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This module enables students to start formulating their own understanding of the construction industry and the challenges it faces – as an ecosystem – drawing on the industry’s history, current status and performance and exploring possible future scenarios.

This module is about the evolution of the construction industry in its historical, social and urban context as well as its current state and challenges and how these might be addressed in the future. This broad overview gives students the fundamental background and context to appreciate the size and shape of the industry – and begins to build the analytical and critical skills they will need to be change agents in the construction firms that form the industry of tomorrow. Importantly it presents the industry as a complex ecosystem with a wide range of actors and inter-relationships.

Lectures, discussions and presentations in class are informed by selected reading tasks from key books, academic papers and industry/policy sources.

Students are required to submit a 20-page portfolio at the end of the module. The module leader provides formative feedback on a small group presentation on a key industry issue, and students have their first experience of giving and receiving informal peer feedback.

Aims:

To equip students with a strong foundational understanding of theÌýconstruction industry – past, present and future, enabling them to appreciate current industry issues.
It provides them with subject knowledge that will be further explored in later modules, and which willÌýalso underpin their academic and professional development as project managers. The module
includes an introduction to the common ways of organising firms, projects and programmes,
contextualised with a complex industry ecosystem.

It provides students with a broad-based and critical understanding of:

1. the construction industry’s organisation and structure – including types of firms;
2. its development and evolution over time;
3. its role in the production of the built environment, notably via projects; and,
4. the major issues it is facing now and in the future.
NB: the development of construction project management as a discipline and as a profession is
covered elsewhere in the Year One syllabus, principally in the modules: Introduction to theÌýConstruction Profession and Introduction to Project Management.

Learning Outcomes:

On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:

• Describe the history and development of the construction industry.
• Outline the industry’s current structure and ways in which its economic, social andÌýenvironmental performance is measured (at firm and industry level);
• Explain how industry organisations (firms) work together to deliver projects – in a builtÌýenvironment context.
• Appreciate in broad terms the body of academic knowledge which explores and criticises theÌýconstruction industry.
• Discuss how the industry is changing in responses to current challenges including climate andÌýtechnological change.
• Apply this knowledge to be able to offer a basic critical commentary on current industry issuesÌýas well as proposals for improvement and change.