Prioritizing quality over profit: Value trade-offs within architect-client relations

Architectural service delivery involves a complex system of economic and quality related value dimensions, which are mutually dependent and prioritized differently by actors. Responding to professional logics as well as organizational logics, value creation goals of architects and clients are multidimensional, resulting in tensions within and...

Exploring the field of public construction clients by a graphical network analysis

Because public construction clients form the majority of construction clients and procure over 40% of the construction output in most countries, they are important actors in the construction industry. Yet, the field of research on clients is still underdeveloped. In order to identify the research gaps in this field, a graphical network analysis...

A Public Commissioning Maturity Model for Construction Clients

Being a public organization with construction needs, whether they are housing, building or infrastructure related, implies close co-operation and interaction with the supply chain. Substantial research exists that focuses on project related aspects of commissioning and on the role of the construction client in general. Only limited research has...

International collaboration and partnering in the supply chain as business opportunities for architectural firms

Due to a shift towards market driven concepts, a risk allocation from the demand side to the supply side and the increasing competition with other skilled actors in the value chain, architectural firms have to adapt quickly to stay competitive. They need to innovate not only their products and services, but also make more fundamental changes in...

Business Model Design of Architectural Service Firms

Due to significant changes in the architecture, engineering and construction industry, architectural firms have to adapt quickly to stay competitive. They need to innovate not only their products and services, but also make more fundamental changes in the way they create and appropriate value, thereby replacing or innovating their business model...

Mapping fields of interest: A systematic literature review on public clients in construction

Purpose: To create an overview of scientific knowledge currently available on public clients in order to set up a research agenda for public commissioning in construction. Background: Public clients are important actors and change agents in the construction industry. While sharing characteristics with private clients, they differ on terms of...

Managerial implications for architectural competitions based on paradox theory

Despite being one of the most important means to obtain commissions, explore in design terms and develop design quality, architectural competitions are an extremely controversial practice. Nevertheless, they are increasingly adopted within the European procurement law, to the point that exploring and understanding their debated issues is...

Working through paradoxes in professional creative service firms: Lessons learned from design competitions

With the recent focus on austerity and efficiency, dealing with competing tensions has become increasingly critical within the creative industry. Also project-based industries and construction are suffering from a severe downfall in commissions. Architecture is at the intersection of these industries. As such it is a fertile ground for...

Heart and mind: The role of time in design related decisions

We make numerous decisions every day. Some decisions are based on a range of explicit and material alternatives, others are constructed from implicit ideas about the options we have in mind. In preparing a construction project, creating a vision on how the future would look like appears to be one of the most important activities. This is usually...

Social and cultural drivers of incentive effectiveness in infrastructure projects

Formal incentives systems aim to encourage improved performance by offering a reward for the achievement of project-specific goals. Despite argued benefits of incentive systems on project delivery outcomes, there remains debate over how incentive systems can be designed to encourage the formation of strong project relationships within a complex...