We interviewed Karl-Heinz Weiss, Lendlease’s former guru on modern methods of construction, on Monday. It was in preparation for our next Navigating Sustainability 2025 monthly leaders’ forums.
And, wow, what a knockout. We kept Weiss talking way beyond what we promised. His views were both penetrating and illuminating. It gave us an inkling into why he was so highly recommended as one of the handful of insiders in Australia who truly understand what’s going on in the world of MMC, or prefab or whatever other name is given to finding ways to disrupt the stagnant old and inefficient ways continue to use to deliver buildings.
In February, Danielle Wood, chair of the Productivity Commission, took an almighty swipe at this sector, that is one of the most important in the Australian economy. We use it for the most important economic activity of all – building our houses and our workplaces.
Productivity was appalling, Wood said. Worse than any other sector, and in recent years, it had deteriorated further.
On that score, Weiss was an eye opener. We’ve got a full story coming soon on that and the other issues Weiss flagged. But here are a few nuggets: there’s a “tech as a silver bullet” fascination, and it’s not enough to make MMC work; and we need a business model that squares up to the opportunities, with better supply chains. There’s also a lot that can be done to improve traditional building methods.
Weiss started his life in cabinet making, choosing this hands-on career ahead of university before being headhunted by Lendlease, which brought his entire team to Australia. More to come … soon.
Also sharing their deep expertise on the day will be:
- Lasse Lind, whose company the Danish based GXN specialises in circular design (designing for disassembly), behavioural design (how people interact with buildings) and technology to push innovation to make buildings more sustainable, as UNSW’s Philip Oldfield said in an interview with Lind a few years ago. GXN designed Circle House in Denmark, the country’s first circular social housing project – “90 per cent of its building materials are intended for future re-use”.
- Ross Harding, creative consultant and principal at Finding Infinity, whose work you have probably come across and been intrigued by. Harding says it’s about “speeding up the world’s transition to self-sufficient cities” through working with architects, businesses and government to build master plans and blueprints. The company’s A New Normal was a proposal from 15 architecture firms to turn Greater Melbourne from a consumer to a producer, allowing the city to become completely self-sufficient.