NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.
This report has been reviewed by a group other than the authors according to procedures approved by a Report Review Committee consisting of members of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.
The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Frank Press is president of the National Academy of Sciences.
The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Robert M. White is president of the National Academy of Engineering.
The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government, and upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Kenneth I. Shine is president of the Institute of Medicine.
The National Research Council was established by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy's purposes of furthering knowledge and of advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Frank Press and Dr. Robert M. White are chairman and vice chairman, respectively, of the National Research Council.
Funding for the project, initially sponsored by the Department of the Navy, the General Services Administration, and the Department of State, and completed under the Federal Construction Council technical program, was provided through the following agreements between the indicated federal agency and the National Academy of Sciences: Department of the Navy Agreement No. N00025-89-M-0018; Department of State Contracts No. 1030-621218 and 1030-270106; National Science Foundation Grants No. MSS-8902669, under master agreement 8618641; and U.S. Postal Service grant, unnumbered.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 92-62883
International Standard Book Number 0-309-04783-8
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Copyright 1992 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America
COMMITTEE ON NEW TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION IN BUILDING
Chairman
DAVID R. DIBNER, (Retired) Vice President and Principal Architect,
Sverdrup Corporation, Arlington, Virginia
Members
ROBERT J. BOEREMA, Construction, Planning and Design Manager,
Florida Department of General Services, St. Augustine
LLOYD A. DUSCHA, Consulting Engineer,
Reston, Virginia
MARTHA W. GILLILAND, Vice Dean and Assistant Vice President,
University of Arizona, Tucson
MICHAEL GREEN, Professor,
College of Law, University of Iowa, Iowa City
DONALD E. KASH, Hazel Chair in Public Policy,
George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia
STEPHEN R. LEE, AIA, Instructor of Architecture/Research Associate,
Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
ALVIN P. LEHNERD, Vice President Product Development,
Steelcase Inc., Grand Rapids, Michigan
PHILIP B. LOVELL,
Turner Construction Company, San Jose, California
FRED MOAVENZADEH, George Macomber Professor of Construction Management, and Director of the Center for Construction Research and Education,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
TOM F. PETERS, Director,
Institute for the Study of High-Rise Habitat, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
ROBERT RATAY, Industry Professor of Civil Engineering,
Polytechnic University—Brooklyn and Farmingdale, New York
JOHN W. THOMPSON, Assistant Vice President,
Facilities Planning and Development, CIGNA Corporation, Hartford, Connecticut
LOUIS G. TORNATZKY, Scientific Fellow,
Office of the President, Industrial Technology Institute, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Federal Construction Council Liaison Representatives
DENNIS BAYON,
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington, D.C.
JAMES BINKLEY,
U.S. Postal Service, Washington, D. C.
ANDREW CONSTANTARAS,
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington, D.C.
MILON ESSOGLOU,
Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Department of the Navy, Alexandria, Virginia
MARVIN GORELICK,
U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, D.C.
DAVID M. JONCICH,
USA Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratory, Champaign, Illinois
DEBBIE J. LAWRENCE,
USA Construction Engineering Research Laboratory, Champaign, Illinois
WILLIAM G. MINER,
U.S. Department of State, Washington, D.C.
BILL O'CONNOR,
Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Alexandria, Virginia
NOEL RAUFASTE,
National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland
DWAINE WARNE,
Public Buildings Service, General Services Administration, Washington, D.C.
Public Facilities Council Liaison Representatives
DALE STANTON HOYLE,
Montgomery County Government, Rockville, Maryland
HENRY G. SHIRLEY,
Bureau of Capital Outlay Management, Commonwealth of Virginia
DALE STRAIT,
Department of General Services, State of Maryland
Project Staff
ANDREW C. LEMER, Director
PATRICIA M. WHOLEY, Staff Associate
SUZETTE CODY, Project Assistant
MARY T. McCORMACK, Project Assistant
BUILDING RESEARCH BOARD (1991–1992)
Chairman
HAROLD J. PARMELEE, President,
Turner Construction Company, New York, New York
Members
RICHARD T. BAUM, (Retired) Partner,
Jaros, Baum and Bolles, New York, New York
LYNN S. BEEDLE, University Distinguished Professor of Civil Engineering and Director,
Institute for the Study of High-Rise Habitat, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
L. GERALD CARLISLE, Secretary-Treasurer,
International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftsmen, Washington, D.C.
NANCY RUTLEDGE CONNERY, Consultant,
Woolwich, Maine
C. CHRISTOPHER DEGENHARDT, Chairman,
EDAW, Inc., San Francisco, California
ELISHA C. FREEDMAN, Regional Manager,
The Par-Group—Paul A. Reaume, Ltd., Hartford, Connecticut
DONALD G. ISELIN, USN, Retired, Consultant,
Santa Barbara, California
FREDERICK KRIMGOLD, Associate Dean for Research and Extension,
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Alexandria
GARY T. MOORE, Professor of Architecture and Director,
Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
WALTER P. MOORE, President and Chairman of the Board,
Walter P. Moore and Associates, Inc., Houston, Texas
J.W. MORRIS, (Retired), President,
J. W. Morris Ltd., Arlington, Virginia
BRIAN P. MURPHY, Senior Vice President,
Prudential Property Company, Prudential Plaza, Newark, New Jersey
LESLIE E. ROBERTSON, Director,
Design and Construction, Leslie E. Robertson Associates, New York, New York
JEROME J. SINCOFF, AIA, President,
Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum, Inc., St. Louis, Missouri
JAMES E. WOODS, William E. Jamerson Professor of Building Construction,
College of Architecture and Urban Studies, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg
APRIL L. YOUNG, CRA Coordinator,
First American Metro Corporation, McLean, Virginia
Staff
ANDREW C. LEMER, Director
HENRY A. BORGER, Executive Secretary,
Federal Construction Council
PATRICIA M. WHOLEY, Staff Associate
SUZETTE CODY, Project Assistant
LENA B. GRAYSON, Program Assistant
MARY T. McCORMACK, Project Assistant
PREFACE
Charles H. Duell, director of the U.S. Patent Office, urged President McKinley in 1899 to close the agency because "everything that can be invented has been invented." Yet today, the products of technological innovation in many fields are all around us: organ transplants have become almost commonplace in hospitals around the country. A daunting array of new food products with long shelf-lives entices us at supermarkets. Computers that now fit comfortably on one's lap pack more power than the room-sized machines commonly available just two decades ago.
In construction and related industries, change has been less apparent in recent decades. Some observers term the building-related industries "antiquated" and credit them with little real potential for innovation. We and the committee whose work is reported here feel that these critics may be, like Mr. Duell, short-sighted. Nevertheless, evidence suggests that new technology development and innovation in U.S. construction are lagging. At the same time the growing bounty of new products and procedures in other fields suggests that substantial opportunities for building innovation may be emerging.
The agencies of the Federal Construction Council, in asking the Building Research Board to consider what the federal government's role should be in fostering new building technology, have thus raised an issue of much broader consequence than the immediate benefits to these agencies' programs. Innovation leads to improved productivity, better quality, and higher quality of life for individuals and organizations in both private and public sectors.
Pursuit of these benefits is a worthy enterprise. We believe that the federal government indeed does have a crucial role to play, but many other groups in the private and public sectors have important roles as well. We hope through this work to help strengthen the partnership of the many interests needed if our building-related industries are to realize the promise of new technology.
David R. Dibner, Chairman
Commitee on New Technology and Innovation in Building
Andrew C. Lemer, Director
Building Research Board
This study was supported as part of the technical program of the Federal Construction Council (FCC). The FCC is a continuing activity of the Building Research Board, which is a unit of the Commission on Engineering and Technical Systems of the National Research Council (NRC). The purpose of the FCC is to promote cooperation among federal construction agencies and between such agencies and other elements of the building community in addressing technical issues of mutual concern. The FCC program is supported by 18 federal agencies: the Department of the Air Force, the Department of the Army (two agencies), the Department of Commerce, the Department of Energy, the Department of the Interior, the Department of the Navy, the Department of State, the General Services Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Postal Service, the U.S. Public Health Service, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The Public Facilities Council (PFC) was formed in 1983 to make available to state and local governments, quasi-governmental authorities, and others, the forum and services of the BRB and NRC to identify technical problems and research needs facing construction administrators and facilities managers. Sponsors of the PFC currently include a score of state and local governments or interstate entities. Funding and participation are typically drawn from the executive office of the jurisdiction responsible for facilities development and management.
Reports resulting from Building Research Board programs are provided free of charge to sponsoring entities.
For information contact:
Director
Building Research Board
National Research Council
2101 Constitution Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20418