktivitet