Industrialisation and lean thinking
Buildings and infrastructure projects are generally bespoke and designed for the needs of end-users and local communities. The individual nature of projects has historically prevented harnessing the benefits of standardisation, mass production and offsite manufacture.
DfMA changes this mindset at the design stage. Through standardised solutions, including technologies and processes already used successfully in other industries, it is possible to deliver many benefits:
- Faster onsite installation and more controlled onsite processes
- Improved programme certainty and reduced commercial risk
- Improved design lead time
- Reduced workforce onsite, reducing risk and improving safety
- Reduced quality defects and associated waste
- Reduced operational and embodied carbon
- Economies of scale through optimised transport solutions and standardised products
By harnessing new digital design technologies and aligning them with offsite manufacturing facilities and onsite processes, a new, profoundly different design process can be developed.
This will support delivery of the UK Government's Construction 2025 strategy ambitions of 50% faster delivery, 50% lower greenhouse gas emissions, 50% improvements in exports (reducing the trade gap) and 33% lower costs – all by 2025.
Through applying DfMA principles, we have successfully delivered cost and time savings and accelerated delivery schedules at two projects; the Battersea Power Station redevelopment and Glenfrome School in Bristol.