Abstract:
The construction industry is no longer focused on providing a single product
- i.e. a building or a physical infrastructure, but a variety of services and improvement to
the human environment. Major trends such as Performance-based Building as well as
Sustainable Built Environment are calling for major changes. These changes mean additional
roles for the industry as well as the need for new indicators to measure its performance and
its economic impact. This paper proposes a new approach based on the development of a
framework for the analysis of the entire construction and property sector - the "built environment
cluster". It extends the analysis of an international study based on nine countries-
Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Lithuania, Portugal, Sweden, and the United
Kingdom. The need for improving statistical data is stressed particularly in the context of
enlarging the scope of the industry. This new approach provides an excellent starting point
for developing new performance indicators that will take into account the changing nature
of the industry, for an integrative perspective providing a basis for strategic management,
for studying sustainable development in construction and for understanding innovation
processes and changes. A comprehensive perspective of the industry performance is crucial
for policy initiatives as well as for strategic analysis of firms.
