Construction books

Since the 1980s the architectural profession across the world has been driven by globalisation. The factors shaping this globalisation include neo-liberal economics, digital transformation and the rise of social media against the background of the profession’s entrenched labour practices. In describing architecture as a global system, this book outlines how globalisation has shaped architecture and explores the degree to which architecture remains a distinct field of knowledge.  The book identifies four categories of architects in this global system: scavengers, tribes, warlords and megafirms. By employing this institutional-logics approach, the author looks beyond the surface spectacle of iconic projects, celebrity architects and cycles of urban focused media outrage. From this perspective, the book illuminates the archipelagos and outposts of disciplinary knowledge that architectural actors traverse and highlights the frontiers at which architectural knowledge is both created and eroded.  The author argues that to retain their future agency, architects must understand the contours and ecologies of practice that constitute this global system of architectural production. This book provides a clear-sighted analysis to suggest the points that need reconfiguring in this global system so that architects may yet shape and order the future of cities.

A nation’s construction industry is essentially home grown, a derivative of its culture, history, geography and economic circumstances with every building or road a unique product, always a prototype, unlike the honed prototypes set up for efficient production runs of other industries. In terms of what was built and the standards achieved, Construction Industry Advance and Change: Progress in Eight Asian Economies since 1995 describes construction industry progress between 1995 and 2019 in Hong Kong , India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Vietnam. The 25-year accounts provide insight into the nature of these individual construction industries, their shared characteristics, and their differing priorities. The book will add knowledge and contextual reference for construction industry professionals, public policy makers and academic researchers studying the industry. New students in construction industry management courses, will find the information and context needed to appreciate the nature of construction industries and the factors affecting industry output performance.

The construction logistics manager plays an increasingly central role in the construction process. In fact, their decisions can crucially affect the success or failure of a project. Recognition of the critical role they play has spurred evermore interest in this budding field amongst both researchers and practitioners. An accessible text on construction logistics, Supply Chain Management and Logistics in Construction provides essential guidance and expert advice for construction managers, as well as researchers and students in the field. This important new title looks at arrangements with suppliers, the use of returnable packaging and off-site manufacture and assembly, IT systems used to manage the supply chain and logistics operations, such as delivery management systems, warehouse management systems and material planning and forecasting systems. It also considers aspects of the contractual relationships between client, developer, main contractor and lower-tier contractors, all of which have an impact on how the supply chain is managed.In addition to providing a range of fresh ground-breaking case studies, the book features contributions from leading experts in the field who have been involved in projects with companies such as TFL, BAA, The Red Cross, as well as big construction programmes such as the Olympics and Cross Rail.

Value management has been applied to construction projects throughout the world, but in some regions, it is just gaining popularity. Therefore, it is necessary to create awareness of value management among stakeholders and understand various obstacles to its implementation. Value Management Implementation in Construction addresses various factors that can enhance the application of the discipline as well as its adoption among concerned stakeholders. This book discusses the practice of value management in various developed and developing countries by exposing the techniques and models that can be employed in value management exercises, with a view to achieving sustainable development while delivering projects to the satisfaction of clients. This book provides guidance on value management as a tool for improving the delivery of infrastructural projects for construction professionals, employers of labour, researchers and students alike with evidence from various countries around the world.