Tryggestad, K; Georg, S and Hernes, T (2010) Constructing buildings and design ambitions. Construction Management and Economics, 28(6), pp. 695-705. ISSN 1466433X
Abstract
Project goals are conceptualized in the construction management literature as either stable and exogenously given or as emerging endogenously during the construction process. Disparate as these perspectives may be, they both overlook the role that material objects used in construction processes can play in transforming knowledge and thereby shaping project goals. Actor-network theory is used to explore the connection between objects and knowledge with the purpose of developing an adaptive and pragmatic approach to goals in construction. Based on a case study of the construction of a skyscraper, emphasis is given to how design ambitions emerge in a process of goal translation, and to how, once these ambitions are materialized, tensions between aesthetic and functional concerns emerge and are resolved. These tensions are resolved through trials of strength as the object-the building-is elaborated and circulates across sites in various forms, e.g. artistic sketches, drawings and models. Given that initial goal accuracy is often seen as a key success factor, these insights have theoretical and practical implications for the management and evaluation of the construction project.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | design ambitions; evaluation; knowledge; project goals |
| Index terms: | aesthetic, skyscraper, actor-network theory, construction project, case study, construction process, drawing, success factor, accuracy |
| Subjects: | construction type, production management, building construction, technical documentation, health monitoring assessment and metrics, factor and component analysis, data collection methods, professional development, theoretical framing |
| Topics: | Research Practice, Health and Safety, Project Management, Design Practice, Construction Technology, Site Management, Information Management |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTE |
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