Human Activity Modelling Performed by Means of Use Process Ontologies

Quality, according to Pirsig’s universal statements, does not belong to the object itself, nor to the subject itself, but to both and to their interactions. In architecture it is terribly true as we have a Building Object and Users that interact with it.The problem we approach here, renouncing at the impossible task of modelling the actor’s ...

Understanding and Managing the Constructive Characteristics of Vernacular Architecture

In this paper a methodology will be presented to investigate and document the constructive characteristics of two raw earth houses: artifacts that belong to the vernacular architecture. The comprehension, analysis and documentation of these architectures presents several problems mainly linked to the impossibility of using a predefined method,...

Localising the supply chain

The UK committed in 2008 to reduce its greenhouse gas emission by 80% by 2050. The construction industry is a key contributor to the greenhouse emissions and future legislative adjustments for the built environment are well underway. The industry will face many challenges and it is expected that its profile will be very different by 2050. The...

Intra-firm, interdisciplinary networks in multi-national engineering organizations

To gain a competitive advantage, project organizations are interested in sharing knowledge gained through their experiences across the organization. Despite the advantages, this can be particularly challenging for multi-national engineering organizations. These organizations not only encounter typical knowledge sharing constraints due to lack of...

Standardizing knowledge: A dialective view on architectural knowledge and its managers

Many organizations within the construction industry are currently developing standardized practices. Increased standardization involves new ways of organizing construction projects, changing interrelations between professional groups, setting a new culture, i.e. challenging the institutionalized way of being. It, for instance, leads to a...

Intellectual capital model development towards adaptive re-use success: An analysis on historical development of case studies

Adaptive re-use can be a significant strategy for achieving sustainability as it ensures a continuous building life-cycle and prevents it from destruction. Adaptive re-use projects have their own unique environment and specific challenges to ensure success. There are complex designs and construction problems unique to adaptive re-use projects...

Construction an arena for energy efficient multi-family housing development: A case study of inter-organisational knowledge sharing

The Swedish building sector has for a long time struggled with the difficulty to create and share new knowledge. Within the sector, groups of professionals have been found to only share knowledge with members of their network, not with those they consider to be outsiders. As an attempt to unite different views and professional groupings, an...