ABSTRACT
The construction industry is not homogeneous. It is composed of many diverse competing (and collaborating) firms, the majority of whom are brought together for one, bespoke project, before transferring to other projects. The sector is often characterised by its adversarial behaviour, litigious orientation, poor communication and coordination, lack of customer focus, and its low investment in research and development (Simon, 1944; Emmerson, 1962; Banwell, 1964; Latham, 1994; Egan, 1998; Fairclough, 2002). Within this unfavourable supply context, clients are increasing their demands for improved building performance (both functionally and aesthetically), while at the same time reducing initial capital, and ongoing operational and maintenance costs. Set against an already competitive industry, construction firms are under pressure to develop and/or adopt innovative technologies and practices in order to try to satisfy these demands (Sexton et al., 2005).
