Integrated process-oriented selection method for the most efficient construction techniques

The choice of appropriate construction techniques is a core competency of construction companies and will have a very important impact on efficiency and effectiveness of the work and the costs involved. Due to the short bidding period and work preparation time before work on site has to be commenced, and due to missing systematic decision making tools, the selection of construction techniques is done mainly by experience and subjective calculation of the project even for major complex projects. This does often lead to non-optimal processes during the construction phase. Resulting from this generally accepted practice, construction companies are frequently reluctant to consider new and innovative construction techniques, in particular, or they reject them totally for reasons of lack of experience. Practice has shown that adherence to tried and “trusted“ construction techniques is making it very difficult for new, innovative and betterperforming construction techniques to break into the market. Given the far-reaching commercial consequences of selecting the optimal construction technique, the Institute for Construction Engineering and Management at SFIT Zurich has initiated a research project aimed at providing a tool for practical application that allows a process-oriented, risk-based selection of the construction technique with particular focus on the impacts of the same on the overall construction process.