The quest to digitise the planning system involves a complex ecosystem of different industry players coming together.

I have tried to summarise the above in simple terms to illustrate how the DfMA landscape can be viewed in the context of the industry.. DfMA is a design approach that considers ways to efficiently construct buildings by manufacturing and assembling their constituent parts..Designers apply DfMA by considering, evaluating and applying the toolkit of innovations collectively referred to as MMC..

The MMC toolkit includes a range of systems, components and material and process innovations including off-site and site-based solutions.New MMC innovations are developed all the time.. Design to Value: moving forward with DfMA.As designers we at Bryden Wood believe strongly in the DfMA approach and have used it successfully on many projects to achieve considerable benefits.. We advocate for any designer of buildings to apply a DfMA approach by considering efficient construction methods to leverage the benefits of manufacturing and assembly, and design with them in mind from the earliest stage.. Getting started with DfMA is the hardest part and too big a topic to discuss in detail here but a great first step is to keep up to date with MMC innovations and think about how those innovations can be used to deliver better project outcomes.. Clients can support greater uptake of DfMA by demanding the best value project outcomes to ensure a benefit-driven approach to MMC adoption is applied on their projects.. As the MMC toolkit grows it becomes more and more powerful.

It is great to see players across the whole construction industry developing new innovative approaches to construction that expand the MMC toolkit.. To help the industry move forward, governments also have a role to play by encouraging and rewarding innovation and providing streamlined (but still robust) regulatory approvals processes for MMC innovations.. With a strong and diverse MMC toolkit and growing DfMA experience in the design professions, the industry as a whole will be better positioned to seize the opportunity to deliver better performing buildings, with less resources, that deliver maximum value to clients.These are the key aims of a Design to Value approach.. [1].

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/modern-methods-of-construction-working-group-developing-a-definition-frameworkdownload our façade engineering brochure here.

Bryden Wood is a wide-ranging company with expertise and experience across sectors and specialisms..The question is, how do we help governments make choices that support their ambitions?

Value drivers aren’t exactly the same from one country to the next, and so we’ll need to help them make choices based on what’s best for their own local needs, projects and communities..Although our technical services and products are becoming increasingly exportable and marketable, we need a more cohesive and collaborative approach regarding how we bring that UK construction value proposition to market.

It may be that BIM unlocks value, or value unlocks finance, or finance unlocks BIM, but there is a real chance to develop a ‘UK brand’ construction approach that we can sell internationally.We don’t want to compete on how cheaply we can provide labor and concrete.