The world is changing at an unprecedented rate. In some areas obsolescence is just 18 months away after the introduction of a new product. Construction, however, has been rather reticent in increasing its rate of change. This reticence probably emanates from its very nature: one-of-a-kind projects, highly customized, labor intensive, and employing a large variety of traditional skills. To address this reticence, a group of construction practitioners, contractors, owners and academicians, met recently for two days to share their diverse knowledge, views and experience with focus to this topic. These highly stimulating discussions yielded some insights into: 1. The barriers that slow down the rate of change in the construction industry 2. The nature of how research is converted into knowledge and finally action. 3. The process of institutionalizing innovations This paper describes and summarizes these insights, derived from an enormous amount of data collected during the meeting.
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