Towards developing partnership models for leveraging design for manufacture and assembly (DfMA) for school buildings

The substantial efforts made in implementing DfMA (Design for Manufacture and Assembly) in construction developments thus far have been scattered. Past research has focused on the operational practice of volumetric and non-volumetric assembly, component manufacture and sub-assembly and modular building. This paper seeks to cover a comprehensive review with case studies to explore how DfMA can be leveraged in the design and delivery of school buildings. Three case studies were conducted to demonstrate how DfMA methods were applied in actual projects identifying the challenges and issues confronted. The adopted techniques and involved challenges in school building projects were identified along with the capability and risk profiles that come with the opportunities to lead DfMA projects. Reengineering as an aspect to engage in DfMA-led construction developments, and how this may impact current services of a construction firm were evaluated. The results reveal effective partnership models to establish a sustainable business model for DfMA school buildings followed by a project feedback collection model. The partnership models developed provide guidance to establish relationships to achieve the maximum potential of DfMA in school projects. The project feedback collection model promotes better circulation of lessons learned for the advancement in future projects.