Boyd, P; Larsen, G D and Schweber, L (2014) Perspectives on the specification of building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) technology in construction projects. In: Raiden, A and Aboagye-Nimo, E (eds.) Proceedings of 30th Annual ARCOM Conference, 1-3 September 2014, Portsmouth, UK.
Abstract
Innovative, low carbon technologies are already available for use in the construction of buildings, but the impact of their specification on construction projects is unclear. This exploratory research identifies issues which arise following the specification of BIPV in non-residential construction projects. Rather than treating the inclusion of a new technology as a technical problem, the research explores the issue from a socio-technical perspective to understand the accommodations which the project team makes and their effect on the building and the technology. The paper is part of a larger research project which uses a Social Construction of Technology Approach (SCOT) to explore the accommodations made to working practices and design when Building Integrated PhotoVoltaic (BIPV) technology is introduced. The approach explores how the requirements of the technology from different groups of actors (Relevant Social Groups or RSG's) give rise to problems and create solutions. As such it rejects the notion of a rational linear view of innovation diffusion; instead it suggests that the variety and composition of the Relevant Social Groups set the agenda for problem solving and solutions as the project progresses. The research explores the experiences of three people who have extensive histories of involvement with BIPV in construction, looks at how SCOT can inform our understanding of the issues involved and identifies themes and issues in the specification of BIPV on construction projects. A key finding concerns the alignment of inflection points at which interviewees have found themselves changing from one RSG to another as new problems and solutions are identified.. The points at which they change RSG often occurred at points which mirror conventional construction categories (in terms of project specification, tender, design and construction).
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | BIPV; innovation; social groups; social construction of technology |
| Index terms: | construction project, problem solving, residential construction, photovoltaic, exploratory research, design and construction, history, social construction of technology, project team, innovation diffusion, new technology, specification, socio-technical, working practice, low carbon |
| Subjects: | sociology, production management, contractual condition, sustainability assessment, management, decision-making and reasoning, construction integration, research methods, innovation and technology management, energy systems, contractual arrangements, project delivery, architectural and construction history |
| Topics: | Contract Administration, Organizational Design, Engineering Principles, Research Practice, Project Management, Business Strategy, Sustainability, Procurement |
| 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