Innovation in Construction: A Practical Guide to Transforming the Construction Industry

The book will tackle the challenging and complex topic of implementing innovation and the successful application of advanced technology in a very competitive sector, namely the construction industry. It will provide a practical guide for the transforma­tion of the industry by detailing appropriate and effective implementation methods, required skill sets, and structural changes necessary to facilitate the practical and innovative application of technology. The construction industry is acknowledged to be decades behind other industries in its level of innovation and adoption of tech­nology, and is responsible for, and contributes to many of today's global challenges, such as climate change and resource scarcity. There is, therefore, a need for smarter and more efficient ways of managing available resources. This book will elaborate on how the innovative application of technology could offer hope for the construction industry in its imperative to rise to current and future global challenges. Construction is an important economic engine, but also one of the largest consumers of resources and energy. Whilst the construction sector has been one of the main contributors to climate change, it must now become the primary mechanism of global response, adapting its long-held paradigms to reverse both its current and historical impact. Smarter and more efficient resource management, including effec­tive use and development of skills that are in increasingly short supply, is crucial in order to continue to make prosperity possible. The modern construction industry, therefore, has a moral and professional imperative to make a dramatic policy shift and prioritize change from short-term profit-making business models to a socioeco­nomic and environmentally sustainable sector. This book will provide readers from both industrial and academic backgrounds with an A-Z guide on transforming the construction industry with the efficient and effective implementation of technologies and modern methods of construction. This book will include the real-world case studies of innovative projects that go beyond the current state-of-the-art academic research. Projects which have resulted in practical and close-to-market solutions have improved productivity, quality, and performance in the construction sector.