Constructing Innovation: How Large-Scale Projects Drive Novelty in the Construction Industry

by Joachim Thiel (Editor)

Overview

The construction sector is not exactly known for its innovation. Also, the reputation of large-scale projects builds less on their capacity to generate novelty than on their likelihood to fail in terms of project managements performance indicators of time and cost. And yet, throughout the history of construction, the sector has regularly experienced the introduction of novel technologies and techniques, often advanced through large-scale projects such as the Eiffel Tower or Sydney Opera House. This book seeks to shed light on this aspect of large-scale construction projects. The volume contains the results of an interdisciplinary collaboration between scholars from the social sciences and construction engineering. Through six indepth case studies comprising recent large-scale construction projects in Germany, chapters take different disciplinary and conceptual premises to explore the contribution these projects have made in generating and dispersing innovations.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783868596786
Publisher:	JOVIS
Publication date:	08/02/2021
Series:	Perspectives in Metropolitan Research , #7
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	6.50(w) x 9.45(h) x (d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Joachim Thiel (Hg.)

Joachim Thiel (ed.)

Table of Contents

Introduction

Large-Scale Construction Projects as Drivers of Innovation? Introduction to the Book Joachim Thiel Venetsiya Dimitrova Johanna Ruge 8

Studying Innovation in Construction

Framing Construction Innovation Joachim Thiel 19

Situating the Research Project at the intersection of Multi-Disciplinary Debates Monika Grubbauer 22

Case Studies as a Research Strategy: Data and Methods Lennart Fahnenmüller Joachirri Thiel 28

The Case Studies Venetsiya Dimitrova Johannes Dreher Johanna Ruge 33

Foto Series I

Passerelle de la Paix: Materializing Innovation Michael Zimmermann 46

Large-Scale Construction Projects and Innovation: The Research Results

Large-Scale Projects as "Frame Changers" in the Construction Industry? Joachim Thiel Venetsiya Dimitrova Johannes Dreher 61

How Small Deviations Can Trigger Greater Transformations. Comparing Innovation Biographies in the Construction Industry 79

Response Werner Rammert

Mobile Knowledge, Sticky Products: Geographies of Innovation in Large-Scale Projects Johannes Dreher Joachim Thiel Gemot Grabher Monika Grubbauer 86

Advancing Geographies of Innovation in Large-Scale Construction Projects 105

Response Maude Brunet Patrick Cohendet

Embracing Temporal Ambiguities? Innovation and the Temporalities of Large-Scale Projects Joachim Thiel Gemot Grabher 111

Temporal Ambiguities in Large-Scale Projects 127

Response Jonas Söderlund

What Was the Problem Again? How Problem Formulation Affects Innovativeness in Large-Scale Projects Lennart Fahnenmüller Johanna Ruge Annette Bögle 133

Innovations in Bridge Design? 150

Response Steffen Marx

Dealing with Materiality: The Role of Engineering Thinking and Material Knowledge for Innovation in Construction Johanna Ruge Annette Bögle 153

A Synthesis of the Arts: The Materialization of Artistic and Architectural Concepts for the Wehrhahn Line 169

Response Heike Klussmann

Large-Scale Projects as Arenas for Interaction: Negotiating Professional Cultures of Architects and Engineers Venetsiya Dimitrova Monika Grubbauer Johanna Ruge Annette Bögle 176

Interacting In and Out of the Box. A Knowledge-Sociological Perspective 194

Response Silke Steets

Foto Series II

Yesterday's Tomorrows. The Demolition of City-Hof Hagen Stier 200

Synthesis

How Large-Scale Projects Drive Innovation in the Construction Industry: Concluding Remarks Joachim Thiel Venetsiya Dimitrova Johanna Ruge 214

Contributors

Authors 223

Photographers 224