ABSTRACT
The American population at time of writing is approximately 330 million and has been increasing at a fairly steady average of 2.5 million per year since 1945. In attempts to move activities off-site and improve productivity, the last few decades have seen the increasing use of pre-assembled components arriving for simplified installation on site. A movement to transfer manufacturing techniques to construction with particular emphasis on logistics, supply chains, tighter scheduling, waste elimination, teamwork, etc. has been well accepted by GCs and the trades. One of the unexpected consequences of accelerating design appears to be a move to issue incomplete “scoping” drawings and specifications leaving the sub-trades to finish designs via shop drawings. The restrictions that apply in the public sector where transparency is essential, often prevent adoption of innovation, especially in procurement and process. An increasing share of construction in both public and private sectors is being commissioned by clients who build on a continuous basis.
