Construction Process Improvement

The construction process has come under intense scrutiny in recent times and this is set to continue as building owners and users demand better value for money from a more sustainable built environment. The construction sector's actors are responding to the challenges implicit in this drive for greater competitiveness and social responsibility. New forms of procurement, innovation programmes, knowledge management, CAD-supported processes, predictive and diagnostic tools, and many more initiatives are helping to transform the sector. Construction Process Improvement showcases 21 examples of how directed efforts are being taken to raise productivity and quality, reduce waste and costs, and provide more certain and durable products for the sector's customers. Each example is the subject of a closely coupled collaborative project in which answers are being sought on matters of strategic importance to companies. The chapters that describe and discuss these projects balance state-of-the-art reviews with details of the work being undertaken and, in many cases, the results that are being implemented within the companies. Construction Process Improvement deals with issues that matter to best practice companies and researchers in industry and universities. It covers, amongst other topics, modularisation for manufactured housing, life cycle methods in housing, commercial buildings and services installations, tools and techniques for performance prediction and diagnostics, coordination of design and production processes, novel use of traditional materials, new forms of procurement and the role of innovation, public private partnerships, partnering structures, learning organisations, management of major refurbishment, management information systems, TQM and continuous improvement, CAAD methodology, tools and 4-D CAD, and facilities management. This book analyses the way forward for improving the construction process, in particular the links between research and development and industrial competitiveness. The implementation of new methods and thinking in companies is examined and important advice for senior managers and researchers is offered.

Table of Contents:
Preface. Acknowledgements. Contributors. Introduction (Brian Atkin, Jan Borgbrant & Per-Erik Josephson). Modularisation in the Customisation of Manufactured Housing (Carina Johansson). Application of Integrated Life Cycle Design to Housing (Mats O&Oberg). Life Cycle Costs of Commercial Buildings - a Case Study (Eva Sterner). A Life Cycle Cost Approach to Optimising Indoor (Dennis Johansson &Anders Svensson). Performance Indicators as a Tool for Decisions in the Construction Process (Veronica Yvera&as). Reducing the Risk of Failure in Performance within Buildings (Stephen Burke). Physical Status of Existing Buildings and their Components with the Emphasis on Future Emissions (Torbjo&orn Hall). Co-ordination of the Design and Building Process for Optimal Building Performance (Niklas So&orensen). New Concrete Materials Technology for Competitive Construction (Markus Peterson). Competitiveness in the Context of Procurement (Fredrik Malmberg). Encouraging Innovation through New Approaches to Procurement (Kristian Wide&en). Public-Private Partnerships - Conditions for Innovation and Project Success (Roine Leiringer). Pros and Cons in Partnering Structures (Anna Rhodin). Importance of the Project Team to the Creation of Learning Within and Between Construction Projects (Fredrik Anheim). Refurbishment of Commercial Buildings: the Relationship between the Project and its Context (A&Asa Engwall). Improving Project Efficiency through Process Transparency in Management Information Systems (Christian Lindfors). Improvements Processes in Construction Companies (Peter Samuelsson). Design Research and the Records of Architectural Design: Expanding the Foundations of Design Tool Development (Robert Fekete). Communicating Project Concepts and Creating Decision Support from CAAD (Jan Henrichse&en). Using 4D CAD in the Design and Management of Vertical Extensions to Existing Buildings (Susan Bergsten). Importance of Architectural Attributes in Facilities Management (Ulf Nordwall). Conclusions (Brian Atkin, Jan Borgbrant & Per-Erik Josephson). Index

About the Author :
Brian Atkin PhD, MPhil, BSc, FRICS, FCIOB, his achievements span the disciplines of project management, construction management and facility management. As a member of British Standards Institutions FM Advisory Group and FM Technical Committee, he is well-placed to advise on current best practices and emerging trends in facility management. He has served on other advisory groups and steering committees covering standards, innovation, competitiveness and information technology (including BIM), and is actively involved in learning and business development for major corporations.

Review :
I found the chapter on learning organisations in project teams particularly stimulating. The book would be especially useful to post graduate and final year undergraduate students looking for useful advice on a vast range of research methodologies, as well as examining the topics in some detail. Chris Hill Ms PGD MCIOB MCMI ILTM