The Jump Factory - reaching new heights in construction productivity

Abstract

The Jump Factory is an innovative construction technique developed and implemented by Mace and consultants Davies Maguire to construct two residential towers in the East Village, London. This was in direct response to an industry shift towards offsite and modular construction, in order to address current and future challenges such as the housing crisis, labour shortages and construction’s carbon footprint. The intention was to replicate factory conditions on site, in order to construct the towers using modular and prefabricated elements, resulting in an improved programme, increased productivity and safety, and a reduction in the carbon footprint. The basic premise was to build a fully functioning factory, use the factory to construct a floor of the building, then once the floor was completed on a weekly cycle, jack the factory up and start again. This paper describes the structural form of the factory, its support system and weekly lift cycle. It highlights the level of coordination achieved throughout the off-site works and discusses the measured benefits to programme, quality control, safety and sustainability targets. It also discusses the lessons learned from the factory operation and how it could be optimised for further use.