Gerth, R; Boqvist, A; Bjelkemyr, M and Lindberg, B (2013) Design for construction: Utilizing production experiences in development. Construction Management and Economics, 31(2), pp. 135-150. ISSN 1466433X
Abstract
The design process has a significant impact on the performance and profitability of a housing project. Therefore, decisions made during the design process should take into consideration knowledge and experience from other processes in previously accomplished projects, specifically from the production phase. How to capture and use production experience in housing has not gained enough interest, possibly leading to sub-optimal improvements during the construction process. This motivates research on how onsite production experience from similar previous projects can be captured and used to improve constructability without risking customer values. Based on the concept of constructability, 'design for manufacturing and assembly' and the theory of waste, the method 'design for construction' (DFC) has been developed. The four-step model complements the conventional construction process, and consists of the following steps: (1) specify customer values and similar previous projects; (2) identify onsite waste and cost drivers in previous projects; (3) develop criteria to evaluate constructability; and (4) evaluate constructability of the design. The DFC method is exemplified and tested through a case study, in which it was shown that the method facilitated identification of all problems that were considered in the investigated project. The method also highlighted other project obstacles that potentially could have been solved to improve constructability.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | constructability; design for construction; feedback; lean construction; residential |
| Index terms: | design process, constructability, construction process, profitability, housing project, onsite, housing, lean construction, case study |
| Subjects: | construction type, building construction, data collection methods, housing and residential development, design methods, construction integration, economic analysis |
| Topics: | Site Management, Business Strategy, Urban Studies, Research Practice, Construction Technology, Design Practice |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCE |
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