Development of a Design-for-manufacture-and-assembly (DfMA) Framework to Enhance Design and Production Efficiency in Offsite Construction

Offsite construction presents an alternative approach to traditional stick-built construction methods. This technique involves fabricating building components in an indoor offsite environment before transporting them to the construction site for installation. Offsite construction offers flexibility in terms of construction product types. In the manufacturing industry, the design-for-manufacture-and-assembly (DfMA) approach assesses the ease of assembly and manufacturability of a product from a design standpoint. Due to the similarities between manufacturing and offsite construction, the application of DfMA principles to offsite construction ensures efficient and high-quality product prefabrication. For example, in offsite construction, computer-aided design (CAD) models must be transformed into computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) information for production purposes. Consequently, it becomes imperative for the offsite construction industry to establish DfMA frameworks that evaluate design and manufacturing efficiency and utilize these assessments as a foundation for continuous improvement. In this proposed project, Prestige Homes, a company based in New Brunswick, Canada, will collaborate with the University of New Brunswick’s Off-site Construction Research Centre to achieve two primary objectives. Firstly, the study aims to explore interoperability among various Building Information Modeling (BIM) tools utilized in offsite construction. Secondly, it seeks to develop DfMA-based metrics that evaluate design and production efficiencies.

Faculty Supervisor:

Zhen Lei

Student:

Partner:

Prestige Homes

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Manufacturing

University:

University of New Brunswick

Program: