How Does The Construction Industry Work? Part II
Construction is an overall term encompassing the science and art of building materials, structures, or organised systems, and originally comes from the Latin construction and Old French construction, the first sense of which is “to build”. To build literally means the action of constructing, and in the second sense of the word is also used, but in a less metaphorical sense: the real nature of the construction, i.e. its nature, as opposed to its superficial appearance, such as a building constructed out of bricks or concrete, or a painting or sculpture made from wood. In the modern era construction has become a generic term used to describe any process by which something is created, together with technological, economic, social, aesthetic and legal developments. The discipline of construction has its roots in disciplines such as engineering (which studies technological, economic and social changes that affect production and how these changes are incorporated into the production of a product or service), philosophy (which studies human practices and institutions in relation to the production of a product or service) and construction (which studies the various forms of organisation ranging from the most simple workplace organising forces to the most sophisticated corporation).
Articulation refers to the process of bringing a theory or idea into reality by the use of material, people, machines, or anything else that can be thought or planned. A civil engineer might design buildings, tunnels, bridges and other civil engineering structures. He might be involved in the planning stage of large projects like bridges or skyscrapers or might simply be responsible for managing the day-to-day construction activities. The architect on the other hand is a builder who designs and builds the buildings and other structures that his project requires. Although not required to take part in the actual construction process, an architect is usually involved in the design of his project’s blueprint.
As we have seen, construction projects have many elements that need to be integrated in order for them to be successful. Some of these integration points are structure, people and technology. Structures refers to the overall construction or configuration of a building or infrastructure and its various components. People refers to the actual workers who will be involved in the construction process and technology refers to the tools, materials and machinery used in the construction process. Together, these four aspects constitute the basic structure of a successful construction project.
In order for construction projects to be successful, they must satisfy the following three factors: fulfil the client’s requirement; comply with the regulations and standards set out by the government; and satisfy the building materials’ requirement. The first two are usually the responsibility of the contractor while the third one is often the responsibility of the civil engineering firm. Contractors usually have to work within their established budget, time frame and deadlines. They also need to fulfil the requirements of the client.
Civil engineers have a very important role in these projects as they are responsible for ensuring that the building project complies with all the building codes and regulations set out by the government. They ensure that the project meets all legal requirements and that it adheres to all applicable laws, regulations and safety provisions. They also prepare and maintain all the records necessary to track the progress of the construction project. Their role in the entire construction process ensures that all the requirements of the clients are fulfilled and the project is on schedule and within budget.
Another important factor that has to be considered during the construction projects is the accurateness of the specifications provided by the clients. All the specifications should be up to date and accurate so that there is no unexpected delay in the process. The suppliers of the required materials should be contacted and all their information should be included in the project files. These suppliers usually have their own in-house team of architects and engineers who are responsible for verifying all the required information provided by the client. This ensures that the project is carried out according to the specifications provided by the client.
