The conversation started by discussing the trends in data centre density..

Conventional design either has a presumption towards conventional construction or is agnostic regarding the construction method.Conversely, a DfMA design is developed to be constructed in a particular way..

When designing for manufacture and assembly, the designer must find the best way to meet the client’s requirements by considering the most efficient way to manufacture elements of the building and the most efficient way to assemble them on site.Manufacturing and assembly processes can be carried out in off-site or near-site factories and consolidation centres and also within the site itself.. DfMA means the designer needs to consider the construction methods that will be used from early in a project.Furthermore, to construct a building that has been designed using DfMA the builder needs to understand the basis of the design and how it has informed the construction approach.

This means DfMA can be much more collaborative than conventional design, bringing the designer and builder closer together to pursue a common goal..There are many different methods of constructing a building.

In addition to conventional methods, alternatives have been developed that deploy prefabrication, pre-assembly, design standardisation and/or automation to some degree and these are collectively referred to as Modern Methods of Construction (MMC)..

Exploring the MMC toolkit: from offsite construction to PPVC and beyond.This is distributed to pre-qualified suppliers who have the capability and capacity to respond.

A price is calculated within seconds (for straightforward processes such as CNC machining) to a day or so for more complex requests.Xometry has a huge amount of pricing data from which it can generate instant quotes which can be validated or refined with vendors.

Once the price is agreed, the selected suppliers produce the components to set specifications and arrange delivery..This ‘manufacturing as a service’ could have significant benefits for a Platform approach to construction.