Читать книгу Construction Management JumpStart - Barbara J. Jackson - Страница 12

 The economic impact of construction

 How construction was transformed from a craft to an industry

 The five primary sectors of the construction industry

 The roles of the project participants

 How the construction industry is transforming

 The advancement of technology in construction

 The construction industry's impact on sustainability

 Opportunities in construction management

The construction industry is vast and varied. Just take a look around—from homes to highways to hospitals—and you see the results of this industry. Starting with the need for shelter, we first built primitive huts and houses. Then we constructed buildings for assembly and churches in which to worship. As our needs expanded, so did our building capabilities. We eventually built political capitals, great cities bustling with business and commerce. Though the means and the methods have changed over the centuries, the construction industry is still about building communities that serve people.

Construction is big, big business—reaching $10.6 trillion in spending worldwide in 2017, and projected to reach $12.7 trillion by 2022, and $15.5 trillion by 2030, according to the Construction Intelligence Center, Orbis Research, and other sources. And there appears to be no slowdown in sight. The industry employs more than 7 million people directly (plumbers, carpenters, welders, and so on) and hundreds of thousands more indirectly. It gives rise to the steel industry, the lumber industry, the carpet industry, the furniture industry, the paint industry, the concrete industry, the paving industry, and so on. It goes even further than that if you consider the trucking, shipping, manufacturing, and mining industries. Architects, engineers, drafts people, building inspectors, code officials, and other professionals would not have jobs if it weren't for construction. As construction projects become increasingly more complex, the challenges associated with managing these projects become more complicated. The need for qualified construction managers is tremendous, and opportunities abound for those interested in the work.

Let's take a closer look at the construction industry and the position it has in our economy and our lives.