The ABC Collaborative has established topic-specific Working Groups as a framework for participants to cross-pollinate, collectively identify and address shared challenges, and explore potential collaborations.
Currently, the Collaborative Working Groups are: Integrated Systems and Manufacturing; Codes, Permitting, Testing and Accreditation; Embodied Carbon; Workforce; and Finance and Risk Management.
Collaborative Working Groups
Integrated Systems and Manufacturing
Focus areas: Identify viable existing integrated systems and manufacturing processes that can be applied to ABC; address the top obstacles to scaling ABC supply related to systems manufacturing; and adapt technology design, production, and installation practices to enable integrated ABC offerings. Objectives include: fostering opportunities for collaboration among ABC supply actors; exploring development of, and tools to support, industrialized integrated retrofit packages; establishing modular kits of design standards for new construction, including the hospitality sector.
Codes, Standards, Permitting, Testing, and Accreditation
Focus areas: Inform and advance acceptance of standards that enable ABC (including innovative, high performance off-site construction); and provide guidance for code compliance and consistent permitting approval for ABC products and projects. Objectives include: developing resources to help the emergent ABC industry navigate the fragmented and evolving codes landscape; and supporting the priming of AHJ officials to foster consistent and predictable application of applicable codes during permitting, inspections, and approvals.
Embodied Carbon
Focus areas: catalyze sector-wide adoption of low-to-no embodied carbon practices in the greater ABC community; and demonstrate the market advantages of low embodied carbon practices by developing tools and strategies for integrating them into design, manufacturing, and construction decisions.
Workforce
Focus areas: Inform the development and execution of ABC construction workforce studies covering capacity, productivity, and worker experience of ABC in comparison to traditional construction; provide feedback on, as well as useful case examples for, ABC narratives around workforce; and propose and discuss possible opportunistic engagements for the Collaborative around ABC-relevant workforce development and placement.
Finance and Risk Management
Focus areas: Identify major obstacles to the flow of efficient capital required to scale ABC (including use of UCC-based security for modular construction lending), financing solutions with the greatest potential to scale, other risk mitigation solutions that address lender concerns, and strategies for industry stakeholder collaborations that can scale capital availability for construction manufacturing and ABC activity. (Note: this Group is primarily an advisory group convened at appropriate times to discuss, provide input into, and validate high-priority finance and risk management work streams and objectives driven by the ABC Collaborative team, while also suggesting potential new ideas to be explored by the Collaborative.)
If you are interested in joining a working group, please contact us.