John Connaughton

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+44 (0) 118 378 8202
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Professor of Sustainable Systems in the Built Environment
Professor of Sustainable Construction
Office
132Building location
Chancellor’s BuildingAreas of interest
John’s research interests span a number of areas, including:
- Improving interdisciplinary collaboration in the construction process, including the development of new forms of project insurance that support more collaborative working in project teams
- The changing nature of the construction professions, including the growth, diversification and performance of construction professional services firms
- Energy use in buildings
- Embodied carbon assessment in buildings, including life cycle assessment
Postgraduate supervision
- Mary Kaaria: The influence of changing work practices on office design
- Nicholas Smales: Trust emergence and evolution in strategic partnering arrangements with a local authority client
- Kashif Aziz: The contested nature of professionalism in the built environment – performative narratives and anecdotal stories
- Kingford Mkandawire: Managing the interfaces between offsite and on-site construction
- Mary Pothitou: Small power use and working practices in office buildings
- Mir Talpur: An investigation into collaboration in building design with a focus on the processes for achieving BREEAM ratings
- Michael Medas: Resource efficiency in building services
- Stephen Richardson: Embodied carbon assessment and decision making under uncertainty
- Ankit Singh: Corporate Social Responsibility in construction firms operating in the UK
Teaching
Convenorship:
- CEM228 – Construction Economics (MSc)
- CEM230 – Design Management (MSc)
Contributing to:
- CEM10/18/19B – Dissertation Supervision (MSc)
- CEM220 – Urban Sustainability (MSc)
- REMF51 – Understanding construction procurement and project delivery (MSc)
- CE3CCD – Dissertation Supervision (UG)
Research centres and groups
Research projects
- DEMAND: Dynamics of Energy, Mobility and Demand http://www.demand.ac.uk/
- Delivering more for less under the IPI (Integrated Project Insurance) model https://research.manchester.ac.uk/en/publications/delivering-more-for-less-under-the-ipi-model-trialling-ipi-on-a-l
Background
Professor John Connaughton has over 40 years' experience in the construction sector. Prior to joining the University in 2012 he was a Partner in Davis Langdon, one of the world’s largest construction cost and project management businesses where he worked for over 27 years. In the area of sustainable construction John has particular expertise in material resource efficiency, life-cycle carbon reduction and energy use in buildings. He also has interests in collaboration in design and construction, construction procurement and the management of the design process. John was Chair of the Executive Board of the UK Construction Industry Research and Information Association (CIRIA) from 2014 to 2021.
Academic qualifications
- Honorary PhD, 2005, Dublin Institute of Technology
- PhD, 1993, University of Greenwich
- BSc (Hons) Surveying, 1979, Trinity College, Dublin
- Diploma in Construction Economics, 1979, Bolton St College of Technology, Dublin (now the Technological University of Ireland)
Professional bodies/affiliations
- Member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (MRICS, 1983)
- Chartered Environmentalist. (CEnv, 2007)
Publications
- Connaughton, J. (2023) Education for collaboration in construction: challenges for universities and institutions. In: Meikle, J. and Best, R. , (eds.) Describing Construction: Industries, projects and firms. Routledge , Abingdon, Oxon. pp. 67-87. ISBN: 9780367608903 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1201/978 1003 102403
- Connaughton, J. and Collinge, W. (2021) Trialling a new approach to interdisciplinary collaboration in UK construction: a projects-as-practice analysis. Construction Management and Economics , 39 (7). pp. 595-616. ISSN: 0144-6193 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01446193.2021.1933558
- Cass, N. , Faulconbridge, J. , Connaughton, J. (2018) The office: how standards define 'normal' design practices and work infrastructures. In: Shove, E. and Trentmann, F. , (eds.) Infrastructures in Practice: The Dynamics of Demand in Networked Societies. Routledge , Abingdon. pp. 77-89. ISBN: 9781138476042 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9781351106177
- Richardson, S. , Hyde, K. , Connaughton, J. (2018) Uncertainty assessment of comparative design stage embodied carbon assessments: decision making under uncertainty. In: Pomponi, F. , De Wolf, C. , Moncaster, A. , (eds.) Embodied Carbon in Buildings: Measurement, Management and Mitigation. Springer , Cham, Switzerland. pp. 51-76. ISBN: 9783319727950 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-72796-7_3
- Connaughton, J. and Hughes, W. (2018) Sustainable procurement. In: Dixon, T. , Connaughton, J. , Green, S. , (eds.) Sustainable Futures in the Built Environment ot 2050: A Foresight Approach to Construction and Development. Wiley Blackwell , Chichester, UK. pp. 194-222. ISBN: 9781119063803
- Dixon, T. , Connaughton, J. , Green, S. (2018) Understanding and shaping sustainable futures in the built environment to 2050. In: Dixon, T. , Connaughton, J. , Green, S. , (eds.) Sustainable Futures in the Built Environment to 2050: A Foresight Approach to Construction and Development. Wiley Blackwell , Oxford. ISBN: 9781119063810
- Dixon, T. , Connaughton, J. , Green, S. (2018) Introduction: foresight and futures studies in construction and development. In: Dixon, T. , Connaughton, J. , Green, S. , (eds.) Sustainable Futures in the Built Environment to 2050: A Foresight Approach to Construction and Development. Wiley Blackwell , Oxford. ISBN: 9781119063810
- Dixon, T. , Connaughton, J. , Green, S. , eds. (2018) Sustainable futures in the built environment to 2050: a foresight approach to construction and development. Wiley Blackwell , Oxford. ISBN: 9781119063810
- Faulconbridge, J. , Cass, N. , Connaughton, J. (2018) How market standards affect building design: the case of low energy design in commercial offices. Environment and Planning A , 50 (3). pp. 627-650. ISSN: 1472-3409 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0308518x17752681
- Connaughton, J. (2016) An introduction to sustainability in construction. In: Hackett, M. and Statham, G. , (eds.) The Aqua Group Guide to Procurement, Tendering and Contract Administration, 2nd Edition. Wiley-Blackwell , Oxford. pp. 335-348. ISBN: 9781118346549
- Medas, M. , Cheshire, D. , Cripps, A. , Connaughton, J. , Peters, M. (2016) Uncertainty, BIM and whole life environmental impacts of building services.
- Singh, A. , Connaughton, J. , Davies, R. (2015) Making sense of corporate social responsibility strategies in construction organisations in the UK. In: Raiden, A. and Aboagye-Nimo, E. , (eds.) Proceedings 31st Annual ARCOM Conference, 7-9 September 2015, Lincoln, UK.. Association of Researchers in Construction Management , Reading. pp. 187-196. ISBN: 9780955239090
- Medas, M. , Cheshire, D. , Cripps, A. , Connaughton, J. , Peters, M. (2015) Towards BIM-integrated, resource-efficient building services.
- Connaughton, J. , Meikle, J. , Teerikangas, S. (2015) Mergers, acquisitions and the evolution of construction professional services firm. Construction Management and Economics , 33 (2). pp. 146-159. ISSN: 0144-6193 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01446193.2015.1037325
- Richardson, S. , Hyde, K. , Connaughton, J. , Merefield, D. (2014) Service life of UK supermarkets: origins of assumptions and their impact on embodied carbon estimates.
- Connaughton, J. and Weller, S. (2013) Improving collaboration in construction: an opportunity for action research. In: Smith, S. and Ahiaga-Dagbui, D. , (eds.) Proceedings 29th Annual ARCOM Conference, 2-4 September 2013, Reading, UK. Association of Researchers in Construction Management , Reading. pp. 1125-1134. ISBN: 9780955239076
- Connaughton, J. and Meikle, J. (2013) The changing nature of UK construction professional service firms. Building Research and Information , 41 (1). pp. 95-109. ISSN: 0961-3218 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09613218.2013.742366
- Connaughton, J. and Meikle, J. (2013) The changing nature of UK construction professional service firms. Building Research & Information , 41 (1). pp. 95-109. ISSN: 1466-4321 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09613218.2013.742366
- Connaughton, J. and Green, S. (1996) Value management in construction: a client's guide. CIRIA (SP129). , London. pp 73. ISBN: 970860164522