Automotive plants have been churning out thousands of precisely manufactured components daily for decades, yet construction sites still resemble orchestrated chaos. However, rising material costs, persistent labor shortages, and increasing demands for sustainability are forcing a fundamental question: why haven’t we embraced the manufacturing principles that have transformed other industries?
While there have been hurdles to adoption in the past, Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DfMA) has emerged as a possible – and, more importantly, viable – solution. This approach is a paradigm shift that’s already reshaping how we think about building.
Designing for manufacturing and assembly flips traditional construction logic on its head. Instead of designing buildings as unique, one-off designs and figuring out production later, this approach integrates manufacturing and assembly requirements from day one.
This isn’t theoretical anymore. When COVID-19 demanded rapid hospital construction, design for manufacturing and assembly principles enabled modular facilities to be delivered in weeks rather than months. Similarly, Singapore’s Prefabricated Prefinished Volumetric Construction (PPVC) program has demonstrated how prefabricated volumetric construction can slash both time and cost risks across large-scale housing projects.
This approach rests on three foundational principles that successful teams are already implementing: component standardization, optimization for prefabrication, and early collaboration. Together, these three principles enable teams to maximize the benefits: fewer errors, faster construction, higher quality, improved efficiency, and lower costs, to name but a few.
The gap between theory and practice can be overcome with design tools that support manufacturing thinking from the start.
Rather than forcing teams to translate designs into manufacturing requirements later, integrated platforms enable manufacturing considerations during initial design development. When your BIM model understands machine parameters for mesh welding systems, production constraints for precast elements, and assembly sequences for steel connections, design decisions automatically align with manufacturing capabilities.
The integration extends beyond design coordination. Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) connect digital models directly to production equipment, ensuring that design intent translates accurately into manufactured components. This isn’t just efficiency – it’s precision at scale.
Cloud-based collaboration tools also enable real-time coordination across distributed teams, while open standards ensure that models move seamlessly from design through to structural analysis and production without information loss. The result is a digital thread that connects design decisions to manufacturing outcomes.
The “Talards” residential complex in Saint Malo, France, demonstrates the benefits of designing for manufacturing and assembly with a unique twist. Société de Préfabrication de Landaul (SPL) faced an unusual challenge: creating aesthetically striking facade elements that could withstand demanding marine conditions.
Using elastic matrices, SPL produced structured precast walls with creative surface textures while maintaining manufacturing precision. The coastal location demanded particularly thick matrices to ensure adequate cover that would resist the salty air and high humidity – a design constraint that traditional construction would have struggled to manage consistently across 490m² of façade.
The critical challenge was aligning vertical joints and structural matrices between floors. Using ALLPLAN Precast, SPL’s design team automated complex workflows that ensured precise coordination throughout the manufacturing process. The result was 33 residential units across 5 floors, with planning completed in six months and wall erection finished in just four months.
This project is an excellent example – enabling architectural ambition through manufacturing intelligence. By integrating marine-resistant design requirements with automated production workflows, SPL delivered a creative building that was efficient to construct.
Looking ahead, the convergence of design for manufacture and assembly with Design for Disassembly (DfD) points toward truly circular construction practices. Buildings designed for efficient assembly can also be designed for efficient disassembly, keeping materials in productive use across multiple lifecycle phases.
The companies positioning themselves for this future aren’t just adopting new principles – they’re investing in the digital tools that make those principles practical. They’re building teams that think like manufacturers while solving construction challenges. They’re creating processes that deliver the predictability, quality, and efficiency that modern construction demands.
The question isn’t whether DfMA approaches will reshape construction. The question is whether you’ll be ready when your clients demand the speed, quality, and sustainability that only manufacturing-minded construction can deliver.
Ready to explore how designing for manufacture can transform your construction projects? Download ALLPLAN's comprehensive guide "Unlocking the Secrets of Design for Manufacturing and Assembly: The Ultimate AEC Guide" or visit our website to discover our integrated AEC solutions that bridge design, manufacturing, and construction.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in AECbytes sponsored articles are those of the sponsor and do not represent or reflect the views of AECbytes.
