Books in the Spon Research series

Sets out social science and business-oriented thinking derived from a major EPSRC research project. This work's interdisciplinary approach draws together industry and research.

Leadership and sustainability have separately been the subject of numerous studies in a built environment context over the years, but they have yet to be addressed together. The real impact of legislation and guidelines designed to promote sustainability within the construction industry is closely linked to the leadership behind it, as this book

This book highlights the connectivity of construction actors, resources, and activities as fundamental for understanding how innovation takes place, and how it can be pushed forward.

This wide-ranging study of crucial procurement issues includes international historical context, collaboration and risk management, with a focus on sustainable procurement approaches. The international significance of public-private partnerships and relationship-based procurement approaches is reinforced with case study examples from the UK, Europe, North America and the Asia-Pacific regions.

The book provides a detailed examination of the drivers for innovation in construction, engineering and infrastructure organisations. In particular, the questions of how and why innovation becomes recognised and sustained over time are explored.

Making buildings and infrastructure more sustainable represents a key and global challenge. This presents the results of research from the Australia Co-operative Research Centre for Construction Innovation, covering four themes, applied to regeneration as well as to new build: Sustainable Materials and Manufactures; Virtual Design, Construction and Management; Integrating Design, Construction and Facility Management over the Project Life Cycle; and Integration across spatial scales.

This important work sets out cutting-edge social science and business-oriented thinking derived from a major EPSRC research project. Its interdisciplinary approach draws together industry and research, and is international in its relevance.

This wide-ranging study of crucial procurement issues includes international historical context, collaboration and risk management, with a focus on sustainable procurement approaches. The international significance of public-private partnerships and relationship-based procurement approaches is reinforced with case study examples from the UK, Europe, North America and the Asia-Pacific regions.

The main risk-minimisation strategy in the construction phase is trust, which plays a major role in the success of key working relationships across the construction industry. This book investigates this phenomenon, and goes on to show that once developed, trust outshines all other risk minimisation strategies and is essential for project success. Drawing on many years of empirical research involving project managers working internationally, Trust in Construction Projects also provides strategies to minimise information asymmetries in order to build trust, and ensure the success of construction projects.

Performance-Based Optimization of Structures introduces a method to bridge the gap between structural optimization theory and its practical application to structural engineering.

Provides a comprehensive overview of the literature on interpersonal communication and delivers a critical review of various research methods previously used in and outside the construction management field. This text investigates the link between successful projects and the effectiveness of communication.

Using the construction industry as the subject of research, this book traces the development of the literature on organisational culture and business effectiveness. It investigates the culture-performance link using an objective measure of company performance and an evaluation of organisational culture, which is largely behaviourally-based.

Shows how the concept of knowledge can make sense in the construction industry, an industry which can be viewed in essence as being engaged in the material transformation of 'nature into buildings'. This book explores different businesses including a medium sized construction firm, and Wingardh Architecture, Sweden's prestigious architecture firm.

Offers insights into the potential use, development and limitations of collaborative technologies and practices. This book includes such topics as virtual prototyping in design and construction, building information modeling, and managing the collaborative processes. It is suitable for researchers in the building and construction industry.

Conventional air conditioning is not a sustainable solution to the challenge of a hot or humid climate. This book explores the complex relationships between climate, buildings and plants, especially in urban heat islands. It is useful for researchers and professionals such as architects, architectural science, and landscape architects.

Novel research in construction management is often distant from existing practice. This collection of reviews intends to bridge this gap under three major themes: innovation, organisation and human behaviour, and methods and tools. It outlines a series of successful collaborative projects between industry and the academic and research communities.

Improved efficiency and effectiveness in the construction industry provide huge potential savings. Various forms of relational contracting such as partnering, alliancing, public private partnership (PPP), and joint venture are good examples of this. This work presents the principles of relational contracting, practicalities and case studies.

This book showcases a number of effective applications of risk management tools and techniques across product and service life in a way useful for practitioners, graduate students and researchers.

Looks at employee resourcing in-depth, both analytically and in order to provide a practical insight into the strategic considerations and operational approaches which modern large contractors take in deploying their human resources. This work is suitable for both students and managers.

This book documents the experiences, development and prospects of the construction industry in numerous developing countries.

Details 'everyday' experiences and procurement decisions made by people in firms in the industry related to projects as they seek out other firms to work with during the tendering stage. This work introduces a new model for mapping the construction sector of particular interest to construction management and to procurement decision makers.

Aims to promote the benefits of innovation, and stimulate innovation capability within and between small and medium sized construction. This book addresses issues including what is the motivation to innovate? what is appropriate innovation? how can small construction firms create, manage and exploit innovation? and others.