Construction hubs (Bouwhubs)

The following problems will be solved during this project: the inaccessibility of construction sites (due to traffic, the ban of heavy vehicles in city centers, …), the increasing number of renovations (leading to more and smaller logistic flows), higher logistical costs, and limited storage spaces of construction sites.

A construction hub will serve as a specified area where all the activities relating to transport, logistics, and goods distribution for construction sites will be realized. One construction hub is meant to serve multiple sites, which not only makes it possible to achieve smart consolidation and large-scale benefits, on the construction sites but also with deliveries to the sites.

OPPORTUNITIES

• Construction hubs provide more efficient logistics, e.g. by decreasing the amount of shipments and fewer actions on the construction sites.
• More efficient logistics to the construction sites lead to a decrease in costs, e.g. shorter waiting times.
• Less storage on the sites prevents theft and damage.

Construction hubs create economic activities for value-added logistics, like the pre-manufacturing of materials.

From a societal perspective, more efficient logistics can have a positive effect on the environment and traffic. As a result, a construction hub can therefore inspire companies to plan their deliveries during off-peak hours.

Results

• A construction hub can be an efficient connection between suppliers of construction materials and construction sites.
• A construction hub is a place where flows of goods and materials can be centralized or possibly prefabricated before being distributed to different construction sites in the area. It can offer services such as storage, quality control, composition of construction packages, pre-assembly, just-in-time delivery, group deliveries, and return logistics.
• The biggest city in Flanders, Antwerp, was chosen as a test environment for this project.
• A simulation model calculated different scenarios for six construction sites in the city, comparing the situation with and without the use of a construction hub.
• It simulated the total cost, as well as the CO2 emissions, the total transport distance, the number of transport movements in the city, and the average load rate of the transports.
• The results show that by creating a construction hub, the logistical costs can decrease by 42 %.
• By using a construction hub, it is possible to organize the logistics more efficiently: the number of transport movements decreases and the average load rate of transports increases
• It also allows for better planning of the site activities.
• Construction hubs also have a positive impact on the environment: 41 % less truck transport, which means less harmful emissions and less congestion in the cities.