What really is Design for Manufacture and Assembly – DfMA?

Mauro Burgio, Architectural Director and Head of Milan Office at Bryden Wood, writes this article proposing an in-depth vision on the topic Design for Manufacture and Assembly – DfMA, as an answer to the question: How can we make construction better, leaner and safer?

This article further develops the off-site construction topic, already previously addressed in other publications by Tecnostrutture Academy.

An introduction to Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA)

The issues faced by the construction industry are well known. Productivity has flatlined for decades, we have an aging workforce, a huge skills gap and a poor health and safety culture, both physical and mental. That’s all very wrong. At Bryden Wood, we’ve always viewed it as unacceptable that any other industry should be better than construction. Design for Manufacture and Assembly -DfMA - helps to address some of these concerns.

The article also covers the following topics:

- An introduction to Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA)
- Designing for manufacture and assembly – the importance of the process
- DfMA and the global perspective
- Minding your language: DfMA, modular, offsite, MMC
- The benefits of DfMA for architects and for clients
- Is DfMA a whole new way of thinking for architects?
- How DfMA delivers sustainable design
- DfMA - a holistic approach delivering whole-life benefits