CINARK
building, for instance, is known to refer to the
One of the results is that there is no self-evident
window sills, not to the sides of the actual
product structure, and in contemporary
carpentry. The carpenter knows that he has to
architectural construction, no clear interfaces.
subtract the size of the joint (for which he has
Neither does it have possibilities of fair competition,
responsibility). It is thus not necessary for the
it has no incentives for product development or
architect as a ‘specifier’ to design this specific
innovation with the suppliers and no environment
interface, only to define where it is. If the architect
for the development of larger, more optimised
wants to control the appearance of the detail, he can
industries in the sector, which could drive the
supply a drawing. If he does not, the craftsman’s
productivity and quality requirements forward.
default solution will be used, still with a high-quality
The construction sector has ended up in what has
result, as this detail will seem coherent in the
for some time been called a ‘lock-in’ situation,
particular building – always embedded in the
which is impossible to break by one single or a few
implicit building tradition applied by the craftsman.
actors.1 Industrialisation as seen in the product industry is thus far from reality, but is it a fruitful
Today, the crafts and construction skills have almost
strategy to pursue in the construction industry?
disappeared from the construction industry in their
Or are the natures of production and construction
traditional form due to increased technical and
fundamentally different from each other?
economical demands in architecture. Large standardised quantities, extreme precision on the technical side and a need for increased productivity with less manpower on the economic side, dissolve the essentials of the traditional manual workshop production and on-site adaptation. At the same time, the explosion in the number of choices within the building material industry has made it impossible for anyone to cope with all possible combinations in a traditional non-explicit (tacit) manner. Today, industrialisation is a condition, not an option. However, the organisation of the building sector does not reflect this fact. See e.g. The Danish Agency for Trade and Industry (2000), Byggeriets Fremtid – fra tradition til innovation (The future of construction – from tradition to innovation), The Danish Agency for Trade and Industry, Copenhagen. Section 1.4 and 1.5 (http://www.ebst.dk/publikationer/rapporter/ byg_frem/index.html)
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