Reviews in the construction industry

A review is a critical evaluation of something, such as a product, service, company, method, publication, and so on. For example, Designing Buildings Wiki has a number of book and building reviews, see List of reviews for more information.

The term ‘review’ also has application to a number of other documents and processes.

It can refer to an investigatory and research process that aims to present conclusions of its findings. For example, a construction team may undergo a review of its safety processes and procedures following an accident or near miss.

During the design process, it is important that regular reviews are carried out to ensure that the developing design properly reflects the client's requirements and that the design and budget do not diverge. Design reviews are typically co-ordinated by the lead designer. They may involve the consultant team, the client, independent client advisers and where there is one, the contractor. For more information, see Design review.

A post project review may be undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the project delivery process. This may include assessments of how well the delivery of the project performed against key performance indicators. For more information, see Post project review.

A judicial review (JR) is a process allowing people (or groups) to challenge the lawfulness of the decisions or actions of the Executive. If a judicial review is permitted, a hearing will be held, during which a judge will consider the evidence presented and reach a judgement. For more information, see Judicial review.

A literature review is a critical summary and analysis of the existing material that has been written about a specific subject. The generally provides the foundations upon which a piece of research will be built. For more information, see Literature review.

A peer review is a process by which work is assessed and analysed by peers and colleagues of those who completed the work.

Virtually all commercial leases issued in the U.K. will contain a provision allowing the landlord to periodically adjust the rent payable by the tenant. This is known as a rent review.

The term ‘review’ can also be applied to reports that are published relating to the construction industry, e.g. Farmer Review, Portas Review, Hackitt review of the building regulations and fire safety, and so on. For a list of important industry publications, see Construction industry reports.

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