Explainers

Explainer of the month

February 2021
Activities

Four concepts for the future of building construction?

In October 2020, Tor Inge Hjemdal, CEO of Design and Architecture Norway (DOGA), presented the results of interviews with construction professionals. Four new innovative concepts have resulted from these interviews. The main question asked was simple: What if we built differently? Rather than build to own, operate and then demolish, what if we built to […]

Activities

People-first PPPs: toward redefining how PPPs are used

In September 2015, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a roadmap, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that all member states, with the support of UN agencies, should adhere to in the coming years. Above and beyond “humanist” thinking, UN agencies have worked on concrete measures to assess the […]

Activities

The environment and major infrastructure projects: can the two be reconciled?

The question of the environment, both concern about protecting the environment as well as taking into account the people who are involved with this issue, has become major point on the political agendas of national decision-makers and international organizations. Global warming, pollution, the transition to renewable energies or, at the least, to eco-responsible solutions are […]

Activities

What if construction became all about production?

Construction has not changed in a very long time and productivity levels are the same as they were 20 years ago. Other industries, like agriculture, have already changed and experienced levels of productivity that were unimaginable only two decades ago.

Activities

The client-contractor relationship, a key element for the success of an underground project?

The construction of an underground structure is, by definition, complex. The project client, just like the contractor, is under constant pressure: he wants the project to respect the program and the budget as well as to have a good safety record. The client is also accountable to others for the project: to a higher authority, […]

La voiture électrique bouleversera (aussi) le secteur minier
Activities

Contract mining companies will (also) benefit from the large-scale production of electric vehicles

The large-scale manufacturing of electric vehicles (EV) will have an impact, among other things, on the mining sector. Contract miners will benefit from this change, in particular for certain minerals and in certain countries.