US-Western Europe Regional Workshop on Technological Innovation in Construction; April, 1990; Zurich, Switzerland

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This award supports the participation of approximately ten U.S. engineers in an international workshop on technological innovation in construction, to be held in Zurich, Switzerland in April, 1990. The meeting is coorganized by Professor D. W. Halpin of the Construc- tion Engineering Department of Purdue University and Professor Robert Fechtig, head of the Construction Division of the ETH in Zurich. Professor Halpin edited a report for the Office of Technology Assessment on the competition between countries in the International Architecture, Engineering and Construction market. This report demonstrated that there are philosophical differences in how construction is viewed both from a market structure perspective and from a market penetration point of view, and that this may explain why the U.S. is lagging behind in competitive performance. U.S. firms consider construction to be a service oriented industry in which the designer and construction contractor play the role of "technology broker." European and Japanese contractors see construction as both a product and service oriented activity in which the firm not only delivers the technology but is the developer of the technology. The key issues confronting the international construction industry today are the utilization of new technologies in the design and production of constructed facilities, and the change of organizational and contractual structures to be more responsive to international markets. The proposed workshop will address these issues by providing a forum for international experience transfer in advancing construction technology and increasing the understanding of mechanisms for technological innovation in construction. The conclusions and recommendations of the meeting will be widely disseminated throughout the U.S. through the International Construction Task Force of the Construction Industry Institute.