Wall, C M (2004) New ways of building: Architects, operatives and industrialised production in britain 1940-70. PhD thesis, University of Cambridge, UK.
Abstract
The reconstruction of Britain at the end of the Second World War demanded a rapid increase in output from a construction industry suffering severe shortages of labour and materials. The solution proposed was the industrialisation of production, predicted on the rationalisation of both designs and construction processes. Dimensional co-ordination of building components and modular design were among the innovations promoted throughout the 1950s and 1960s as key factors in increasing the efficiency of construction, and also in producing an identifiable, modern aesthetic. The main aim is to elucidate the social context at a time of rapid technical change in the construction industry. The term 'social context' is taken to mean the relationships and interactions between architects and building workers engaged in the production process, with the analysis focusing on their respective education, training and skills. This entails an examination of the social structure of the construction industry, its gendered composition and its social stratification. The methodology consists of an initial literature search and statistical analysis of relevant government publications and archives. Empirical research comprises interviews with appropriate participants who were engaged at all levels of the building process, and a number of case studies. The case study method focuses on the relative distance between architects and site processes, using material published by the Modular Society. This provides the basis for an examination of the role of architects involved in the promotion of modular co-ordination. The final part of the thesis is an account of an experimental building project where a closer interaction between architects and builders resulted in greater site efficiency. The conclusions identify a number of mechanisms that institutionalised the distance between designer and builder in the post-war years. Poor operative training, social stratification and sclerotic industry relations all played their part. Where these were overcome, and the direct relationship between designer and builder was re-ignited, working relationships were transformed.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | builder; building process; case studies; case study; co-ordination; designer; education; government; industrialisation; operatives; production process; skills; social structure; statistical analysis; training |
| Index terms: | case study, promotion, reconstruction, efficiency, site process, designer, statistical analysis, aesthetic, architect, modular design, war, operative, social structure, construction industry, interaction, society, interview, production process, builder, industrialization, methodology, construction process, shortages, publication, building component, stratification, building process |
| Subjects: | industry analysis, social theory, performance management, management, data science, design methods, profession, data collection methods, behavioral psychology, communities and social development, social justice, building construction, conflict and crisis studies, research methods, factor and component analysis, architectural elements, economic development, manufacturing engineering, economic analysis, operations management, practitioner, research dissemination and communication |
| Topics: | Site Management, Design Practice, Human Resources, Roles and Professions, Stakeholder Management, Research Practice, Information Management, Legal Issues, Ethics, Quality Management, Sustainability, Engineering Principles |
| 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