Design and application of a DFMA-based modular library of precast concrete components for assembled buildings

Abstract Assembled buildings can enable the construction industry to move in a more industrial direction. However, the design, production and installation of assembled buildings are difficult to standardise and do not meet the requirements of industrialised assembled buildings. Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DFMA), a well-established product design concept, can assist in improving this situation. This paper analyses the links between DFMA and the construction industry. The design concept of DFMA is introduced into prefabricated concrete components in assembled buildings by proposing a secondary split modularisation of prefabricated concrete components. Combining parametric design and building information modelling (BIM), a DFMA-oriented method for creating a modular library of precast concrete components is proposed. Nevertheless, the DFMA-based parametric module creation process and the system architecture and data flow in the module library are explored and developed. To enable better application of the module library, a DFMA-oriented process optimisation process for the whole assembly building process is proposed. Finally, the optimisation of the module library for the industrialised design process of assembled buildings is verified using a case study.