Context, drivers, and future potential for wood-frame multi-story construction in Europe

Hurmekoski, Elias; Jonsson, Ragnar; Nord, Tomas

doi:10.1016/j.techfore.2015.07.002

Cited by 123 publications

(122 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…Path dependency and inertia are described at the industry and country levels (Mahapatra and Gustavsson 2008, Mahapatra et al 2012, Hurmekoski et al 2015, and relatively limited information on the perceptions of important actors is available. Although several studies have found that construction professionals prefer established frame materials over wood frames (e.g.…”

Section: Contractors Cms and Possible Regime Variationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In general, main contractors are identified as some of the most influential actors in Swedish construction projects (Miozzo and Dewick 2004). The so-called turnkey or design-build contracts, in which a main contractor is appointed to manage the construction project to fulfil specified building functions, are common in Sweden and other Nordic countries (Kadefors 2004, Hurmekoski et al 2015. Therefore, when hired by an independent construction client, the contractor often occupies an intermediary position between the construction client and the subcontractors and suppliers (unger 2006).…”

Section: Contractors Cms and Possible Regime Variationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the search for climate and environmental benefits and in support of domestic forest and wood industries, several countries have introduced initiatives promoting wood use in multi-storey buildings (Mahapatra et al 2012, Riala and Ilola 2014, Xia et al 2014. However, the market development of such constructions has been slow (Hurmekoski et al 2015). In Sweden, 90-95% of residential new builds with more than two storeys are built with steel-reinforced concrete frames.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To explain the slow adoption of wood frames, studies indicate strong path dependencies to established materials in the selection of structural frames in multi-storey buildings (Mahapatra and Gustavsson 2008, Mahapatra et al 2012, Hurmekoski et al 2015. The path dependency indicates that present decision-making is influenced by a sociotechnical regime that has developed in line with previous events and decisions (Geels 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In particular, incumbent actors' perceptions and expectations are identified as some of the main underlying factors (Geels and Schot 2007). Their perceptions need to be changed or overcome for the alternatives to reach critical masses of interest among influential actors and diffuse to a greater extent (Mahapatra et al 2012, Hurmekoski et al 2015. Meanwhile, the significant autonomy of construction projects and within-country variations in, e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

The sociotechnical regime and Swedish contractor perceptions of structural frames

Hemström

Gustavsson

Mahapatra

2016

Construction Management and Economics

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To deepen the understanding of the sociotechnical regime that directs the selection of structural frames in multifamily buildings in Sweden, we study the perceptions of contractor representatives. Contract managers (CMs) employed at contractor firms were interviewed regarding their role, the selection of the structural frame and how they perceived different options. The results show that CMs largely influence the selection of the structural frame in multifamily buildings, which are guided by the established concrete-based sociotechnical regime. The regime is maintained through cognitive rules regarding structural frame options and the alignment of skills of construction professionals. Because of their influence and their investments in the skills of construction workers, CMs make important contributions to maintain the regime and the concrete path dependency. Furthermore, the regime varies in strength in different locations. Some locations carry a strong norm to cast concrete frames on site. This makes it more difficult to deviate from the established practice. In other locations, wood-promoting initiatives have changed the cognitive rules associated with the regime. Nonetheless, the sociotechnical regime makes the selection of concrete structural frames beneficial. This prevents wood-framed multifamily buildings from entering common usage, even though such buildings can contribute to mitigating climate change.

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Section: Contractors Cms and Possible Regime Variationsmentioning

confidence: 99%