ABSTRACT
Increasing urbanisation is now a dominant global trend. The planning, construction and management of sustainable urban settlement is possibly the greatest global challenge of the twenty-first century, especially when coupled with adaptation to the impacts of climate change and resource constraints. In Australia, national key performance indicators (KPIs) have been identified: safety; productivity and competitiveness; economic security; workplace capability; and environmental eco-efficiency. Information and communication technology (ICT) has been adopted to improve productivity and reduce inefficiencies by Australia, Brazil, Canada, Finland, Hong Kong and the USA. In Australia, public sector construction projects have provided an opportunity to develop building information modelling (BIM) and integrated project delivery (IPD) and associated national guidelines to better integrate the supply chain. In Australia, the Australian Research Council (ARC) offers a range of schemes contested on an annual or bi-annual basis. Australia collaborative grants for public or private sector collaborations; R&D tax incentives; and encouragement for SME investment.
