Ivan Rupnik is a professor of architecture at Northeastern University. Productivity is the measure of resources input into a process compared to the output. It has generally increased over time, but not always. The effect of new software on productivity depends on its usability and distractions it may cause. If productivity declines in an essential industry like construction, it can have a major societal impact. A report by the Johnson administration warned about this, and recent research shows that productivity in the construction sector has indeed decreased over 50 years.
Most industries have become more productive over time. But not construction! We identify the causes — and possible solutions. (Can you say ... “prefab”?)
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SOURCES:
- Vaughan Buckley, founder and C.E.O. of the Volumetric Building Companies.
- Carrie Sturts Dossick, professor of construction management at the University of Washington.
- Ed Glaeser, professor of economics and chair the economics department at Harvard University.
- Michael Hough, director of MJH Structural Engineers.
- Ivan Rupnik, professor of architecture at Northeastern University.
- Chad Syverson, professor of economics at the University of Chicago.