DfMA Platform Design and Digital Construction

Digital advancement in the construction industry has always been at the forefront of driving the industry forward. Currently, the UK construction industry is working at BIM Level 2, which was mandated in 2012 for public projects. But the industry has always struggled to achieve BIM Level 2, and many organisations still with 2D designs. The issue with the uptake of new technology is that there is no clarity among how costs vary and how designers can adopt these new technologies while not standardising their creativity but ensuring clients get the best value for money at the quickest rate possible.

This paper will shed light on why the industry struggles in costing these new methods and at the same time, how the industry can achieve standardisation through specific sectors and what change in mentality the industry needs. These will be investigated using a qualitative study by interviewing experts from the industry and rigorously analysing their responses. The significance of this study is it helps shed light on how the government can introduce new policies to drive the industry to a proactive mindset but at the same time benefit those in th industry and country-wide population. At the same time, this research opens doors to more research that can be carried out in terms of design and procurement models the industry currently has.

This study shows that the industry is not ready for a P-DfMA mandate as yet but is not far from it. It is important the government create clear guidelines for the industry to work towards a P-DfMA, which will make the adoption process much easier, unlike BIM Level 2, which was not approached well by the industry. Similarly, there is evidence of P-DfMA having synergies with DBB, which might help the UK achieve the aims set by the CBB, CIH and the government.

Hence these results should change the industry’s perspective on how we can approach costing P-DfMA and how we need to change the perception of designing assets.