UNIVERSITY OF BC — While mass timber construction continues to build on its successes, the still-fledgling industry is not without growing pains. There still are knowledge gaps, for example, between the architects, engineers, manufacturers and builders that can present obstacles to achieving the best building possible. But many of those obstacles can be overcome through an approach called Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DFMA) which aims to get all disciplines on the same page early in the project. …AnnaLisa Meyboom was an instructor for a recent three-day workshop on DFMA held at the University of British Columbia’s Centre for Advanced Wood Processing (CAWP). The course included a design-build exercise using CAD/CAM software for the design and manufacture of components. DFMA allows creative input from all the stakeholders on a project to improve the final product, she says, adding all parties have not typically worked together in the past.