Building Design for Manufacture and Assembly (BDfMA): Reframing the Design-Production Relationship in Industrialised Construction

This thesis examines how an engineering concept derived from the manufacturing industries—Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA)—might be applied to the design and production of buildings. DfMA is an approach to improving production efficiency through product design, and has traditionally been heavily focused on the optimisation of the M, manufacturing, and A, assembly aspects. This study identifies the need for a construction-specific DfMA, proposing a re-evaluation and valorisation of the D, Design. A preliminary Building Design for Manufacture and Assembly framework is proposed, which serves to highlight the interdependence of building design decisions with respect to production.