Renier, B and Volker, L (2008) The architect as a system integrator? In: Dainty, A (ed.) Proceedings of 24th Annual ARCOM Conference, 1-3 September 2008, Cardiff, UK.
Abstract
Innovation is an important topic in the Dutch building industry. Studies on innovation usually focus on constructing parties, more in particular on their possibilities of forward integration into the building process. Conducting research on process innovation from the perspective of designers is not as common. Lourens (2006) stated that, based on indicators such as the level of innovative power in entrepreneurship and process integration, about 30% of design firms in the Netherlands could be described as an innovative organisation. In theory, therefore, architectural designers may be expected to make a valuable contribution to innovation and integration in the area of construction. The present study will focus on the reason why designers have made a limited contribution to process innovation so far. It will focus on the activities of architectural practices in the Netherlands in connection with innovation and integration. A literature review has served as a basis to set criteria on what architects as a system integrator should achieve. We selected four architectural firms that are currently known to be innovators and/or system integrators, and held interviews with them in respect of their design and process strategies. The results of the interviews were discussed in a workshop with parties from the industry. This paper will discuss the results of the interviews and the workshop on the architectural firms' system integration. The study will highlight the competences required from architects in respect of system integration and it will assess the indicators for innovation from the perspective of designers in the construction industry.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | architectural practice; design strategy; innovation; system integration |
| Index terms: | integration, building industry, architectural practice, system integration, competence, architect, entrepreneurship, construction industry, building process, architectural designer, interview, design strategy, workshop, architectural firm, design firm, Netherlands, strategy, literature review, designer |
| Subjects: | data collection methods, construction type, profession, business, design methods, practitioner, data analysis and analytics, management, organizational theory, Geography, personnel development, organizational analysis, building construction, industry analysis |
| Topics: | Site Management, Organizational Design, Design Practice, Human Resources, Roles and Professions, Construction Technology, Business Strategy, Research Practice, Project Management, Geographical Context |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
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