Value creation through synergies of Cooperation - The development of a new business model

Abstract

The construction industry is characterized by highly fragmented processes with many stakeholders and interfaces. Usually initial investment cost is the main decision criterion for awarding a contract without taking the lifecycle costs into consideration. Also in the selection process for subcontractors a fierce price battle is fought. No effort to optimize a building in a sustainable way, seizing synergies through cooperation across trades and stages of the building's life cycle is taking place. Our research focuses on the development of a new cooperative business model for life cycle service provision with the objective of delivering sustainable holistic value maximization according to the concept of eco-efficiency. Through a temporal integration cooperation enables companies to consider the requirements and know-how of later stages of a building's lifecycle, like production and operation, already in the early design stages. Thereby customers' expectations can be met superiorly. Furthermore it becomes possible to create synergies through technical integration by interdisciplinary cooperation and sharing of know-how across trades.