Business ecosystem and end-user lenses in wooden multistorey construction

Abstract

This dissertation examines current collaborative practices in wooden multistorey construction (WMC) projects through a business ecosystem approach to detect effective and ineffective practices when working with novel wooden materials and gaining knowledge of them. Furthermore, it deepens our understanding of citizen perceptions and homeowner experiences towards WMC, to ensure that professionals are able to construct buildings that are not only profitable, but also appreciated by end-users and functional in daily use. Qualitative means are used to provide an in-depth view of the matters. The findings reveal that while construction projects are essentially collaborative efforts, the novelty of WMC materials and methods requires increased communication and learning between the business ecosystem participants. The keystone of a business ecosystem has a fundamental role in enabling deeper, long-term commitment between participants through procurement practices and meetings. These allow participants to work towards a common goal and to accumulate knowledge of wooden construction also between projects. Feedback processes should be improved between the participants, but homeowner experiences should also be utilized more efficiently. The results imply that while the business ecosystem approach provides a usable lens to study collaboration in WMC projects, it should not be seen as a static system concentrating on the design and construction phases, but one that evolves throughout a building’s life cycle, incorporating end-users as the ecosystem keystones when moving to the use phase of the building. Furthermore, the results support previous literature in that end-users appreciate soft aspects of wood material, such as aesthetics and ambiance, while durability and maintenance needs create concerns. However, the qualitative approach used in this study reveals that some aspects are multifaceted, carrying both positive and negative meanings for the end-users. Homeowner experiences indicate the importance of the everyday usability of home materials. Furthermore, the ‘liveliness’ of the wooden material seemed to surprise some of the homeowners, indicating that they are more familiar with other urban construction materials. Communication with end-users should therefore be improved to decrease concerns, but also to inform about the material’s practical benefits such as pleasant soundscapes.