Automating Wall & Roof Assembly Workflows for Modular Construction – Achieving ~80% Reduction in Assembly Preparation Time

Project Snapshot

Category

Details

Client Type

UK-based Modular Construction Firm

Sector

Residential Buildings

Platform / Software

Autodesk Revit

Automation Consultant

Conserve Solutions

Key Outcome

Reduced wall and roof assembly preparation effort from 4 – 5 hours to 15–20 minutes through workflow automation

Problem Statement

Our BIM teams were spending excessive time preparing wall and roof assemblies manually. Activities such as wall layer division, batten alignment, fire protection placement, and roof orientation setup were repetitive, difficult to coordinate, and slowed factory-ready DFMA delivery.

Impact of Challenges

  • Delivery Delays: Manual assembly preparation slowed DFMA and factory documentation workflows
  • Resource Strain: BIM teams spent considerable engineering effort on repetitive modelling activities
  • Coordination Dependency: Increased coordination effort between structure, assemblies, and fire protection systems
  • Assembly Inconsistency: Variations between assemblies impacted standardization and manufacturing readiness
  • QA/QC Overhead: Manual alignment and placement workflows increased review and validation effort
  • Scalability Limitations: Increasing modular assembly counts created production bottlenecks across projects

Conserve Solutions - How We Solved It

a. Thinking (Strategy)

Rather than treating wall and roof assembly preparation as isolated modelling activities, Conserve Solutions approached the challenge as a workflow scalability and manufacturing-readiness problem.

The objective was to create a standardized automation framework capable of reducing repetitive modelling dependency while improving consistency across modular assemblies.

The strategy focused on:
  • Standardizing wall and roof assembly workflows
  • Reducing repetitive BIM production effort
  • Improving manufacturing coordination
  • Embedding automation directly into DFMA workflows
  • Creating reusable assembly logic for scalable modular delivery

This ensured the solution addressed both immediate production inefficiencies and long-term modular workflow scalability.

b. Execution (What We Built)

An intelligent Wall & Roof Assembly Automation workflow was developed directly inside Autodesk Revit to automate repetitive DFMA assembly preparation activities.

The automation framework streamlined:
  • Product-size-based wall layer division
  • Automated part naming for schedules
  • Batten positioning aligned to steel studs
  • Fire barrier placement
  • Fire sock placement
  • Roof origin positioning
  • Roof slope orientation handling
The system automatically:
  • Split wall layers according to insulation sheet dimensions
  • Named parts for scheduling and documentation workflows
  • Positioned battens using steel stud alignment logic
  • Applied standard offsets automatically
  • Placed fire protection elements according to project references
  • Positioned roof assemblies centrally and aligned them with slope orientation

What previously required several hours of repetitive modelling and coordination effort was transformed into a streamlined automation-driven assembly workflow completed within minutes.

c. Integration (Impact Layer)

The automation framework was integrated directly into the client’s existing DFMA and BIM assembly workflows without disrupting project standards or documentation processes.

This enabled BIM teams to transition from repetitive manual assembly preparation toward a scalable, automation-enabled modular delivery workflow.

The integration improved:
  • Assembly consistency
  • Manufacturing readiness
  • Coordination reliability
  • Workflow predictability
  • Engineering throughput
  • Factory documentation efficiency

Project Timeline:

Phase

Duration

Workflow Analysis & Assembly Logic Development

1–2 Weeks

Automation Development & Testing

2–3 Weeks

QA/QC Validation & Workflow Integration

1 Week

Total Duration

Approximately 4–6 Weeks

What we Delivered

  • Intelligent Wall Assembly Automation workflow
  • Automated wall layer division system
  • Automated part naming workflow
  • Batten alignment automation logic
  • Fire barrier and fire sock placement automation
  • Roof orientation and origin point automation
  • Standardized assembly workflow documentation
  • QA/QC validated automation framework

Software and Technology Used:

  • Autodesk Revit
  • BIM Automation Workflows
  • DFMA Assembly Standards
  • Rule-Based Assembly Logic
  • Workflow Optimization Frameworks

Before vs After Automation (High Impact Section)

Workflow Task
Before Automation
After Automation
Improvement

Wall Part Division

45–90 mins

< 2 mins

↓ ~95%

Part Naming

20–30 mins

Automatic

100% Automated

Batten Positioning

30–60 mins

Automatic

100% Automated

Fire Barrier Placement

20–30 mins

Automatic

100% Automated

Roof Assembly Setup

45–60 mins

< 5 mins

↓ ~90%

Total Assembly Preparation

4–5 Hours

15–20 Minutes

↓ ~80%

 

Why Conserve Solutions

  • Domain-focused expertise in modular BIM and DFMA workflows
  • Process-driven automation strategy aligned with manufacturing workflows
  • Strong focus on scalable assembly automation architecture
  • Integrated QA/QC-oriented workflow engineering
  • Ability to combine workflow strategy, automation development, and BIM integration
  • Solutions designed to improve long-term operational scalability and factory readiness

Client Outcome

“The automation framework significantly improved the speed and consistency of our wall and roof assembly preparation workflows. Activities that previously required extensive manual coordination were completed automatically, helping our teams accelerate DFMA delivery and improve manufacturing readiness.”

– BIM Project Lead, Modular Construction Delivery Team

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