The School of Building Construction's lecture series will be inaugurated on February 28th with an address by Professor Roger Flanagan of the University of Reading, UK, on Trends in Global Construction. Free and open to the public.

Trends shaping the global construction market:

A perspective from outside the US

The global construction market is growing in size and changing in composition. It is more complex with greater interconnectivity between markets. Nobody is isolated from global contagion; the financial crisis has reduced global economic resilience. The rise of Brazil, Russia, India, and China heralds a new era when the values of the west no longer map the world of construction. China is playing an increasingly important role as a supplier of goods and services. Chinese engineering and construction companies are listed in the ENR’s list of top global companies which used to be dominated by US and western companies. The new competition is coming from the developing world, with Brazilian, Turkish, South African and Korean contractors becoming more competitive and more efficient. Clients are more demanding, and new ways of delivering projects are emerging. Clients want more certainty and better management of risk. Sustainability is now non negotiable, it is a pre-requisite for doing business. So what are the drivers, issues and trends in the construction markets? How will US companies compete in the future, and what will be the role of technology? How will architectural and engineering professional service firms compete adapt to the changing world? Roger Flanagan is Professor of Construction Management at the University of Reading, UK. He is a visiting professor in China, Malaysia, South Africa, Australia, and Sweden. He serves on the boards of companies in South Africa, and the UAE. He was a non-executive director of Skanska AB for 10 years, the parent company of the Skanska group, and a non-executive director of Halcrow Group for seven years. He has extensive international experience.

Read more >