The SCN is formed of academic institutions, R& D organisations, industry centres and trade bodies, and aspires to be the conduit through which expert knowledge, innovative ideas and best practice can be shared.

Its mission is to encourage the uptake of Smart Construction across the whole sector, including housing, and in doing so support the journey of transformation towards a more modern, productive, and sustainable construction sector. The SCN signposts innovative construction businesses towards the expertise and support they need to begin their transformative journey.

Shelagh Grant, chair of the SCN welcomed the announcement. She said: “Loughborough University is well regarded as a leading institution, offering a unique service to the construction industry, with a reputation for innovation in sustainability, high performance buildings, and digital construction. It is one of the largest integrated centres for built environment education in the UK, spanning architecture, building, quantity surveying, urban planning, and civil and architectural engineering.”

Chris Goodier, Professor of Construction Engineering and Materials, who led the submission added: “Loughborough has a great tradition of working closely with industry and government to address the great national and global challenges of today and tomorrow. We look forward to collaborating closely with the SCN and its partners across the spectrum of smart construction activities, including offsite manufacture and modern methods of construction, digital, and high-performance building.”