Lucko, G and Kaminsky, J A (2016) Construction engineering conference and workshop 2014: Setting an industry-academic collaborative research agenda. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 142(4): 04015096, ISSN 0733-9364
Abstract
Construction engineering is a vital discipline in industry practice, providing essential facilities and systems for modern society. Despite its undisputed importance, basic research intensity and focus has been declining, which is compounded by challenges in collaboration between industry and academia. This study therefore aimed to revitalize construction engineering by emphasizing basic research, exploring barriers and enablers, and collaboratively establishing an ambitious research agenda. These objectives were addressed via a dedicated research conference and workshop held in March 2014 in Seattle. The event outcomes included new collaborations for 49% of workshop participants. In addition, the workshop identified four fundamental attributes of basic construction engineering research, including the drive to further knowledge, to improve construction delivery, to serve industry, and to pursue sustainability. Ultimately, this paper presents a research agenda for construction engineering based on workshop participant contributions. This agenda is a call for action that focuses attention on global systems and sustainability (for example, creating and maintaining vast distributed infrastructure systems), technology and management (for example, designing for the hybrid technical-human nature of construction engineering), and research methods (for example, adapting interdisciplinary research methodologies for construction engineering research). It is intended as the starting point for junior and senior researchers, industry representatives, and government agencies to develop, participate in, and support their targeted research projects that endeavor to address a specific part of one of these major themes.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | agenda; basic research; construction engineering; industry; industry forum; research needs |
| Index terms: | collaboration, methodology, interdisciplinary research, research agenda, government agency, society, construction engineering, academia, conference, Seattle, workshop |
| Subjects: | administrative law, communities and social development, educational institutions, research management, Geography, management, research methods, engineering methods, construction type, research dissemination and communication |
| Topics: | Engineering Principles, Geographical Context, Research Practice, Construction Technology, Stakeholder Management, Legal Issues, Organizational Design, Education |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCT |
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