On my continuous quest for innovation in the AEC space, last year, I had to the opportunity to attend Autodesk University in sunny San Diego where I had the pleasure of speaking with Jaimie Johnston, Board Director and Head of Global Systems at Bryden Wood.
A leader in the industrialized construction space, Jaimie’s groundbreaking work has earned him an MBE for Services to Construction from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom. Our conversation centered on the transformative potential of design for manufacturing and assembly (DfMA), standardized design systems, and building integrated supply chains—all aimed at increasing efficiencies in the construction industry.
Watch the Full Conversation:
Being a pioneer in the adoption of a manufacturing-led approach to design and construction, Jaimie shared how DfMA evolved over the years. He emphasized how the industry should focus on developing standardized designs that can be utilized across multiple sites. This can be achieved by establishing innovative workflows between construction owners and manufacturing partners throughout an integrated project’s lifecycle. Additionally, Jaimie explained how Bryden Wood ensures seamless integration between design and execution using BIM for communication. He discussed examples from real-life projects including pharmaceuticals and healthcare projects in the UK, where Bryden Wood’s DfMA strategies have delivered cost savings, reduced timelines, and enhanced sustainability.
Long-lead items are among the key challenges in today’s construction schedules. One key to successful prefabrication is an integrated supply chain and adopting workflows to enable speed and scalability. By aligning with manufacturers, suppliers, and contractors early in the process, identifying key long-lead items, and acting on them during the early phases, teams can effectively accelerate schedules and deliverables—one of the key advantages of prefabrication. This approach ensures that ordering and deployment happen seamlessly, even on large-scale projects.
One of the positive impacts of implementing prefabrication techniques is to improve communities through upskilling and creating new career opportunities. As the construction industry continues to globalize, the importance of open-sourcing standardized product designs increases. This approach can significantly increase accessibility, particularly in regions with limited resources or expertise, and empowers more people to learn, adopt best practices, and drive better outcomes across the industry.
Prefabrication offers a broad spectrum of flexibility to a jobsite. It focuses on manufacturing individual components (e.g., panelized wall systems, roofs) in a factory for later assembly or, in some cases, directly built on-site using cold-formed steel machines that efficiently produce hundreds of studs per day then assembled quickly at each floor. Similarly, 3D printing buildings often occur on-site, leveraging the efficiencies of industrialized innovations and utilizing BIM data to guide the manufacturing processes.
On the other hand, offsite construction encompasses the complete process of creating small and/or larger sections, additive-manufactured components, or volumetric modular units off-site. These are then transported to the construction site for final assembly and installation.
Achieving efficiencies can range from using a single prefabricated component to employing a fully offsite modular solution ready for assembly. The choice of the right approach depends on a case-by-case evaluation, considering the project’s schedule, type, and the specific schedule and logistical challenges presented at each jobsite. In some cases, a hybrid approach, combining both on-site and prefabricated components, can be the most efficient solution.
Technologies like generative design, BIM/MEP coordination, and digital twins are powerful on their own, but when combined, they can transform prefabrication and offsite construction. By leveraging these advancements to address specific challenges on projects, alongside open-source collaboration, the industry can achieve new levels of efficiency, adaptability, and environmental responsibility.
