While Offsite may be proclaimed as the future of the construction industry, if we are to truly deliver on this Offsite vision and reap the rewards then we need to change the way we are approaching projects.
Here, Duncan Reed, Digital Construction Process Manager at Trimble (UK) explores the Designing for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) approach and how it can help to bring the benefits of Offsite to life.
A topic on everyone’s lips, it’s no secret that Offsite is heralded as holding the key to the industry’s modernised, prosperous and efficient future. Its benefits are well-known, from time and cost savings to better construction quality and reduced material waste, and the UK Government has also delivered a clear push on these more modern methods. Featuring heavily in its plans to “build better, faster and greener”, Offsite also dominated the 2020 Construction Playbook, in which the government calls for the adoption of a manufacturing-led approach and the use of innovation and Modern Methods of Construction in the delivery of public works projects.
However, if we are to truly deliver on this Offsite vision and reap its promised rewards – of which there are plenty – it needs to be considered from the very outset of a project. If you take a step back, the success and delivery of any project will often be determined as early on as the initial concept and design phase, with each completed stage in turn influencing and shaping the next. Clearly a change of mindset is required, with the offsite way of thinking and offsite processes required right from the initial stages of a project.
Indeed, despite the title (offsite construction), the process stretches far beyond just the final construction and assembly phase. Only if a project is designed, modelled and detailed with offsite manufacturing and assembly in mind, can the value of these modern methods be truly realised.
