Information technology support to construction design and production

This editorial paper introduces this special issue of the journal by giving an overview of the other papers that follow. It introduces non-construction readers to the nature of the construction process, the different levels of activity within the process, and the generic information technologies being applied in the sector. It then examines the use of information technology (IT) within different levels of coordination processes and identifies barriers to IT implementation in the sector. As a major review paper, it then examines the current use and future potential of generic technologies within the major distinct project phases of design and production. It concludes by shedding further light on the key issue of information integration before outlining some of the other issues that are impinging on how theory and practice are being taken forward together in the field. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.