as the pace of growth in American cities became a concern. Technological advancements in building science continued, electric power became commonplace in all structures, and advancements in heating and cooling systems made life easier for people in all climates of the world.
Construction started showing up as big business during this time. Although most building was still being performed by small and medium-sized companies, much larger organizations were forming, and the globalization of the construction industry had begun. Opportunities for extensive projects in housing, industry, transportation, and city development were popping up all over the world. The construction industry developed into a major economic sector.
The 20th Century
Although only a few advances in materials or technologies took place during the 20th century, new challenges were being imposed on the construction industry. After World War II, there was a construction boom in the United States and around the world. The demand for housing, industry, and infrastructure was enormous. Time, cost, and quality became critical concerns for those needing new facilities. The construction industry responded. Mechanized tools, panelized construction, and prefabrication inspired a whole new way to view the building process. New techniques emerged to help regulate and standardize building materials and methods. Building codes, standards, and specifications were established to help regulate and control the quality of materials and methods. Over time, as more residential, commercial, and industrial development started to spring up, new issues such as the environment, energy conservation, sustainability, safety, and workforce diversity started to add to the complexity of the building process in a way that had never been seen before.
infrastructure
The basic roadways, bridges, and railroad networks that support a community or society.
specifications
The written instructions from an architect or engineer accompanying the project plans pertaining to the quality of materials and workmanship required for the project.
The industry began to recognize that the correlation between sound management techniques and successful building practices was very important to the success of a project. The ability to measure and monitor progress and economic effectiveness of the construction process became more important as projects became increasingly complex. Although the discipline of engineering had been tapped to provide the management function for years, a new distinction was being drawn.
As early as 1935, a new educational program that focused specifically on construction was popping up at a few universities across the country. These early programs eventually evolved into what is now recognized as construction management. The idea was to merge management principles, methodologies, and techniques with the art, science, and craft of building and create a unique educational experience. In addition to teaching building science, the program introduced estimating, scheduling, project controls, and project administration techniques.
In 1965, representatives from nine universities met in Florida to form the Associated Schools of Construction (ASC). This organization's distinct mission was to promote construction management as a legitimate and unique area of study at the university. The organization's goal was to establish a four-year degree program that clearly identified construction management as a recognized discipline among allied disciplines such as engineering and architecture.
Today, there are more than 160 four-year colleges and universities listed with ASC offering construction management curricula. The programs are typically identified as construction management, construction engineering, engineering technology, building science, or construction science, and they are often affiliated with colleges or schools of engineering, architecture, or technology. The educational opportunities available today are discussed in greater detail later in this chapter; see the “Educational Offerings” section.
The Age of Technology
New technologies are impacting every aspect of our lives. The construction industry is no exception. There are computer applications across all aspects of the construction management function: programs for estimating, scheduling, project administration, building design, cost accounting, project controls, quality control, and information transfer. Computers are available on every job site, and increasingly we are seeing all kinds of field mobility software and tablet computers being applied to every aspect of the construction management process that can be used to initiate a schedule or purchase order change in an instant. But the technology doesn't stop there. Technologies such as global positioning systems (GPS), computer-aided earth-moving systems, building information modeling (BIM), and virtual and augmented reality are allowing construction managers to enter and interact with buildings that exist only in cyberspace. These virtual mock-ups are real enough to evaluate things as simple as whether welders have enough room to work in a confined space, and more serious issues such as the impact of a powerful hurricane on an entire facility. (You'll learn more about BIM and other technologies in Chapter 15.)
The technological opportunities in construction methods, materials, and management are endless. In the future, we can look forward to the use of nanotechnology, metallic polymers, and micro-electromechanical systems that will allow for embedded intelligence in building materials and produce products such as interactive, “talking” doors, windows, walls, and even kitchen countertops.
NOTE
If you want to learn more about the history of construction, look for Gyula Sebestyén's Construction: Craft to Industry (Spon Press, 1998). It is a fascinating read and takes a very comprehensive look at the many factors that influenced the growth of the construction industry from the collapse of the Roman Empire to planning for the global frontiers of the future.
Industry Sectors
The facility needs of a society are vast and varied. People need places to live, worship, work, receive medical care, shop, be educated, exercise, vacation, and generally engage life. From a facilities standpoint, all of these needs taken together are often referred to as the built environment. Although many other industries assist in creating the built environment, construction ultimately delivers it.
Each of these different facility needs is manifested as a different market or sector of the construction industry. There are five basic sectors of the industry:
Residential building
Commercial building
Heavy civil construction
Industrial construction
Environmental construction
Each sector is characterized by different means, methods, and materials of construction. The types of equipment, the type of structural framework, the manufacturers, the suppliers, the specialty contractors, and even the sources of funding vary with each sector. For example, structural steel frames, steel erection, and steel fabrication are all common components of the commercial, but not residential, sector. On the other hand, wood frame structures, rough carpentry, and lumber are common components of the residential, but not commercial, sector of the industry.
Each sector requires specific expertise and familiarity in order to optimize the construction operations and management efforts. Therefore, the majority of builders focus their attention on only one sector or market of the
