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Constructing buildings and design ambitions

Author

Listed:
  • Kjell Tryggestad
  • Susse Georg
  • Tor Hernes

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Kjell Tryggestad & Susse Georg & Tor Hernes, 2010. "Constructing buildings and design ambitions," Construction Management and Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(6), pages 695-705.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:conmgt:v:28:y:2010:i:6:p:695-705
    DOI: 10.1080/01446191003755441
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Kjell Tryggestad, 2012. "Perspectives on Projects," Construction Management and Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 30(5), pages 416-420, February.
    2. Helen Lingard, 2013. "Design Risk Management: Contribution to Health and Safety," Construction Management and Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 31(6), pages 704-706, June.
    3. Sage, Daniel & Dainty, Andrew & Brookes, Naomi, 2013. "Thinking the ontological politics of managerial and critical performativities: An examination of project failure," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 29(3), pages 282-291.
    4. Zapata-Lancaster, Gabriela & Tweed, Chris, 2014. "Designers׳ enactment of the policy intentions. An ethnographic study of the adoption of energy regulations in England and Wales," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 129-139.

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