Advanced Construction Project Management

The Complexity of Megaprojects

Christian Brockmann

• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
• Year: 2020
• Print ISBN:
  9781119554769
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9781119554752
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Construction & Architectural Engineering
• Index: Technology & Engineering

An essential guide to the structure, dynamics, and management of construction megaprojects

Advanced Construction Project Management is a comprehensive resource that covers the myriad aspects of implementing a megaproject from a contractor's perspective. With many years' experience of managing construction megaprojects, the author provides an in-depth exploration of the structure, dynamics and management of these demanding projects. In addition, the book gives all stakeholders a clear understanding of the complexity of megaprojects and offers contractors the insight and essential tools needed for achieving results.

As the trend to plan and implement ever-larger projects looks likely to continue into the future, the need for a guide to understand the challenges of managing a megaproject couldn't be greater. Comprehensive in scope, the book explores the theoretical background, economics, complexity, phases, strategic planning, engineering, coordination, and common challenges of megaprojects. The book also provides the tools for managing stakeholder integration. This important book:

• Describes the structure, dynamics and management of megaprojects
• Explores the management activities required and examines the appropriate tools for the management of megaprojects
• Includes tools for stakeholder integration
• Provides an advanced understanding of construction management concepts

Written for managers, project managers and engineers, and cost consultants, Advanced Construction Project Management covers, in one complete volume, the information needed to lead a successful project.

1
Introduction

Construction megaprojects capture our imagination. They are the most visible and most lasting products of human ingenuity. Humankind has erected iconic buildings and statues across time in all parts of the world. Most of them were megaprojects at the time of construction. Although the examples shown in Figure 1.1 are in black and white, most readers will be able to recognize them. The chosen examples include monuments from the East to the West:

• Sydney Opera House (Sydney, Australia, 1973) is the best‐known building in Australia
• Akashi Kaikyo Bridge (Kobe, Japan, 1998) is the longest spanning bridge in the world
• Oriental Pearl Tower (Shanghai, China, 1994) has a unique shape and is 468 m high
• Taj Mahal (Agra, India, 1653) is a masterpiece of Muslim architecture
• Burj Khalifa (Dubai, UAE, 2008) is the tallest building in the world
• Kremlin (Moscow, Russia, 1561); the St. Basil's Cathedral is a fine example of Russian Orthodox architecture
• Pyramids of Giza (Cairo, Egypt, 2560 BCE) are some of the oldest and most massive structures in the world
• Hagia Sophia (Istanbul, Turkey, 537) was built as a Byzantine church, and remodeled as a mosque after 1453
• Eiffel Tower (Paris, France, 1889) is a representative structure built with wrought iron
• The Statue of Liberty (New York, USA, 1786) is a symbol of and dedication to liberty
• Machu Picchu (Peru, fifteenth century) is a city built by the Incas
• The Moai statues (Easter Island, Chile, after 1200) are spiritual statues

The list is anything but exhaustive since I have omitted civil structures such as tunnels (Gotthard Base Tunnel, Switzerland), dams (Hoover Dam, USA; Three Gorges Dam, China), or roads (New Silk Road, Asia, Africa, and Europe) because it is not easy to depict such structures. No products from Airbus, Apple, Gucci, JP Morgan Chase, or Porsche can boast of the same imaginative power that these structures emanate.

Awe and attraction are not the only feelings we develop toward megaprojects. Many of them have met with outright rejection during planning and execution. Not everyone appreciates spending billions for a single project, and not everyone makes use of the same structures. Some people might enjoy a football match at the Wembley Stadium (completed 2007), while others prefer a visit to the Oslo Opera House (completed 2008). Nobody likes a nuclear power plant in the backyard or a highway in front of the house. All megaprojects have positive and negative aspects; individuals can choose their own perspectives. It is not the task of civil engineers to make decisions for the implementation of megaprojects; this, in many countries, is a democratic procedure. However, each civil engineer must decide for himself whether to engage in a megaproject or not; this is his civil duty.

Figure 1.1 The world in iconic buildings and statues.

A case in point is the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg designed by Swiss architects Herzog and de Meuron (Figure 1.2). Its scope changed considerably over time, construction costs increased more than tenfold, and construction time exceeded the initial plan by years. Reports in German and international publications were scathing during construction. Immediately after opening, journalists heaped praise over praise on the building. Founded on an historic storehouse in the port of Hamburg, the peaks of its roof soar into the sky. Hamburg became a wealthy city through trade, and its music transcends the borders of our world (Brahms was born in Hamburg). We can read this and much more into iconic buildings. The number of visitors at the Elbphilharmonie in 2017 equaled that of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican in the same year. The experience is two‐sided: not all criticisms of megaprojects turn to praise. However, many megaprojects are not only the dreams of civil engineers but of humankind.

Literature on megaprojects often concentrates on the front‐end, stressing how important governance structures are. Construction itself seems a mere nuisance. This turns the reality upside down and I will call it the fallacy of retrospectivity, because authors often interpret earlier events based on information that becomes available much later. Construction without a plan for the front‐end is not advisable. Planning without construction might be fun but not worth the expenditure. We should try to avoid decisive mistakes during planning and construction.

Planning and construction are like the two blades of scissors: they work together. One without the other is useless, and both are equally important. Overestimating the front‐end is a serious mistake; underestimating it will also prove catastrophic in megaprojects. Given the abundant front‐end literature, this book is for those who can hold a shovel and grasp complex ideas at the same time – people with a strong foundation in construction and ideas soaring into the skies just like the roof of the Elbphilharmonie.

Figure 1.2 The Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg.

Source: sirius3001/123RF.

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Table of contents

• Cover
• Table of Contents
• Advanced Construction Project Management
• Copyright
• Dedication
• 1 Introduction
• 2 Theoretical Background
• 3 Advanced Construction Project Management
• 4 Characteristics of Megaprojects
• 5 International Construction Management
• 6 Megaproject Phases and Activity Groups
• 7 Descriptive Megaproject Management Model
• 8 Engineering Management
• 9 Management Functions
• 10 Meta‐Functions
• 11 Basic Functions
• 12 Cultural Management
• 13 Innovation in Construction Megaprojects
• 14 All in All, What Does It Mean?
• References
• Index
• End User License Agreement