Reducing the size of the photovoltaic array from 24 to 12 units would reduce carbon by 12 kgCO2/m2.

“Construction Platforms for Asia: Thoughts on the DfMA Journey in Asia-Pacific”.discussed some recent developments in my region but the interest in using DfMA on construction projects to drive benefits related to cost and programme, quality, productivity, health and safety and sustainability is growing worldwide.. As DfMA grows from a niche topic into a mainstream conversation in the construction industry, more and more government and private sector stakeholders are getting involved developing strategies and finding opportunities.

However, there is a fundamental challenge hindering newcomers to DfMA and MMC – understanding what these terms actually mean.. Confusion is a barrier to change: talking about Modern Methods of Construction.The DfMA landscape is littered with acronyms, abbreviations and terminology that is often poorly defined and even more poorly understood.Terms such as DfMA, MMC, Offsite construction, Prefab, PPVC, MiC and many more are often used interchangeably resulting in great confusion not only for newcomers but also established players in the industry..

I believe the lack of clarity around nomenclature in the DfMA landscape has become a major barrier to change.A clear and universally understood definition framework would help increase stakeholder awareness and confidence in adopting innovative construction methods and could help encourage a more structured and focused conversation across the industry at large..

The minefield of different terms means there is a tendency to assume that the landscape is complicated but there really is a simple relationship between all these different elements and it starts with DfMA.. DfMA is a design approach.

The clue is in the name.Standardise and digitise (as far as possible and/or desirable) the rules under which designs are - by different parties - created, submitted, assessed, consulted on, amended, approved and ultimately built.. Agree the interoperable standard datasets that will enable this, and how to generate and use them.. As already said, the aim of this project is not to create a single solution for this process; we do not believe a single solution is in anyone’s best interests.

We are interested in realising the environment within which one or multiple solutions can be developed and operate together.. To date we have focused on scoping each stage of the process and developing a demo version of how a digital planning process would operate.The demo version is a series of dashboards showing how sets of interoperable data will enable the planning process at its various stages; which elements can be automated and which will require human intervention; and where we can connect with existing solutions.. Standardising and digitising the rules and datasets will enable us to move from demo to reality.. As said earlier, this is not a question of starting from scratch (or reinventing the wheel): the data already generated through the use of BIM and 3D modelling will form the basis of this process.

Established formats such as BCF already allow for rich data sharing (although they are not always used to achieve this).The task that lies ahead – and the project that will fundamentally reshape the landscape – is to define shared underlying rules that will allow the existing parts to connect, and facilitate the creation of new applications to plug the gaps and create onward connections.. Impact on key planning roles.