The Construction Industry

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It is widely agreed that law and regulation plays a significant roles in almost all aspects among the societies, it is likewise in construction industry, which is a vital sector among the economy of modern societies. Construction sector consists a variety of specialised skilled and professionals as well as technological complexity, ranging from materials to equipments and facilities. This sector mainly can be divided into three main sub-sectors, namely building construction, heavy & civil engineering and construction- service. Building construction works mainly includes trade works, and construction services refer to construction professional services, such as architecture and engineering. However, regardless the type of projects, construction …show more content…

Separate references commonly used e.g ‘construction industry’, ‘building industry’ or ‘construction and building industry’ demonstrate the different definitions and terminology used to describe the construction industry (Ofori, 1990). However, most of these definitions aimed to describe the industry based on the nature, features and boundaries of construction industry (Ofori, 1990). Historically construction industry defined as “aggregation of businesses engaged in closely related activities” (Colean and New comb, 1952) and (Lange and Mills, 1972). Nam and Tatum 1989 defined construction industry as the all types of activities carried out for erection and repairing the fixed structures. In 1984 Hillebrandt explained construction industry as a cover for all parties involved in construction process including suppliers. Construction industry mainly consists of a series of professional activities, namely designing and planning, demolition, repair and maintenance. The products of the construction industry are mainly buildings and civil engineering works, such as airports and harbors. Legislative board of development of Singapore in 1984defined the construction sector as “the industry concerning the carrying out of construction works” table 1-1. However, an adopted definition describes the construction industry as a part of economy, which is involved designing, planning, constructing, altering and …show more content…

Traditionally clients personally entered into contract with separate trades to accomplish their building. Nowadays in most countries clients adopt a person or company who undertakes to purchase and carry the required materials and equipments as well as bringing the trade and labors to carry out the whole work or the main part of the construction work. The undertaken person or company is so called as ‘builder’ or ‘general contractor’ (Huges et al, 2015). Progress in construction technology led to development of the significant role of designers who understood the new technologies. The need for measurement and estimating the cost of projects led to establishment of the quantity surveying. In the same vein the need for skilled people who understood the new technologies led to emergence of structural and services engineering. Project management, also commenced since the need of an overall control on process in construction project became vital. However, the structure of any building should be secure and safe and it must provide a certain amount of privacy and freedom for its occupants. As a result having regulatory authorities to control the planning, legislation, appearance, health and safety of the buildings is essential. Purchasers are other participants in the field of building

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