It is for this reason, we’re delighted to join a coalition of leading industry professionals who have contributed to a new guide and primer illustrating how the industry can work together and address the climate emergency..

Platform Design for Manufacture and Assembly (P-DfMA) offers a unique opportunity to refocus an industry beset by problems: low productivity, poor value, an aging workforce and not enough new workers.Operating in this current state, the construction industry simply can’t meet the needs of the future.

Our global population is increasing rapidly – it’s estimated to reach 11.5 billion by 2050.So there’s an unavoidable need to create high-quality and sustainable infrastructure for vast numbers of people, including housing, education, healthcare and transport.At the same time, our environment demands change, with the building and construction industry contributing a staggering 39% of global carbon emissions.

We must alter the way we design and build dramatically, both to keep pace with the needs of society and to prevent the acceleration of global warming.. At Bryden Wood, we are showing how this can be achieved through a process of industry collaboration and the adoption of modern methods of construction (MMC).By MMC, we mean all forms of innovation in construction - physical forms like P-DfMA, as well as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), robotics, data, automation, point cloud surveys, and so on… This is all in addition to the frequently used term ‘offsite’ which, in fact, only represents one aspect of MMC, or industrialized construction.

We aren’t exclusively referring to the process of manufacturing large modules in factories and moving everything off construction sites.

Although offsite will certainly form part of the solution, we propose to use a full range of new techniques and technologies, including platform design.Practical applications to drive efficiency with DES and DfMA.

Recently, we have applied Discrete Event Simulation (DES) in a project for the rapid DfMA construction of storage and distribution facilities, building flexible, digital models that can represent both the on-site assembly sequences and the supply chain operations for the construction of multiple sites in Europe.In doing so we can validate and optimise the construction programme whilst also gaining insights into frequency and pattern of deliveries.

This data can then be used to optimise stock quantities and locations, as well as discover any potential bottlenecks and options for alleviating these, to support the most efficient build sequence.. Bryden Wood has successfully applied these techniques to Platform construction (P-DfMA) and continues to do so for large clients.In using these Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) methodologies and tools we can slowly aid transformation and delivery value whilst addressing some of the most pressing sector and global issues which are faced today.. To learn more about our Design to Value approach and Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA), sign up for our monthly newsletter here:.