An alternative approach that may mitigate the aforementioned problems is to assemble all distinguishable components at the same time in a one-pot reaction. This non-hierarchical route has not only been able to assemble DNA blocks into a variety of complex shapes, but also resulted in comparable or higher yields than hierarchical schemes. One-pot assembly may thus be superior to stage-by-stage assembly, but requires the use of larger and more complex DNA tiles and origami. The design of the tiles, particularly the DNA segments at the binding interfaces, may be simplified if the mechanisms of one-pot assembly are understood. However, while much theoretical and computational work has been done in rationalizing the success of DNA brick and tile structures, the models tend to be highly generic and do not capture the more subtle details of DNA binding. In particular, they do not consider the associated DNA hybridization energy scales and misbinding interactions arising from the interactions between non-complementary single-stranded DNA segments (or sticky ends), crucial for understanding non-hierarchical programmed assembly.