The Future Site, Report on a Quest for the Drivers of Change

When speaking about The Future Site we presume that in future a site will be different from the present building site. We take it for granted that almost every thing in our modern world is subject to permanent change. But to develop a vision on how that future site will look like it is necessary to develop first a vision on how our world will change in the near future. Changes on building sites are like many things a consequence of a changing world. To state it more specifically: the changes on the building sites will be driven by changes in our culture, our life style, and prosperity, and also - but not exclusively - by developments in knowledge and technology. The most important drivers for change identified in this paper are the changing values of society. Both legislative and regulatory authorities as well as the end-users of the products of the construction industry are forcing the industry to another way of producing and delivering buildings. As a result the construction process has to be industrialised to an extent not yet feasible. In the course of this process of industrialisation new entrants with a core-business in other industries may appear on our market. Outsiders not programmed by the existing building culture and therefore better qualified to understand and adapt to new rules.