- ABB and UK start-up AUAR began collaborating in 2023 to showcase the value of automation in the construction industry by creating a scalable model for building affordable, sustainable timber homes using robotic micro-factories
- The innovative process, supported by ABB's Robotics & Automation Ventures approach allows customized homes to be built in a few weeks, and addresses challenges such as skills shortages, sustainable operations, health and safety, and simplified supply chains.
- ABB’s collaboration with AUAR was awarded ‘Best Use of Robotics or Automation in Construction’ at the 2023 Robotics & Automation Awards.
A collaboration between ABB and an innovative UK start-up is showcasing the value of automation to the construction industry. AUAR – Automated Architecture – has devised a model that builds affordable, sustainable timber homes, in robotic micro-factories.
Their use of robotic solutions, supported by ABB, addresses multiple challenges facing the construction industry, including:
- skills shortages
- demand for sustainable operations
- improved health and safety
- need for simplified supply chains
STREAMLINED WORKFLOW AND A SCALABLE SOLUTION
The scalable model, which can be adopted globally in a network of micro-factories, streamlines production by using a single construction material – timber – and one type of robot.
The approach is in contrast to conventional building techniques, which rely on thousands of globally sourced components, making them impossible to automate.
ABB Robotics & Automation Ventures has joined an investment group to support AUAR’s vision of using a single robot to cut standard sheets of timber into components, then assembling them into units for transport to site. The efficiency of the process, devised by AUAR’s CEO Mollie Claypool and CTO/ Chief Architect Gilles Retsin, means customized homes can be built in a just a few weeks.
MICROFACTORIES TO SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESS
Local workforces are supported by the workflow, as it supports the use of micro-factories close to construction sites, where contractors and suppliers can coordinate delivery.
These micro-factories are also sufficiently flexible to adapt to local market need. In cases of high demand, modular robot cells can be added.
The increasing capabilities of robots enabled by vision and AI, coupled with their inherent speed, flexibility and consistency, makes them the ideal solution for meeting the growing need for affordable, high quality, sustainable housing.
Craig McDonnell, Managing Director Business Line Industries, ABB Robotics
A 2023 global market survey by ABB Robotics recorded 95 percent of building firms describing sustainability as “important” or “very important” to their businesses, with 38 percent regarding robots as a means of reducing waste. Other findings are shown below.
Our collaboration with AUAR opens new possibilities for homebuilders to deliver affordable sustainable homes at scale.
Craig McDonnell, Managing Director Business Line Industries, ABB Robotics
ABB’s collaboration with AUAR was awarded ‘Best Use of Robotics or Automation in Construction’ at the 2023 Robotics & Automation Awards.
It extends ABB’s existing worldwide engagement in helping construction companies automate their processes. In Germany, ABB is working with Porsche Consulting to develop innovative new practices in modular housing manufacture. Globally, ABB robots are widely used in modular assembly and 3D printing building projects.
With the focus on the dual needs of building more affordable homes and minimizing the environmental footprint of buildings throughout their lifetime, automated modular construction presents a great opportunity to rethink the way that the buildings are constructed.
Craig McDonnell, Managing Director Business Line Industries, ABB Robotics
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