Alan Holmes slams lukewarm account of industry's ability to innovate
Building Innovation: Complex constructs in a changing world
David M.Gann
Thomas Telford
£45.00
CBD order number: 2780
Pages: 257


When I read the title I imagined a book exploring how the great designers, engineers and constructors had developed new technologies and ingenious designs to meet demanding clients and overcome challenges.

That's not what I got.

This book has some thought provoking references from other authors. In fact it's a collection of references to other authors. Most of the time I wished I had been reading one of the other books the author endlessly referred too.

This book claims to raise a few simple questions: What are the main driving forces of change? What are the constraints to improving performance? What can be done to improve the management of innovation in the built environment?

Whether the book ever answers these questions is difficult to say. It's so caught up in endless references that the author's opinion, if he has one, is lost.

David Gann divides innovation into two eras. The machine age and the digital age. He compares the industry struggle with innovation throughout the periods and briefly comments on future needs. In which he says: "This is a big challenge for a sector that often finds it difficult to plan resource requirements even a few months ahead."

This is a sad reflection on an industry that has recently built so many innovative and unique Millennium projects. Why did Mr Gann not try to explain how an industry that has such difficulty in 'planning resources even a few months ahead' managed to build the Cardiff Millennium Stadium, the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, (built offsite and assembled over the river in one piece) the Millennium Dome and many more.

Most projects that go wrong do so because of the ineptitude of clients to properly fund or resource the projects.

According to the author, the developer's challenge to contractors is to be partners. Now which contractor would not wish to partner. Of course the industry will partner, but when the going gets tough it is not the contractor who can turn away from partnering, that is breach of contract. Let some other industry try to be innovative when you cannot plan order books more than two years ahead.

Other than housing, the construction industry responds to client demand. We cannot go out and speculatively build dynamic buildings and infrastructure.

The construction industry should be the envy of every other industry. We adapt to change like no other. Whenever there is a new ideal, a new whim of government, we have to adapt with innovative ideas.

Clean room technology? We met the challenge. The sustainability age is upon us and we are meeting that demand too, with buildings clad in photovoltaic. And David Gann looks briefly to the future, in one of the few interesting parts of the book, and discusses the 'bimolecular age'. What he does not say is that the industry will be ready for this construction process, as it has met every other challenge that has been thrown at it. You never see the industry standing still saying "we can't do that".

Innovation we have in abundance. Whatever the client wants we provide it. Perhaps we do it too readily.

I struggled to keep my interest throughout this book. I wish Gann had made his own controversial statement, made me angry, made me cry or laugh, if only he had provoked a reaction. In summary, NO the book did not live up to its title. Or at least it certainly did not live up to my expectations.