AEC perceptions on DFMA collaboration and supporting technologies for prefabricated housing in Australia and New Zealand

Abstract

This paper presents survey results regarding Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) professionals' perceptions about Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DFMA) collaboration for prefabricated housing in Australia and New Zealand, and perceptions about its supporting digital technologies. Prefabricated Construction (PC) provides a viable and promising approach for addressing Australia and New Zealand's current housing crisis, by enhanced delivery of housing projects, due to PC's numerous benefits such as faster delivery, better quality control, cost benefits, and greater sustainability performance. DFMA principles encourage consideration of manufacturing and assembly knowledge in the early design stage, since that allows stakeholders to work collaboratively during the early design stage to increase constructability and productivity. Hence the effective application of DFMA methodology to enhance PC projects represents a key goal for current prefabrication practices. However, the application of DFMA principles to PC currently remains very limited and challenging, and currently there is a lack of digital technologies for supporting DFMA application using an integrated holistic design approach. To address these issues, this study surveyed 50 design and construction professionals in Australia and New Zealand, regarding their professional views and insights into the issues. The results suggest that some main current barriers against implementing DFMA in PC projects, has been the stakeholders' level of understanding of DFMA, as well as stakeholders' extent of collaboration and limitations in communication. Additionally, the results suggest that current barriers for applying digital technologies to DFMA collaboration in PC projects are cost hesitancy, limits of stakeholders' digital skillsets, lack of industry readiness, as well as barriers around digital integration and interoperability of digital tools. The study has identified a strong future need in Australia and New Zealand for implementation of DFMA principles into PC projects, and a need for further development of associated digital technologies.