Complete Report -- Available in Adobe Acrobat Format (*.pdf)
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Executive Summary
Complete Report -- Available in Adobe Acrobat Format (*.pdf)
If you need the PDF viewer, you may download it here.
Executive Summary
The purpose of this investigation is to determine how R&D resources in the construction industry can be most effectively applied. This is accomplished by identifying the current state of the industry, the perceived direction of the industry, the requirements of industry participants, and the applicability of emerging technologies, all in the context of R&D.
A literature review on research and development in the construction industry was conducted to determine the needs of industry participants. This review identified productivity of labour, construction methods, construction management and improvement of products/components as the four major areas in construction needing R&D attention. Technology transfer was another area of research, which was identified as needing more research and development.
A review of the research being performed in Canadian research institutes and universities reveals that considerable work is being done in construction management. The most common areas of research are communication, integration of the building process, specifications and standards, planning and control of projects, risk, maintenance/ rehabilitation, cost estimating, scheduling, and project modeling. Other research conducted in these organizations includes: improvement of building as a product, development of tools (e.g. computer software and systems), and methodologies.
A survey was developed based on the requirements of industry participants and research being performed in Canadian research institutes and universities, and administered to participants in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The results of this survey suggest that resources should be directed toward improved productivity of labour, improvements in standards and specifications, communication, and control of projects, in that order. The industry also indicated that education was the best method of implementing improvements in construction activities.
Canadian universities and research institutes are currently conducting research in the areas identified by industry participants. However, there does appear to be insufficient research being done to improve productivity (this topic is dealt with indirectly by improving construction management techniques) and standards and specifications. With the research done, technology transfer has been identified as the best method for its implementation in a working environment. Training programs is one method of effectively achieving transfer of technology.
The following recommendations have arisen from the completion of this project: