Roy, R and Gaze, C (1999) Introduction of new technology for a customer-focused speculative housebuilding industry. In: Hughes, W (ed.) Proceedings of 15th Annual ARCOM Conference, 15-17 September 1999, Liverpool, UK.
Abstract
The UK house-building industry has often been criticized for failing to meet the housing needs of the country. The traditional craft-based build process prevalent in the UK is labour intensive with a long lead-time, and is difficult to control for product quality. It is also not suitable for configurable designs that would help to customize the home to individual needs, and the industry has been criticized for excessive standardization of its products. Attempts at industrialized housing, found in many other countries, have usually failed in the past due to lack of clear objectives and inadequate R&D. The paper presents work that is being carried out on investigation of alternative technologies. The implication of such changes for the industry – on the product introduction process, organization and culture – are discussed.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | housebuilding; industrialized housing; product introduction; customization |
| Index terms: | product quality, alternative technology, new technology, customization, speculative housebuilding, housebuilding, housing, investigation, housing need, standardization, building industry |
| Subjects: | construction type, data collection methods, innovation and technology management, construction manufacturing, construction integration, performance measurement, factor and component analysis, economic development, quality assurance, industry analysis, housing and residential development |
| Topics: | Design Practice, Urban Studies, Quality Management, Business Strategy, Research Practice, Engineering Principles, Construction Technology |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here