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preface by Prof. Geert Dewulf

The financial crisis has a major impact on the number of building orders. Many projects are postponed or cancelled. Only a year ago the situation was totally different. In 2008 most construction firms achieved a considerable turnover.

The predictions for 2010 are even less promising, especially in the housing industry and the commercial real estate market. On the other hand, many Western governments launched large stimulus packages including billions devoted to infrastructure. Although many of those investments are primarily aimed at creating jobs, performance management and risk management are becoming increasingly important. The trend towards more integrated project delivery and the pressure on efficiency and effectiveness are continuing.

Despite the crisis there is a growing demand for highly-educated people and, more in particular, for graduates who are able to manage complex processes. The career opportunities for our students are enormous and the challenge for the Department is to safeguard the high quality of the curriculum while continuously adapting the programme because of changing demands. The departments’ mission is to educate new generations of construction engineers and managers who will be able to operate in different institutional and national contexts.

In recent years, the department has been extremely successful in generating funds from the industry and in winning scientific tenders. Besides, a large number of our graduates are working in key positions in the industry which helps to provide the group with a good position in the construction sector. The group is further well connected in national and international academic and industry networks.

The steady inflow of students and the increasing emphasis given to research in construction management by national and European policy-making bodies guarantee a sound base for our research in the future. The Department of Construction Management & Engineering (CME) is positioned at the Faculty of Engineering Technology of the University of Twente, a research-oriented university that consists of leading gamma and beta academic institutions.

Being connected to the major research institutes of the University, the Department is able to bridge the gap between the traditional beta orientation of construction and civil engineering and the insights from the gamma body of knowledge.

The mission of the Department of CME encompasses all aspects of the construction process to do with the definition, appraisal, design, delivery of the projects and life-time behavior of objects. It deals with the interests of all stakeholders involved, as well as the construction business in its broadest sense. For this reason the thrust of the research is an interdisciplinary programme focusing on integration of technology and management for the purpose of producing innovative solutions. The design oriented approach, the close co-operation with practice and the emphasis on integration of disciplines are major distinctive features of this research programme.

The recent years were challenging and productive. Productivity in terms of publications, approvals of new research projects, and education performance was very high.

We have a lot to offer and are very proud to present a selection of our research projects in this year report. In the next chapters, projects will be presented in the fields of:

• Innovation through collaboration

• Asphalt Paving Research & Innovation

• Sustainable Building

• Health Care

• Risk management and project

Professor Geert Dewulf