Technology transfer in construction

The construction industry, as viewed in this report, is a system which includes, in addition to contractors and others engaged in assembly, engineers and design professionals, manufacturers of components, materials and equipment, developers, and those who regulate the industry, as well as the people or corporations that own or use the final product. In Canada, this is a large, heterogeneous and fragmented industry. In 1973, the estimated capital and repair expenditures on construction amounted to 18.1 billion dollars, or 15.2 percent of gross national expenditure. In the same year, employment in construction contracting firms, alone, represented 6.3 percent of total employment in Canada. This size of the construction industry has two major implications for technology transfer in the context of the economic efficiency of the industry. First, the size and sales potential of the construction market also provides considerable incentives for manufacturers to introduce new products into it. This means that small, incremental rates of changes in efficiency may represent large total dollar changes. Second, for many of the products of the construction industry, the research and development work associated with them must take into account the physical and social environments in which they will be placed and the ways in which they will be used in practice. Two further economic factors also influence the role of technology in the construction industry: the "product" of the industry, and the "demand" for the product. In examining these factors, this report has the following objectives: (1) to identify specific technology transfer modes and mechanisms; (2) to identify specific incentives and impediments to technology transfer and innovation; (3) to examine the implications of these incentives and impediments; (4) to trace causes and effects of technology transfer; and (5) to take into account in the above work (a) new and improved materials and equipment used in construction, (b) new and improved processes for making these materials and equipment, (c) new and improved methods of assembly at the construction site, and (d) new and higher standards and objectives in user requirements and satisfactions. The material is presented in two principal parts, the first part containing analyses and discussions and the second part containing material to support or illustrate the earlier analyses. Sandwiched between these two parts is a set of 30 conclusions drawn directly and without elaboration from the material presented. Information was gathered from three main sources: published articles, reports and papers; unpublished papers and material supplied privately on request; and a representative series of interviews.