EXPERT COLUMN

By Ben Leitch, CXO Cyber Connections and Digital Content Manager

With Britain short of 25,000 bricklayers and the government’ s housing targets slipping further out of reach, could robotic bricklayers be the answer, or are they just another layer of hype in construction tech?

ritain’ s housing crisis has many causes – planning delays, spiralling costs and a workforce stretched to breaking point. The latest figures from the Home Builders Federation and the Construction Industry Training Board warn of a shortage of at least 25,000 bricklayers. Into this gap steps a new contender: robot brickies, developed by Dutch start-up, Monumental, now set to be trialled in the UK.

Each robot, fitted with mechanical arms, can lay around 500 bricks per eight-hour shift. Programmed to work 24 / 7, they could in theory outpace human masons. One supervisor must oversee two machines; however, they can do so without being a qualified brickie. At a projected cost of £ 1 per brick, the economics look tempting.

Advocates stress the potential. Galostar boss, Tony Chapman, whose firm helped build the Olympic Stadium, argues robots can ease labour shortages:“ They don’ t need breaks, they don’ t take time off, and so if you have several of them

It risks being a gimmick that papers over deeper structural issues. you will know exactly what your output is going to be.” Monumental Co-founder, Salar al Khafaji, adds that automation could even revive ornate Victorian-style facades long abandoned because of cost and time pressures.

But the excitement should be tempered with realism. These machines currently only build straight walls and simple corners and need to be under constant human supervision. British building standards are demanding, and any scheme still needs trained oversight, design input and the judgment of skilled tradespeople.

The question, then, is not whether robots will replace brickies, but whether they can augment a workforce under pressure. Used wisely, automation could free skilled workers to focus on more complex work, improve predictability on site and widen access to construction jobs. But used poorly, it risks being a gimmick that papers over deeper structural issues such as training pipelines, planning reform and investment in affordable housing.

Robotic bricklayers are no silver bullet. But in an industry where productivity has flatlined for decades, perhaps it’ s time to let the machines take some of the strain, while remembering that craft, judgement and experience remain irreplaceable. �

18 www. intelligentbuild. tech