The construction industry is currently experiencing accelerating developments concerning societal demands along with project complexity, internationalization and digitalization. In an attempt to grasp the consequences of these demands on productivity and innovation, this edited book addresses how innovation is likely to take place with a more long-term perspective on the construction sector. While existing literature focuses on organizational discontinuity and fragmentation as the main reasons for the apparent lack of innovation in the industry, this book highlights the connectivity of construction actors, resources and activities as fundamental for understanding how innovation takes place.Through 15 empirically grounded chapters, the book shows how innovation is part of construction processes on various levels, including project, firm and industry, and that these innovation processes are characterized by organizational and technological connectivity over time. Written by European business management scholars, the chapters cover empirical cases and examples from both a multi-organizational and a multi-international perspective in terms of covering the viewpoints of different industry actors and the contexts of several different European countries including: Sweden, Norway, the UK, Italy, France, Hungary and Poland. By illustrating how connectivity is part of innovation processes in the creation of single-product innovations, of various innovations within and across projects, as well as a fundamental aspect of the processes in which innovations cross nations, the book provides a new angle on how to understand construction innovation and where the industry might (or needs to) be heading next. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in construction management, project management, engineering management, innovation studies, business and management studies.

Modelled on the concept of Industry 4.0, the idea of Construction 4.0 is based on a confluence of trends and technologies that promise to reshape the way built environment assets are designed, constructed, and operated. With the pervasive use of Building Information Modelling (BIM), lean principles, digital technologies, and offsite construction, the industry is at the cusp of this transformation. The critical challenge is the fragmented state of teaching, research, and professional practice in the built environment sector. This handbook aims to overcome this fragmentation by describing Construction 4.0 in the context of its current state, emerging trends and technologies, and the people and process issues that surround the coming transformation. Construction 4.0 is a framework that is a confluence and convergence of the following broad themes discussed in this book: Industrial production (prefabrication, 3D printing and assembly, offsite manufacture) Cyber-physical systems (actuators, sensors, IoT, robots, cobots, drones) Digital and computing technologies (BIM, video and laser scanning, AI and cloud computing, big data and data analytics, reality capture, Blockchain, simulation, augmented reality, data standards and interoperability, and vertical and horizontal integration) The aim of this handbook is to describe the Construction 4.0 framework and consequently highlight the resultant processes and practices that allow us to plan, design, deliver, and operate built environment assets more effectively and efficiently by focusing on the physical-to-digital transformation and then digital-to-physical transformation. This book is essential reading for all built environment and AEC stakeholders who need to get to grips with the technological transformations currently shaping their industry, research, and teaching.

This book documents the experiences, development, and prospects of the construction industry in numerous developing countries. It will provide a strong base of reference for countries looking to improve their construction industries as part of their wider economic development programme. The opening chapter presents a strategic overview of the contents of the book, and each country-specific chapter is structured to consider the legal and policy frameworks, administrative infrastructure and procedures, and implementation mechanisms, as well as the experiences, current activities, and future plans and programmes with respect to construction industry development in each country. The concluding chapter looks forward and considers the implications of future trends for the construction industries in developing countries and the actions which will be required to address them. Chapters cover: India, Singapore, Chile, South Africa, Tanzania, Malaysia, Botswana, Ghana, Uganda, Indonesia, China, Croatia, and Eswatini. Readers will learn about the wealth of comparable stories from global coverage from the detailed country-specific cases. Building on important scholarly works in the field, this book is essential reading for academics, researchers, and policy makers in built environments, economics, construction management, infrastructure management, and the wider construction industry.

Innovations, Disruptions and Future Trends in the Global Construction Industry examines current and futuristic developments in the construction industry hinged on the construction industrial fourth and fifth revolution, otherwise known as construction industry 4.0 and 5.0. This book provides a wide range of expert views and case studies on the future of the construction industry from the perspectives of researchers and practitioners in various fields of study from business management, psychology, sociology, engineering, behavioural studies and computer sciences. The book provides documentary evidence of how the construction industry has changed post-COVID-19 pandemic in terms of design, planning, management, construction, the behaviour of construction professionals, research in the built environment, and new interactions of built environment practitioners with other professionals from computer science, finance, business management, and engineering. The evidence provided in this book can help decision makers in the construction sector and associated industries to understand human interaction in the construction sector and inspire new research directions. Furthermore, the book will map potential future paradigms for the construction industry and the preparedness of construction professionals, teams, and organisations for coming changes. This book is of interest to a wide audience of postgraduate students, academics, researchers, and industry professionals in the built environment, finance, project management, engineering, and policy makers.

This innovative Research Handbook answers crucial questions about how individuals and organisations can make a difference towards sustainability. Offering an integrative perspective on sustainability agency, it reviews individual, active, organisational and relational forms of sustainability agency, demonstrating the capacity of individuals and organisations to act toward sustainable futures.

Structures and Architecture. A Viable Urban Perspective? contains extended abstracts of the research papers and prototype submissions presented at the Fifth International Conference on Structures and Architecture (ICSA2022, Aalborg, Denmark, 6-8 July 2022). The book (578 pages) also includes a USB with the full texts of the papers (1448 pages). The contributions on creative and scientific aspects in the conception and construction of structures as architecture, and on the role of advanced digital-, industrial- and craft -based technologies in this matter represent a critical blend of scientific, technical, and practical novelties in both fields. Hence, as part of the proceedings series Structures and Architecture, the volume adds to a continuous exploration and development of the synergetic potentials of the fields of Structures and Architecture. With each volume further challenging the conditions, problems, and potentials related to the art, practice, and theory of teaching, researching, designing, and building structures as vehicles towards a viable architecture of the urban environment. The volumes of the series appear once every three years, in tandem with the conferences organized by the International Association of Structures and Architecture and are intended for a global readership of researchers, practitioners, and students, including architects, structural and construction engineers, builders and building consultants, constructors, material suppliers, planners, urban designers, anthropologists, economists, sociologists, artists, product manufacturers, and other professionals involved in the design and realization of architectural, structural, and infrastructural projects.

This research book aims to conceptualise the scale and spectrum of Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) approaches in energy efficient building design and to develop its functional solutions with a focus on four crucial aspects of building envelop, building layout, occupant behaviour and heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems. Drawn from theoretical development on the sustainability, informatics and optimisation paradigms in built environment, the energy efficient building design will be marked through the power of data and BIM-intelligent agents during the design phase. It will be further developed via smart derivatives to reach a harmony in the systematic integration of energy efficient building design solutions, a gap that is missed in the extant literature and that this book aims to fill. This approach will inform a vision for future and provide a framework to shape and respond to our built environment and how it transforms the way we design and build. By considering the balance of BIM, AI and energy efficient outcomes, the future development of buildings will be regenerated in a direction that is sustainable in the long run. This book is essential reading for those in the AEC industry as well as computer scientists.

This book highlights the latest trends and advances in applications of digital technologies in construction engineering and management. A collection of chapters is presented, explicating how advanced technological solutions can innovatively address challenges and improve outcomes in the construction industry. Promising technologies that are highlighted include digital twins, virtual reality, augmented reality, artificial intelligence, robotics, blockchain, and distributed ledger technologies. The first section presents recent applications of extended reality technologies for construction education and advanced project control. The subsequent chapters explore Artificial Intelligence (AI), blockchain, and BIM-enabled digitalization in construction through a series of case studies, reviews, and technical studies. Innovative technologies and digitalized solutions are proposed for improved design, planning, training, monitoring, inspection, and operations management in Architectural, Engineering and Construction (AEC) contexts. In addition to the technological perspectives and insights presented, pressing issues such as decarbonization, safety, and sustainability in the built environment are also discussed. This book provides foundational knowledge and in-depth technical studies on emerging technologies for students, academics, and industry practitioners. The research demonstrates how the effective use of new technologies can enhance work methods, transform organizational structures, and bring profound advantages to construction project participants.

This book develops a model to evaluate and assess life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions based on typical Australian commercial building design options. It also draws comparisons between some of the many green building rating tools that have been developed worldwide to support sustainable development. These include: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) by the Building Research Establishment, Comprehensive Assessment System for Building Environmental Efficiency (CASBEE) by the Japanese Sustainable Building Consortium, and Green Star Environmental Rating System by the Green Building Council of Australia. Life-cycle assessment (LCA), life-cycle energy consumption, and life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions form the three pillars of life-cycle studies, which have been used to evaluate environmental impacts of building construction. Assessment of the life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions of buildings is one of the significant obstacles in evaluating green building performance. This book explains the methodology for achieving points for the categories associated with reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the Australian Green Star rating system. The model for the assessment uses GaBi 8.7 platform along with Visual Basic in Microsoft Excel and shows the relationship between the building’s energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions released during the lifetime of the building. The data gathered in the book also illustrates that the green building design and specifications are becoming more popular and are being increasingly utilized in Australia. This book is important reading for anyone interested in sustainable construction, green design and buildings and LCA tools.

Construction productivity-how well, how quickly, and at what cost buildings and infrastructure can be constructed-directly affects prices for homes and consumer goods and the robustness of the national economy. Industry analysts differ on whether construction industry productivity is improving or declining. Still, advances in available and emerging technologies offer significant opportunities to improve construction efficiency substantially in the 21st century and to help meet other national challenges, such as environmental sustainability. Advancing the Competitiveness and Efficiency of the U.S. Construction Industry identifies five interrelated activities that could significantly improve the quality, timeliness, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability of construction projects. These activities include widespread deployment and use of interoperable technology applications; improved job-site efficiency through more effective interfacing of people, processes, materials, equipment, and information; greater use of prefabrication, preassembly, modularization, and off-site fabrication techniques and processes; innovative, widespread use of demonstration installations; and effective performance measurement to drive efficiency and support innovation. The book recommends that the National Institute of Standards and Technology work with industry leaders to develop a collaborative strategy to fully implement and deploy the five activities