Construction is vital both to Gross Domestic Product and to today's
politics. Prime Minister Tony Blair himself chairs a cabinet
committee on the Thames Gateway development, to the east of London.
Housing has proved a big factor in Chancellor Gordon Brown's
worries about the Euro. But the construction sector is one of the
world's weakest in innovation. Deputy Prime Minister John
Prescott's target of just 4000 homes to be made through
prefabrication shows how building remains a 19th century affair,
not a 21st century one.
Drawing on the latest technologies that have emerged both inside
and outside the sector, "Why is construction so backward?" forms a
detailed, practical alternative to the conventional wisdom in
building design and urban planning. It is a powerful call for
reform, and a sharp polemic against architecture as social
engineering and environmentalist dogma.Contains a foreword by
Martin PawleyIncludes contributions from such high profile figures
as Stefan Muthesius and Miles Glendinning
Praise for "Why is construction so backward?"
'"Very compelling... a significant piece of research and thought
leadership. Essential."' Colin Bartle-Tubbs, UK Operations
Director, Deloitte
'"Welcome and timely... takes on an industry that has revelled
in complacency for too long."' Bernhard Blauel, Principal, Blauel
Architects
'"The authors are prepared to be daring, reframe the question
and posit new paradigms. Reflecting effortlessly across the
literature of property, business, market research and construction,
the book's kaleidoscope of ideas, examples and images gives it a
refreshing depth of insight and breadth of vision."' John
Worthington, Founder, DEGW
'"A tour de force of polemical provocation. This timely work
forces one to think about construction in the broadest terms.
Required reading."' Paul Finch, Editorial Director, EMAP
Construct
'"A must-read for architecture students and also important for
practitioners, this is a passionate critique of the construction
industry and the planning process, and brings new depth to debate
about the relationship between architecture and society."' Penny
Lewis, Editor, "Prospect"
'"Shock therapy for construction policymakers."' Austin
Williams, Technical Editor, "The Architects' Journal"
'"The introspection of architects, planners and politicians
involved in urban, housing and planning issues needs a little
turmoil, perhaps. The book is persuasive, at times heavily
prescriptive, and certainly argumentative - but it may catalyse a
wider and more informed debate on the future of UK housing
policy."' Michael Hulme, Director, International Centre for the
Study of Media, Technology and Culture, Henley Management
College
'"The pleasure of this book is not only that it takes apart,
with great gusto, the all-pervasive environmental prejudices of our
time, but that it does so with such detailed scrutiny of
construction and with such passion to build more and better."' Alan
Hudson, Director of Studies in Social and Political Science, Oxford
University Department for Continuing Education
'"Important not just for architecture and design, but also for
marketing - especially given how the corporate world uses different
design elements, such as buildings, to build brands."' Lisbeth
Svengren and Mats Frick, Stockholm University School of Business,
Sweden
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