Critical Success Factors Of Partnering In The Building Design Process

The construction industry is vertically fragmented because of the inherent nature of construction projects, which require planning, design, letting, construction, and operation in distinct phases (Fellows and Liu, 2012; Fong and Lung, 2007). The construction industry is also horizontally fragmented
\nbecause of the general tendency of participants to work independently in all phases of the project (Fellows and Liu, 2012; Saram and Ahmed, 2001). Given the increasing number of construction projects in the current global environment, geographical fragmentation is caused by project participants
\nthat are frequently geographically separated. The construction industry is also temporally fragmented, as the phases of construction projects diverge over an estimated time period (Luck, 1996). According to Evbuomwan and Anumba (1998), the fragmentation in the industry results in costly engineering changes and design iterations, time and cost increases, poor communication between project participants, neglect of the application of sustainability principles throughout the life cycle of the building, and inadequate coordination and integration of the various participants. The root cause of much of these problems encountered in the management of building projects can be traced back to the design phase.