Developers of tall buildings around the world continue the search for innovative ways to save time, cost and space.

In recent years, the focus has been on finding ways to save time in high-rise building construction. This has been driven by increasing housing demand and increasing (or volatile) real estate costs, as well as negative publicity around time over-runs in construction projects. Innovative technologies that save time in installation are much in demand, including in the piping systems, where the potentially higher purchase cost can be offset by significant time savings.

Cost of materials, cost of installation, cost of maintenance, etc. are critical in ensuring the viability of a project. In high-rise buildings, level-to-level floor space is expensive. In addition, problems are more complex than they would be in a low-rise, and multiply on every level. Traditional solutions take more floor space and are less flexible.

The elements of time, cost and space are tightly interlinked. Value-engineering, an approach that seeks to develop the most functional solutions at the lowest possible cost, brings benefits and savings to all phases of a project, from design, construction to ultimately the use of the system. Value engineering saves time, costs and space by continually evaluating design and construction options and selecting the most appropriate ones.

Modular building is another approach that supports savings in time and costs.

“Our modular high-rise system provides savings of up to 25% over conventional building methods, produces less material waste and a much safer work environment … Modular builds meet or exceed all wind and earthquake standards, and provide superior fire protection. This makes the system ideal for hotels, apartments, and student accommodation.”

– Sean Murrie, director at Matrix Homes in New Zealand, a modular home company

The key challenges linked to time, cost and space include: