The construction process has come under intense scrutiny in recent times and this is set to continue as building owners and users demand better value for money from a more sustainable built environment. The construction sector's actors are responding to the challenges implicit in this drive for greater competitiveness and social responsibility. New forms of procurement, innovation programmes, knowledge management, CAD-supported processes, predictive and diagnostic tools, and many more initiatives are helping to transform the sector.

Preface. Acknowledgements. Contributors. Introduction (Brian Atkin, Jan Borgbrant & Per--Erik Josephson). Modularisation in the Customisation of Manufactured Housing (Carina Johansson). Application of Integrated Life Cycle Design to Housing (Mats OOberg). Life Cycle Costs of Commercial Buildings -- a Case Study (Eva Sterner). A Life Cycle Cost Approach to Optimising Indoor (Dennis Johansson &Anders Svensson). Performance Indicators as a Tool for Decisions in the Construction Process (Veronica Yveraas). Reducing the Risk of Failure in Performance within Buildings (Stephen Burke). Physical Status of Existing Buildings and their Components with the Emphasis on Future Emissions (Torbjoorn Hall). Co--ordination of the Design and Building Process for Optimal Building Performance (Niklas Soorensen). New Concrete Materials Technology for Competitive Construction (Markus Peterson). Competitiveness in the Context of Procurement (Fredrik Malmberg). Encouraging Innovation through New Approaches to Procurement (Kristian Wideen). Public--Private Partnerships -- Conditions for Innovation and Project Success (Roine Leiringer). Pros and Cons in Partnering Structures (Anna Rhodin). Importance of the Project Team to the Creation of Learning Within and Between Construction Projects (Fredrik Anheim). Refurbishment of Commercial Buildings: the Relationship between the Project and its Context (AAsa Engwall). Improving Project Efficiency through Process Transparency in Management Information Systems (Christian Lindfors). Improvements Processes in Construction Companies (Peter Samuelsson). Design Research and the Records of Architectural Design: Expanding the Foundations of Design Tool Development (Robert Fekete). Communicating Project Concepts and Creating Decision Support from CAAD (Jan Henrichseen). Using 4D CAD in the Design and Management of Vertical Extensions to Existing Buildings (Susan Bergsten). Importance of Architectural Attributes in Facilities Management (Ulf Nordwall). Conclusions (Brian Atkin, Jan Borgbrant & Per--Erik Josephson). Index