Prefabrication is a shift from field construction to facility and field assembly
State-of-the-art construction technologies like prefabrication are changing the way we build. By transitioning from field construction to offsite manufacturing and field assembly, we’re promoting more effective and efficient solutions that control initial costs, maximize material and labor resources, and drive predictability and consistency.
DPR has more than two decades of experience in prefabrication construction and engineered-to-order (ETO) systems. Prefabrication construction is a continuously improving, efficient and effective approach—in which a building section is manufactured in a controlled environment and then transported to the jobsite as a ready-to-fit component—presents numerous benefits for owners, our design partners, and trade partners.
At DPR, we take a smarter approach to prefab construction:
We offer room for creativity. DPR is not constrained by a standard grid, and neither are our prefabrication services. Our experts can help you determine the best prefabrication products, means, and methods for your projects. Our customized approach allows architects to design buildings without the one-size-fits-all stigma surrounding prefabrication.
We are a technical builder first. Using industry-leading software developed by DPR's strategic partner Digital Building Components, prefabrication projects can go straight from digital design to digital fabrication, as we transform Revit models directly into precise-to-spec products.
We’re a start-to-finish provider, offering complete integrated solutions and services from off-site manufacturing to self-perform installation. Our digital fabrication allows for advanced customization to meet owners’ expectations.
We inspire confidence in expectations without rework. DPR’s prefabricated components are manufactured with the right balance of automation and human expertise in well-organized facilities following 5S methods—and we expect the same from our network of supply chain and trade partners. We know how to provide design model intelligence for prefabricated project scopes with the right level of detail, and our turnkey approach allows qualified personnel to install the end product.
Photo: EIG works with partners GPLA and Digital Building Components to design, layout and construct the room. As part of the DPR Family of Companies, all three companies share a builder skillset and mindset that sets the standard for best builders.
Cost Certainty
As prefab experts, the DPR team can better control costs by avoiding component price fluctuations between the proposal and delivery phases. Our digital component libraries, proven prefabricated products, and engineered-to-order (ETO) system costs can inform the design early on, providing predictability through the design and engineering process.
ScheduleSavings
With a collaborative approach to prefabrication construction, project schedules have seen reductions of 50% compared to the traditional field-assembly approach by:
Giving us a head start when compared to the traditional project delivery method timeline. Our design teams can model to a high level of detail (LOD 400+) very early in the process, allowing us to manufacture well-coordinated spaces off site while shovels break ground on site.
Enabling moreefficient on-site assembly. Issues can be anticipated and managed earlier in preconstruction projects through our virtual design and construction (VDC) process. This enables more efficient planning and logistics, streamlining installation at the same time.
Avoiding weather delays. Due to the controlled environment, free of inclement weather challenges, prefabrication results in a faster timeline no matter what mother nature brings.
Improved Quality AndAccess to Qualified Expertise
DPR leads the way when it comes to injecting lean manufacturing principles into the construction process. With our self-perform team of experienced and qualified installers, we can not only ensure quality installation but can also provide helpful insight early on. Our teams evaluate how the prefabricated products will be assembled both in manufacturing settings and onsite to inform project designs. We leverage automation to streamline workflows and reduce waste. This allows us to continuously improve overall manufacturing processes via design for manufacturing and assembly (DfMA) techniques, which improve the overall quality of the prefab product’s lifecycle.
Our prefabrication process optimizes the architect’s design concept model, using component-based architecture, while using that model to fabricate to precise manufacturing tolerances.
SustainabilityBenefits of Prefabrication
Prefabrication is good for the environment. Itcuts down on material and labor waste by leveraging material nesting, so there’s a significant reduction of scrap removal from job sites.
Fewer people and vehicles on the job site reduce a project’s carbon footprint, and less waste means less dumpsters and less manual labor for clean-up, improving site logistics. As offsite manufactured components are unloaded, debris is loaded on the same truck for removal. This is just one more way we’re committed to sustainable construction.
Our prefabrication construction approach is eco-friendly, with earlier planning leading to less waste, re-work and material usage. This helps control how waste is handled on site to maximize recycling.
Reduced On-Site LaborImproves Safety
Prefabrication construction is often more cost-effective and efficient because the availability of local labor can vary widely by geographic location. Manufacturing components off site also means less on-site activity and community congestion for projects in densely populated urban areas.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, prefabrication allows DPR to reduce the amount of labor on site, decreasing health risks and face-to-face interaction. Manufacturing building components in a controlled environment allows us to implement processes, personnel flow and safety measures to ensure the health and safety of workers and subcontractors.
Prefab ConstructionThe DPR Advantage
At DPR, we take a smarter approach to prefab construction:
We offer room for creativity. DPR is not constrained by a standard grid, and neither are our prefabrication services. Our experts can help you determine the best prefabrication products, means, and methods for your projects. Our customized approach allows architects to design buildings without the one-size-fits-all stigma surrounding prefabrication.
We are a technical builder first. Using industry-leading software developed by DPR's strategic partner Digital Building Components, prefabrication projects can go straight from digital design to digital fabrication, as we transform Revit models directly into precise-to-spec products.
We’re a start-to-finish provider, offering complete integrated solutions and services from off-site manufacturing to self-perform installation. Our digital fabrication allows for advanced customization to meet owners’ expectations.
We inspire confidence in expectations without rework. DPR’s prefabricated components are manufactured with the right balance of automation and human expertise in well-organized facilities following 5S methods—and we expect the same from our network of supply chain and trade partners. We know how to provide design model intelligence for prefabricated project scopes with the right level of detail, and our turnkey approach allows qualified personnel to install the end product.
Photo: EIG works with partners GPLA and Digital Building Components to design, layout and construct the room. As part of the DPR Family of Companies, all three companies share a builder skillset and mindset that sets the standard for best builders.
Cost Certainty
As prefab experts, the DPR team can better control costs by avoiding component price fluctuations between the proposal and delivery phases. Our digital component libraries, proven prefabricated products, and engineered-to-order (ETO) system costs can inform the design early on, providing predictability through the design and engineering process.
ScheduleSavings
With a collaborative approach to prefabrication construction, project schedules have seen reductions of 50% compared to the traditional field-assembly approach by:
Giving us a head start when compared to the traditional project delivery method timeline. Our design teams can model to a high level of detail (LOD 400+) very early in the process, allowing us to manufacture well-coordinated spaces off site while shovels break ground on site.
Enabling moreefficient on-site assembly. Issues can be anticipated and managed earlier in preconstruction projects through our virtual design and construction (VDC) process. This enables more efficient planning and logistics, streamlining installation at the same time.
Avoiding weather delays. Due to the controlled environment, free of inclement weather challenges, prefabrication results in a faster timeline no matter what mother nature brings.
Improved Quality AndAccess to Qualified Expertise
DPR leads the way when it comes to injecting lean manufacturing principles into the construction process. With our self-perform team of experienced and qualified installers, we can not only ensure quality installation but can also provide helpful insight early on. Our teams evaluate how the prefabricated products will be assembled both in manufacturing settings and onsite to inform project designs. We leverage automation to streamline workflows and reduce waste. This allows us to continuously improve overall manufacturing processes via design for manufacturing and assembly (DfMA) techniques, which improve the overall quality of the prefab product’s lifecycle.
Our prefabrication process optimizes the architect’s design concept model, using component-based architecture, while using that model to fabricate to precise manufacturing tolerances.
SustainabilityBenefits of Prefabrication
Prefabrication is good for the environment. Itcuts down on material and labor waste by leveraging material nesting, so there’s a significant reduction of scrap removal from job sites.
Fewer people and vehicles on the job site reduce a project’s carbon footprint, and less waste means less dumpsters and less manual labor for clean-up, improving site logistics. As offsite manufactured components are unloaded, debris is loaded on the same truck for removal. This is just one more way we’re committed to sustainable construction.
Our prefabrication construction approach is eco-friendly, with earlier planning leading to less waste, re-work and material usage. This helps control how waste is handled on site to maximize recycling.
Reduced On-Site LaborImproves Safety
Prefabrication construction is often more cost-effective and efficient because the availability of local labor can vary widely by geographic location. Manufacturing components off site also means less on-site activity and community congestion for projects in densely populated urban areas.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, prefabrication allows DPR to reduce the amount of labor on site, decreasing health risks and face-to-face interaction. Manufacturing building components in a controlled environment allows us to implement processes, personnel flow and safety measures to ensure the health and safety of workers and subcontractors.
Prefab ConstructionThe DPR Advantage
At DPR, we take a smarter approach to prefab construction:
We offer room for creativity. DPR is not constrained by a standard grid, and neither are our prefabrication services. Our experts can help you determine the best prefabrication products, means, and methods for your projects. Our customized approach allows architects to design buildings without the one-size-fits-all stigma surrounding prefabrication.
We are a technical builder first. Using industry-leading software developed by DPR's strategic partner Digital Building Components, prefabrication projects can go straight from digital design to digital fabrication, as we transform Revit models directly into precise-to-spec products.
We’re a start-to-finish provider, offering complete integrated solutions and services from off-site manufacturing to self-perform installation. Our digital fabrication allows for advanced customization to meet owners’ expectations.
We inspire confidence in expectations without rework. DPR’s prefabricated components are manufactured with the right balance of automation and human expertise in well-organized facilities following 5S methods—and we expect the same from our network of supply chain and trade partners. We know how to provide design model intelligence for prefabricated project scopes with the right level of detail, and our turnkey approach allows qualified personnel to install the end product.
Photo: EIG works with partners GPLA and Digital Building Components to design, layout and construct the room. As part of the DPR Family of Companies, all three companies share a builder skillset and mindset that sets the standard for best builders.
Cost Certainty
As prefab experts, the DPR team can better control costs by avoiding component price fluctuations between the proposal and delivery phases. Our digital component libraries, proven prefabricated products, and engineered-to-order (ETO) system costs can inform the design early on, providing predictability through the design and engineering process.
ScheduleSavings
With a collaborative approach to prefabrication construction, project schedules have seen reductions of 50% compared to the traditional field-assembly approach by:
Giving us a head start when compared to the traditional project delivery method timeline. Our design teams can model to a high level of detail (LOD 400+) very early in the process, allowing us to manufacture well-coordinated spaces off site while shovels break ground on site.
Enabling moreefficient on-site assembly. Issues can be anticipated and managed earlier in preconstruction projects through our virtual design and construction (VDC) process. This enables more efficient planning and logistics, streamlining installation at the same time.
Avoiding weather delays. Due to the controlled environment, free of inclement weather challenges, prefabrication results in a faster timeline no matter what mother nature brings.
Improved Quality AndAccess to Qualified Expertise
DPR leads the way when it comes to injecting lean manufacturing principles into the construction process. With our self-perform team of experienced and qualified installers, we can not only ensure quality installation but can also provide helpful insight early on. Our teams evaluate how the prefabricated products will be assembled both in manufacturing settings and onsite to inform project designs. We leverage automation to streamline workflows and reduce waste. This allows us to continuously improve overall manufacturing processes via design for manufacturing and assembly (DfMA) techniques, which improve the overall quality of the prefab product’s lifecycle.
Our prefabrication process optimizes the architect’s design concept model, using component-based architecture, while using that model to fabricate to precise manufacturing tolerances.
SustainabilityBenefits of Prefabrication
Prefabrication is good for the environment. Itcuts down on material and labor waste by leveraging material nesting, so there’s a significant reduction of scrap removal from job sites.
Fewer people and vehicles on the job site reduce a project’s carbon footprint, and less waste means less dumpsters and less manual labor for clean-up, improving site logistics. As offsite manufactured components are unloaded, debris is loaded on the same truck for removal. This is just one more way we’re committed to sustainable construction.
Our prefabrication construction approach is eco-friendly, with earlier planning leading to less waste, re-work and material usage. This helps control how waste is handled on site to maximize recycling.
Reduced On-Site LaborImproves Safety
Prefabrication construction is often more cost-effective and efficient because the availability of local labor can vary widely by geographic location. Manufacturing components off site also means less on-site activity and community congestion for projects in densely populated urban areas.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, prefabrication allows DPR to reduce the amount of labor on site, decreasing health risks and face-to-face interaction. Manufacturing building components in a controlled environment allows us to implement processes, personnel flow and safety measures to ensure the health and safety of workers and subcontractors.
Prefabrication isn’t a yes-or-no decision, it’s a continuum: There are various iterations and degrees of prefab in construction that can be implemented into your next project, depending on your goals and needs. The spectrum ranges from customized structures with little to no prefab elements, to mass-standardized facilities that are mostly built offsite. There are also projects that don’t lend themselves to full-scale prefabrication.
Our shared builder skillset and mindset allows us to approach prefabrication, software and logistics not as tools or methods, but simply the way we build.
