February 9-11, 2023

Overview

Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DFMA) is a design approach that focuses on ease of manufacturing and efficiency of assembly. In North America, due to the fragmented nature of construction whereby the designers, engineers, manufacturer, and contractors all work independently, bridging this knowledge gap will help improve the success rate of projects.  DFMA will improve projects by reducing time, waste, cost and labour, while increasing quality and efficiency.

3–Day Workshop

This 3-day hands-on workshop was held in a lecture-design-build format and led by faculty and staff at the UBC Centre for Advanced Wood Processing (CAWP) and the UBC School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (SALA). 

The expertise from industry leaders in design, engineering, fabrication, and installation was also called upon to discuss lessons learned in mass timber construction. Participants were guided through the process of designing mass-timber projects with the consideration of manufacturing technologies.  

The use of digital technology in design and manufacturing are aiding the realization of mass-timber projects.   The participants were supported through a design-build exercise utilizing Computer Aided Design (CAD) software for design and Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) software for manufacturing of components.  The project culminated with the fabrication of components and the assembly of a mass-timber structure.