Tomonari Yashiro

Some new evidence of old trends: Japanese construction, 1960-1990

Using the seven input-output tables compiled in Japan to date, this paper extends earlier analysis by adding the analysis of 1985 and 1990 tables. This paper shows that the Japanese construction sectors share in GNP has declined since 1980; the GNP share of manufacturing is continuing to decline and that of services is continuing to grow; the economy-wise effect of construction activity is continuing to decline; and the construction inputs from manufacturing are continuing to decline whereas the sectors inputs from services are continuing to grow. All these are signs of a growing ‘maturity’ of the Japanese economy, which in this regard appears to follow the path of other advanced industrial countries.

Conceptual framework of the evolution and transformation of the idea of the industrialization of building in Japan

Previous studies speculate on the implications of the industrialization of building (IB); however, there is no clear consensus on its definition. The implications of IB are assumed to be differentiated by its social, economic, and technological contexts. A conceptual framework is proposed to describe the implications through issues embodied in the idea of IB. Categories of issues within the framework are: prerequisites related to introducing innovative methods, manufacturing technologies, production technologies, functionality and life cycle management, organizational management, supply chain maturity, purpose and motivation, and constraints. How effectively the conceptual framework describes the evolution and transformation of the idea of IB is examined using case studies in Japan. Following on from previous research, six types of idea of IB are specified. These are: IB embodied in prefabricated houses in the 1940s, mass construction-oriented IB, component-based IB, mass customization-oriented IB, platform-oriented IB and service providing-oriented IB. A conceptual framework is offered that explains these types of idea of IB. The relevance and discontinuity of issues associated with each type of idea of IB are discussed. Similarities and differences in descriptions provided by the framework effectively illustrate the process of the evolution and transformation of the idea of IB in Japan. It is concluded that the proposed conceptual framework is an effective method for describing the idea of IB in specific contexts.

Overview of Building Stock Management in Japan

For the last six decades, construction activities in Japan have mainly focused on new building activities rather than work on existing buildings and facilities. For several reasons, there has been a serious shortage of buildings and facilities with sufficient quality and performance: destruction during World War II coupled with the huge demand for new construction by the concentration of population in mega cities since the 1950s. However, Japan is now faced with the situation of managing existing building stocks and facilities which have been accumulating for the last six decades. It requires a fundamental paradigm shift from new-building-based thinking to a model of thinking about working on existing buildings. Asian countries that are experiencing enormous new building activities will inevitably face the similar situation that Japan now faces. Therefore, the Japanese situation could provide lessons for future construction activities in Asia. As an introduction to this book, this chapter describes why Japan needs to establish methods of stock management from the aspect of macro-scale building stock formation. The chapter also presents the potential of information provisions using information technology (IT) as an enabler for a holistic approach in stock management.

Comparative Studies on the Regional Differences of Modularity Design Tendency Between the United States and Japan

Abstract A standard architectural project comprises multiple interfaces among individual modules of information, components, systems, or players. Each society possesses its own history and background that derives a unique pattern of modules and interfaces. In 2005, Prof. Tomonari Yashiro and Prof. Satoshi Yoshida identified the antagonistic concept of design tendency between modularity and integration. Players from different countries tend to manage projects on different levels of modularity or integration, and create unique work system structures for each. The effects of the difference between modularity and integration were identified, but the mechanism was not demonstrated in visualized or quantified models. This research identifies the United States as the most oriented to modularity and Japan as the country most oriented to integration. The Two countries were the focus of analyses to demonstrate the effect of using the task structure matrix (TSM). The TSM analysis model is a method to visualize and quantify the module pattern and relationship by recording the dependencies of all the elements. This research sought to verify the different pattern of regional modularity between the United States and Japan, as well as offer a quantified understanding to help transnational project players identify the critical paths that are potentially omitted from a project.

Methodology for energy demand prediction in developing countries – a Tanzania case study

Studies show that energy demand in developing countries is expected to contribute a significant amount to the total energy demand in the near future. Although still currently small compared to demand in industrial countries, a prolonged energy demand surge poses a great threat to the environment and social development when not met adequately. Efficient energy planning and management through national and regional policies is the key in minimizing the impact of energy demand to the environment while at the same time giving the potential of providing optimal energy supply to meet the social needs for development. Unfortunately, lack of record keeping and poor data management, detailed data availability posses a great threat in effective energy management and planning. Currently, energy policies in most developing countries especially in the Sub-Saharan Africa are generic national policies concentrating on energy supply with no focus on controlling energy demand drivers due to lack of data availability. This study introduces a new method to illicit household end-use information needed in energy consumption analysis trend models by combining land-use characteristics, satellite image analysis and simple household energy survey. The method can give a generic overview of trends behind energy demand in household level.

A Japanese perspective on the decline of robust technologies and changing technological paradigms in housing construction: issues for construction management research

Based on the concept of construction as a project-based economic activity, Steven Groák offered the idea of a technological paradigm to represent project-based technology fusion that is adaptive to the uncertainties embodied within construction projects. This paper discusses further research topics raised by the idea of the technological paradigm from a Japanese perspective. It verifies the effectiveness of Groáks notion by exemplifying phenomena identified in Japanese construction practices. First, the paper confirms how declining robust technologies are generating innovative activities in construction projects. Second, a ‘horizontal evolution’ case study is presented as evidence that the strategies engendered by the technological paradigm outperform those from the industrial paradigm. Then the paper identifies and focuses on the informality of project-based technology fusion. Relevant research topics are discussed, such as the unpredictability of system configuration, the integration of knowledge and know-how, and the regulatory framework for extending positive informality. It is concluded that the following topics have considerable significance for construction management research: (a) methodology to evaluate ‘robust limits’; (b) the process of project-to-project technology transfer and evolution; (c) organization formation of project-based technology fusion; and (d) regulatory framework that embodies informality to activate project-based technology fusion.

A Comparative Study of the Design Process in General Construction Companies and Design Firms in Japan

This paper aims to illustrate the design review process of ″General Construction Companies″ (GCCs) and ″Design Firms″ (DFs) in Japan. It then quantitatively evaluates the time duration for the production of ″design and supportive documents″ which is required to go through a design review. The research is divided into three stages. First, the constraints in the design process in both GCCs and DFs are illustrated. Second, the duration of each design phase is measured to assess the allocation of resources for design coordination required by the constraints. Third, the most commonly shared building types in the survey were evaluated based on the ″designed floor area per month.″ The survey statistically confirms the characteristics of the front-loaded design process by GCCs in the Preliminary Design phase to the Detailed Design Phase. GCCs have more cost and time constraints than DFs, through the involvement of the Cost Estimation and Procurement division in the construction department. It requires the production of ″design and supportive documents″ throughout the design process. On the contrary, DFs tend to spend more time and resources in the later part of the design process. This grants DFs more flexibility in cost and time throughout the design process as they have less strict constraints than GCCs.

STUDY ON THE DESIGN ASSISTANCE BY JAPANESE SUBCONTRACTORS: Japan and the US case studies in the elevator design@@@日米エレベータ設計をケーススタディ対象として

This paper investigates so-called “Design Assistance (sekkei kyoryoku)” by Japanese subcontractors. The elevator industry is focused as the typical industry indicating the clear difference of the task distribution between Japanese Design Assistance and the US Consultation. First, the tasks and responsibilities of subcontractors in Design Assistance are clarified. We confirmed the subcontractors provide the design information based on the Design Assistance free of charge. The subcontractors do not have a primal responsibility of their design information, especially to the owner of the project. It results in a confusion of responsibilities between the architect and the subcontractor. Second, two types of the information gathering process through the Design Assistance is confirmed. One is the information generated by the subcontractor and provided to the architect, such as drawings, specifications, analysis, cost estimation, and presentation images. The other is the information provided from the architect to the subcontractor. The Design Assistance is one of the best opportunities for subcontractors to acquire “needs” of the owners, which is typically not obtained by the sales department of subcontractors. It is utilized for the development of new products. Third, the difference between Design Assistance in Japan and Consultation in US are focused. In US, an assessment and inspection oriented service and project management service are available. There are far more significant opportunities in modernization than new construction. The elevator manufacturers and the vertical transportation consultants are separate entities, which make smooth information exchange difficult.

Study on Diversion Model of Task Modularity in Complicated Building System Projects

Abstract Design, technology, and management are three key elements that contribute to the success of any building project and are usually dynamic because of variations in players of any particular project. According to previous research, the quantity of tasks or information within the interfaces among players affects the project′s probability of success or failure. The task or information diversion and adjustment are sources of such a dynamic phenomenon. Conventional project management and construction design focus on critical path, targets, or cost efficiencies, but these methods do not adequately identify the interface complexity among players because no visualized model is used to demonstrate the dynamic behavior of tasks performed by various players. This study aims to identify the dispersion of design, technology, and management tasks among players using the Task Structure Matrix (TSM) model, and visualize the correlation between task dynamics and project outcomes. A building envelope project, which is the most complex area of a building project, was utilized to demonstrate this model, and this shows that the rearrangement of external dependencies effectively reduces the quantity of interface tasks, leading to project success. The findings also demonstrate the TSM model as an effective observation tool for this purpose.

Study of Basic Logic of Diffusion with Specific Models

In recent years, the importance of diffusion has been remarked with many researches, especially in the field of user need, user satisfaction and user innovation. But there are not so many researches to explain the fundamental logic with some specific examples. This paper proposes the fundamental analysis of diffusion with user demand with the study of specific product models. At first, it is necessary to understand the user structures of each product. Because every products structural design is based on functional design basically, and functional design is based on users demand. So we would like to pick several industries up to describe the users structure, and try to make some typology of these structures of each product. Then, several models would be selected to analyse the diffusion of products to society from the viewpoint of customer participation. We tried to understand the relationship between structure and function of each product with architecture logic, and tried to analyse the fundamental rules to design each product. Then, we tried to analyse how to create the demand of customers for functional design. Especially, construction projects have many stakeholders in every case, and this paper tried to make clear the elements of user demand to create functional design. Finally, we tried to find the user participation with construction projects, and make clear the role and position of users in the projects.