Our aim is to examine the value of selected actor–network theory (ANT) elements in contributing to the development of an expanded theoretical and empirical conceptualization of collaboration in industrialized building construction for the housing sector. A review of collaboration meta-analyses literature from different disciplines suggests that collaboration is still commonly portrayed in a limited way as a strategy of integration driven in a top-down manner by a “convenor” of human stakeholders in ways that privilege simplified notions of coherence. We use specific ANT concepts empirically grounded in five case studies of innovative housing construction projects to describe an expanded conceptualization of the infrastructure of actor-networks. We examined a range of issues with respect to collaboration in industrialized building particularly in relation to network formation and disintegration. As the collaboration networks formed they sought coherence but not conformity and aimed for the management of tensions between integration and separation as well as stabilization and destabilization. This expanded conceptualization of collaboration describes the material-semiotic characteristics arranged around industrialized building technologies that are simultaneously stabilizing yet disruptive and proposes new ways by which the ideal of integration can be pursued in a fundamentally fragmented industry.

Building information modelling (BIM) has considerable potential for addressing sustainability issues in construction, but its benefits can be constrained by the failure to adopt BIM across the full project life cycle. Systematic whole-of-life BIM adoption can be supported by maturity models, but most models are limited by a lack of theoretical grounding, socio-technical dichotomies and the failure to adequately consider the full asset life cycle, often by overlooking the operations phase. This study aims to (1) develop a BIM maturity model that addresses these limitations by (2) using an in-depth analysis of an early adopter case study, thus addressing the lack of empirical research in BIM adoption experiences. A single interpretive research study was conducted to qualitatively analyse a US-based university. The data were gathered through interviews, field visits and document analysis. Actor–network theory (ANT) concepts scaffolded the analytical approach. The findings show that a complex BIM socio-technical network emerged, developed and converged during the project management stage but struggled to achieve durability as an ongoing solution to facilities management. By analysing the elements of success and failure across each stage, the researchers distilled five key lessons to achieve whole-of-life BIM maturity and proposed a life cycle BIM maturity model (LCBMM) supported by a practice guide.

Purpose: The study analyses collaborative practice in offsite manufacturing (OSM) housing supply chains, focusing specifically on supply chains driven by small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The study’s analysis builds on previous work where we argued that collaboration in OSM housing construction comprises nine elements. In this study, the authors demonstrate empirically that SMEs enact these collaborative practice elements in distinct ways, foregrounding key elements over others. One core model and two sub-models of collaboration emerge from our two case studies.Design/methodology/approach: The study analyses two SME-driven supply chains using qualitative case study techniques. Data were gathered through 12 semi-structured interviews conducted in two housing construction supply chains: one in South Australia, Australia, and another in Tasmania, Australia.Findings: A comparative case study of SMEs shows that collaboration in OSM supply chains has a number of common elements, including a champion for innovation, investment in long-term relationships, resourceful use of limited assets and physical co-location. However, SMEs can also enact these elements through a range of diverging collaborative strategies that can be distilled into different models: stable relationality and dynamic innovation.Originality/value: Findings provide a compelling empirical basis for arguing that SMEs can successfully lead OSM supply chains if key collaborative practice elements are strategically mobilised in ways that are suited to their strengths and limitations. The study therefore interrogates the widely held and often limiting assumption that OSM can only be driven by large organisations with access to capital assets, capacity to invest and undisputed bargaining power.

We examine the role of metaphors in relation to Web-based phenomena through a comparative study of 29 Web portals, established under a World Bank project known as the Development Gateway. Our analysis suggests that three metaphors — expert, market and community — are particularly significant across these portals, either separately or in combination. The study indicates three particular ways in which these metaphors can combine — merging, masquerading and morphing. We conclude by discussing the implications of using metaphor to understand how practitioners design Web portals and how users engage with them.

Social networking sites (SNS) have become increasingly popular means for self-expression, communication, and influence, particularly in relation to political activity. In cases involving elections, for example, studies have been conducted to explore how these sites have been mobilized as a tool to disseminate opinion, encourage others to vote, publicize one's voting decisions, and even predict election outcomes. In this study, we explore how data from the SNS site Twitter can be used to enrich current understandings of the nature of voters in a Philippine setting. We mobilized a combination of manual and computer-based natural language-processing (NLP) techniques to analyze Twitter data in Metro Manila concerning the 2013 Philippine elections for a two-week period. Specifically, we combined language modeling using n-gram and manual discourse analysis to generate over 30 themes from Twitter users' comments on the 2013 Philippine elections. The themes cohered around a number of different narratives that shed light on voters' behavior, specifically why they vote, how they vote, and who they vote for, thus deepening our understanding of the different interlocking factors that shape election and voting processes.

The UN Sustainable Development Goal “Sustainable Cities and Communities” foregrounds access to adequate, safe, and affordable housing. However, housing as a sector has faced significant sustainability challenges. Countries such as Australia face unaffordable house prices, bottlenecks in social housing supply, and escalating homelessness. To address these challenges, the sector has turned to traditional government-led interventions meant to influence supply and demand. We argue that alongside these traditional approaches, there is a need for multi-stakeholder collaboration in resilient networks that create novel niche solutions, one being pop-up shelters or dwellings established in vacant structures. This study’s main aim is to identify key elements of these resilient, collaborative actor–networks. We mobilise actor–network theory concepts in a qualitative case study involving one of Australia’s first pop-up shelters. Findings from semi-structured interviews suggest that resilient networks exhibit distributed leadership, the ability to selectively interrogate entrenched routines, and the ability to mobilise differentiated levels of convergence. Such resilient networks play an important role in the development of environmentally and socially sustainable housing solutions. While often ad hoc, these networks can be made systematic through the selective use of digital technologies which do not compromise the more contingent, adaptive features of networks which are critical to resilience.