ABSTRACT
The French building industry has been highly concerned with the crisis and confronted during the eighties with important economic and social change.
I just would like to recall some major ruptures:
* heavy losses after a long period of expansion, * bi-polarisation of the sector into a few large firms developing offensive strategies and a
multitude of small companies. * redefinition of the largest companies methods, with a special accent on real estate,
design, coordination and control, on the one hand, but on the other hand, using all subcontracting forms to disinvolve themselves from direct production.
