34th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC 34) - Singapore, Singapore - 2026

https://doi.org/10.24928/2026/0288

A systematic design for assembly assessment of prefabricated facade panels

Sahar Taheripour1, Hind Bril El-Haouzi2 & Moslem Sheikhkhoshkar3

1Ph.D. Student, CRAN, CNRS, Universite de Lorraine, Epinal, France, [email protected], orcid.org/0000-0002-4986-7647
2Full Professor, CRAN, CNRS, Universite de Lorraine, Epinal, France, [email protected], orcid.org/0000-0003-4746-5342
3Research Associate, CRAN, CNRS, Universite de Lorraine, Epinal, France, [email protected], orcid.org/0000-0001-9067-2705

Abstract

Design for Assembly (DfA) is a key enabler of industrialized and off-site construction; however, its evaluation for building products remains fragmented and lacks sufficient structure. The existing literature examines several design factors in the assembly process and often employs qualitative methods. These methods usually lack the rigor needed for standardized assessment, highlighting the need for more practical and structured tools. This paper proposes a DfA-based systematic structure and practical evaluation tool tailored to prefabricated building products, with a particular focus on facade panels. Drawing on a Systematic Literature Review (SLR), relevant DfA factors and indicators are identified and organized into a Multi-layer Social Network (MSN) that links indicators, factors, and the overall DfA assessment at a high level. The proposed structure is applied to an industrial case study to demonstrate its applicability. The results highlight the potential of the proposed approach as a practical decision-support tool for improving assembly-oriented design and provide a transferable basis for evaluating other Design for Excellence (DfX) aspects.

Keywords

Design for Assembly, DfA assessment, prefabricated facade panels, Multi-layer Social Network.

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Reference in APA 7th edition format:

Taheripour, S., El-Haouzi, H. B. & Sheikhkhoshkar, M.. (2026). A systematic design for assembly assessment of prefabricated facade panels. In Hamzeh, F., Poshdar, M., & Garcia-Lopez,, N. P. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 34th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC 34) (pp. 887–898). https://doi.org/10.24928/2026/0288

Shortened reference for use in IGLC papers:

Taheripour, S., El-Haouzi, H. B. & Sheikhkhoshkar, M.. (2026). A systematic design for assembly assessment of prefabricated facade panels. IGLC34. https://doi.org/10.24928/2026/0288

 

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