The construction industry suffers from a time predictability problem. To address this, previous research has investigated various improvement strategies, including the exploitation of innovations. An innovation is some ‘thing’, unfamiliar to an entity, which can facilitate product, process or systemic improvements. Innovation diffusion theory (IDT) is the body of work concerned with explaining how some innovations successfully ‘stick’, whilst others fail to propagate. These phenomena occur across society, but construction is particularly perceived to suffer from a low ‘innovation rate’. 4D BIM is an innovation with potential to provide construction planning improvements that can address the time predictability problem, but there are concerns around its prospective industry absorption. This research investigates the applicability of classic IDT to the adoption of 4D BIM by the UK construction industry. A mixed-method study was undertaken, informed by a pragmatist philosophy. It combines an initial exploratory stage that uses case study and questionnaire survey research, with a subsequent explanatory stage concurrently employing a second questionnaire survey with semi-structured interviews. Classified as a modular technical process-based innovation, use of 4D BIM is found to advance construction planning. It increases feedback opportunities, planning efforts, and the quality and validity of the plans produced, whilst also having potential for improving project time performance. It is established that 4D BIM usage is principally limited to work-winning, methods planning, and the visualisation of construction processes, alleviating problems of communication and understanding. The importance of existing diffusion concepts of compatibility and trialability, are reinforced, and several new contributions are made. These include: how organisations using BIM risk employing hybrid project information delivery processes, resulting in duplication of effort and inefficiency; how personal use of 4D BIM is linked to organisational characteristics; and what the usual time lag between first awareness and adoption is. Furthermore, an existing innovation-decision process model is built upon, with additional stages, decisionaction points and outcomes added. This new model can assist in the future adoption/rejection decisions of such modular technical process-based innovations.

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The central argument in this thesis is that the workplace environment has an impact upon users and that perceptions of the environment are related to overall satisfaction with the workplace, stimulation and perceived productivity. In addition, it is proposed that changing the environment can influence users’ perceptions and stimulation levels. To test this argument a methodology was developed to allow the collection of both objective and subjective data relating to a range of aspects of the workplace environment. A questionnaire was developed to test users’ attitudes towards aspects of the workplace environment including the internal climate, spatial layout, interior design and workplace features. These user perceptions were analysed in relation to corresponding objective measures of these workplace aspects. Data was collected in 16 workplaces and analysed to determine the relationship between user perceptions and objective measurements of the workplace and establish how these were related to overall satisfaction, stimulation and perceived productivity. The results revealed that users were satisfied with the more quantitative aspects of the workplace: internal climate and spatial layout, but were not satisfied with the qualitative aspects of the workplace: decoration, furniture, personal control and choice, window provision and break areas. All aspects of the workplace were significantly correlated with satisfaction with the workplace and stimulation. There was also an effect on perceived productivity. The findings of the workplace evaluations were tested to determine whether changing the environment in the afternoon could affect stimulation. The results revealed some evidence of a positive impact upon stimulation levels through variation of the workplace environment. Implications for the design of future workplaces and further research in light of the findings are discussed.

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E-business is defined as the use of ICT and internet related technologies to create new ways of conducting business activities. It has been identified as an innovative approach for construction organisations to gain substantial benefits and to improve productivity and efficiency of processes. However, the uptake of ebusiness in the construction industry has been comparatively limited and ineffective. There is a need of a tool to evaluate and review construction ebusiness process execution and performance for further improvements. This research aims to develop a capability maturity model to systematically identify current status of e-business processes as a method of enhancing process efficiency in construction organisations. In order to achieve this aim, a multi-method qualitative research design was adopted. Initially an analysis of existing construction process maps were carried out to establish a conceptual construction process categorisation. Then two rounds of Delphi based expert forum interviews were conducted to verify the conceptual process categorisation. In the second stage of research design, an analysis of existing process maturity models were carried out to identify construction e-business process maturity characteristics. These characteristics were verified through an expert forum and further ratified using three case studies. In the third stage, Construction E-Business Capability Maturity (CeB-CMM) and its user interface were developed using verified construction process categorisation and ratified construction e-business process maturity characteristics. Finally, CeB-CMM was validated by applying it to four construction organisation using CeB-CMM user interface. This research contributed to the existing body of knowledge by developing CeB-CMM and its user interface. Furthermore, this research established a construction process categorisation and determined the construction e-business process maturity characteristics. It is anticipated that the developed tool can be used by construction organisations as a tool to systematically evaluate their current ebusiness process maturity and provide them a pathway to further improve those processes.

The thesis is a study of property occupier displacement generated by the supply of new office and industrial accommodation that has been promoted or assisted by property-led regeneration policies. A review of literature revealed that there had been little in-depth investigation of the phenomenon of occupier displacement and the filtering effect associated with it. A flow model was developed to illustrate the incidence of occupier displacement and the process of property market filtering. There are two main strands to the research (see Figure 1.1), firstly an exploration of the property chains generated by the displacement of office and industrial occupiers in response the supply of new accommodation, and secondly, an investigation of the reasons why office and industrial occupiers relocate and how they determine where to move to. Three phases of research were employed to record the displacement generated by twenty public sector assisted office and industrial developments in the Tyne and Wear conurbation. Occupiers of twenty developments were identified by site inspections and a total population questionnaire survey was undertaken, complemented by a telephone survey, to record the status and origin of over 500 property occupiers and allow the property chains to be pursued. The chaining exercise revealed the scale of displacement or relocation and the outcome of the resulting chains. The origin of first move occupiers and chain-ends was plotted to reveal their spatial distribution. The research recorded that over half of all occupiers had relocated and over a third of chains generated by such moves, resulted in vacant property elsewhere in the conurbation. Structured interviews with 29 office and industrial occupiers were undertaken to investigate their locational decisions and the factors that influenced their outcome, the results of which were triangulated with the earlier research phases to reveal ten key themes that fundamentally determine such decisions. The originality of the research is the scale and rigour of the chaining survey, the mapping of the spatial distribution of the origin of occupiers and the chain-ends, and the pursuit of understanding of how occupiers respond to the availability of new accommodation. The scale occupier displacement, generated by new office and industrial accommodation, is significant, but by stimulating property market excitation and vacancy a filtering effect is set-up that can generate positive benefits to a local economy by allowing occupiers to expand.

Building designs in countries like the United Kingdom are currently checked manually against a frequently changing and increasingly complex set of building regulations. It is a major task for designers and those bodies that are charged with enforcing building regulations. As a result, there can often be ambiguity, inconsistency in assessments and delays in the overall construction process. This scenario indicates the need for automated building regulation compliance checking, which is an easier and valid option. As part of this, a critical review is carried out of the building code compliance checking related efforts undertaken in different countries, including Australia, Singapore, Australia, Norway and USA. Furthermore, it is determined that the use of Building Information Models (BIM) and the Industry Foundation Class (IFC) standard is imperative for automated compliance checking in England and Wales. Most of the initiatives mentioned above focuses on creating object based rules and mapping the entities encapsulated within them to the international building model schema. The schema is designed to support the needs of an international user and takes little consideration of national semantics (e.g. UK practice and culture). Hence, the research focuses on creating UK building regulation specific data model schema. The analysis of Part-B1 through knowledge formalisation has resulted in identification of over 120 semantic entities. Using the output, a Part-B1 data model schema has been developed using EXPRESS-G language. Thus, an England and Wales building regulation specific, semantically rich, object model schema appropriate for the requirements of automated compliance checking has been developed. The data model schema development results into a document modeling method. This method was developed in a manner such that it would be applicable to model any building regulation technical document. The development of a document modeling method acts as a contribution to the knowledge as building experts, rule authors and computer programmers can use it for data modeling. The said methodology was implemented on a sample legislative document to validate its usefulness. Also through the research work, concepts such as knowledge formalisation and a clause filter system were coined and successfully utilised to overcome the issues related to unsuitability of building regulations. This work accounts as a contribution to knowledge due to its novelty. A clause filter system was developed primarily to extract appropriate information suitable for automated compliance checking. On the basis of various key findings, a detailed framework for automated compliance checking of the UK building regulations is delivered through the research work.

Delays are a common feature of construction projects and frequently lead to disputes between the parties. In resolving these disputes it is essential to have a robust methodology for analysing delays. It is argued that current understanding of available delay analysis methodologies is inadequate and hindered by taxonomic confusion. There is a need for guidance on available delay analysis methodologies and an explanation of how these are implemented, and, as a result, models have been proposed that aid practitioners in the selection of a defendable and most appropriate delay analysis method under the specific circumstances of a project. This suggests an element of choice over the method to be selected: for example, the Society of Construction Law recommended the Time Impact Analysis methodology for undertaking a retrospective delay analysis. The question is whether this or any such methodology is necessarily appropriate. There is general confusion over the selection of delay analysis methodologies. Here, it is proposed that this confusion can be reduced and delay analysis improved by an analysis of the latest research on the status of delay analysis in the UK, an analysis of common law guidance on methodology, an assessment of professional and research literature on delay analysis and research into what is being currently undertaken by experts in the field of delay analysis. This has been done using a mixed methods approach that included: (i) analysis of a questionnaire survey by the CIOB to understand the current state of time management in the UK construction industry; (ii) analysis of the industry guidance on delay analysis methodologies; (iii) a comprehensive review of related English Case Law; and (iv) an analysis of 27 case studies comprising programming expert reports that were presented as evidence in arbitrations. These multiple sources enabled the researcher to ascertain, in the case of each delay analysis methodology: (a) the dominant method actually used in disputes; (b) the details of its application; (c) the reasons for its selection; and (d) its level of accuracy and subsequent acceptability. The research demonstrates that when time claims are accompanied by cost claims there is a dichotomy in the choice of appropriate methodology. There is a clear preference for prospective analysis of time issues, but a retrospective approach for claims that involve finance. At the same time, when a claim contains both elements, the courts appear to prefer a single approach, namely, the retrospective approach. This has resulted in the recommended method of undertaking delay analysis by the Society of Construction Law being not supported by English common law and ultimately to an increase in confusion within the Industry. Given the courts’ fundamental opposition to a method that better accords with forensic logic, it is expedient to recommend a ‘best of the rest’ method for delay analysis rather than adopt a formulaic approach to selecting the appropriate delay analysis methodology. Case study reviews have shown the Windows Analysis methodology is widely used and this is also widely accepted as the most accurate and appropriate methodology, although less well known than other less appropriate delay analysis methodologies. Apart from its theoretical significance, the research should improve construction practitioners’ understanding of delay analysis, and provide clarity on the evidence required to support a claim for an extension of time. It has the potential to reduce disputes over selection criteria and promote harmony between the construction and the legal professions over the appropriate method of resolving delay claims.

Retrofit programmes for installing energy efficient technologies in social housing are a key part of efforts to reduce UK carbon emissions by 80 per cent by 2050. This requires a reduction in CO2 emissions by an average of 80%, from all housing, in order to assist the UK’s long term goals. The UK’s turnover of housing stock is relatively slow compared to most developed countries and approximately 87% of the current housing stock will still be standing in 2050. Therefore, to meet carbon emissions targets, existing buildings must be refurbished or ‘retrofitted’ with technologies which reduce carbon emissions on a huge scale. The Government intends to achieve this by driving energy efficiency in households and businesses predominantly through the proposed Green Deal framework. This represents a shift in policy approach since the 2010 elections, towards a private finance and private industry approach, as rather than the previous Labour Governments predominately state managed and grant-aided social retrofit approach. The influence of the economic recession at the time of this transition is also likely to be a key driver of the Governments changing approach to financing the retrofit of millions of UK homes. Other strategies such as the UK Fuel Poverty Strategy are also intended to dove-tail with this national push to retrofit housing stock, due to reduced energy costs and increased thermal comfort. There is great potential for the proposed national retrofit mobilisation to reduce carbon emissions from homes, contribute to economic growth and provide other benefits such as the reduction of Fuel Poverty. However, the amount of energy used in homes is largely dependent on the behaviours of the occupier(s) and occupant behaviour can determine the effectiveness of retrofit programmes and thus impact on the potential of this significant mobilisation to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions from housing. Thus, occupant behaviour is increasingly recognised as a critical element to be acknowledged and addressed in order to meet carbon reduction targets, both within the literature (excluding the policy literature) by and those delivering retrofits on the ground. This research provides a unique insight into occupant energy use behaviour by evaluating a ‘live’ project to retrofit energy efficient being implemented by Gentoo Group which includes construction and social landlord roles. The literature review relevant to the research focuses on Psychological theories of behaviour and Practice Theory. This provides insights from both paradigms provide two viewpoints on behaviour: an insight into the nature of individual behaviour (Psychological theories of behaviour), and; a consideration of how the framework and structure of society (including aspects such as technology) interacts with the individual’s practices (Practice Theory). The research methodology utilised an inductive approach, underpinned by a qualitative research design. In-depth interviews were conducted before and after specific interventions (a technical intervention and informational interventions) took place, these interviews were recorded and transcriptions were thematically organised and analysed using the template analysis technique. This process first identified ‘patterns of behaviour related to energy use’ arising due the project interventions and secondly based on the frequency of these occurring, identified ‘key patterns’. The theoretical perspectives of the Psychology and Practice Theory literature were drawn on in order to contextualise the findings of the research, but it this thesis does not attempt to apply them in an empirical approach. The analysis process instead draws on specific elements from both of the disciplines to assist the interrogation of the ‘key patterns’ so they may be better explained or understood. Key findings of the research highlighted that energy use behaviour is impacted by the introduction of technology, and tenant behaviour can potentially impact on the energy saving effectiveness of retrofit projects. Significant impacts were identified specifically where tenants had an interaction with the technology being introduced and the informational intervention had no significant impact on behaviour. ‘Key patterns’ indicated several factors which influence tenant energy use behaviour and of these the barriers to retrofit effectiveness were identified as: limited access to knowledge and skills; habits preventing behaviour change to utilise introduced technologies; the quality of installation and function of the technical intervention; convenience of introduced technology potentially increasing energy use, and: the need or desire for thermal comfort. The thesis concludes that energy use behaviour is pivotal factor in determining retrofit effectiveness and that behaviour, and in particular behaviour-related barriers to retrofit effectiveness, should be acknowledged and addressed as part of the UK retrofit strategy, especially in the light emerging policies such as the Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation, which intend to drive retrofit on a huge scale. Recommendations are made inform retrofit practitioners and academic and policy debates on behaviour in the context social housing retrofit, and suggestions are made for future research to explore this research area further.

During the last few decades, strategic management and strategic human resource management theories have received a great deal of attention in many industrial sectors. The complex and constantly changing business environment has driven large construction companies more than ever before to reflect on the interplay between their organisational strategies and their strategic management processes, tools and techniques. This is despite the great value of human capital for an organisation’s strategic flexibility within different sets of environmental evolutions. This includes people in various positions, administrative, professional, managerial and unskilled, as well as numerous project stakeholders. Several researchers are increasingly interested in applying strategies and human-related studies within the construction industry; however, an integrated study of these two factors has been notably lacking, particularly in an airport context where the challenges and difficulties of managing construction projects are high. This doctoral thesis contributes to the existing literature by exploring the unique characteristics of an airport construction environment, along with reporting the findings of the impact that different airport ownership forms have on construction management efficiency. Through integrating numerous theories and concepts associated with project strategies, strategic human resource management and various efficiency management attributes, this research project presents a unique strategic framework that offers a structured approach to support airport holding bodies. Research primary data were collected following semi-structured interviews with senior construction project managers of airport operators within three distinct airport organisations in terms of their ownership structures. The resultant findings provide insight into the many differences between the case studies in term of project management practices. Furthermore, an explanation of the key practices that influence the occurrence of project success were identified. This doctoral investigation identified there is a need for flexibility and scalability aligned with adopting the strategic framework and engaging its conceptual application with actual management and controlling practices. In essence, the research framework was developed for each category of airport organisation, where an airport organisation is encouraged to focus its efforts on managing the most important framework components which are needed for effective improvement of management practices and, accordingly, to achieve expectations. The resulting theoretical framework provides a unique tool for airport operators to apply their project management knowledge effectively in order to realize complex projects and to secure potential efficiency gains. This study therefore provides a novel theoretical insight into the strategic management of human resources during airport construction projects. The primary application of the strategic framework is concerned with managing and controlling existing airport construction projects, particularly refurbishment or extension projects, however this could be also applied to new airport construction projects where the factors affecting strategic management and strategic human resource management anticipated to be different to those studied during this investigation. This has paved the way for future investigations to be conducted to tackle this dichotomy and further understand the intriguing aspects of airport construction business.