How do technological niches emerge? A case analysis of servitization in construction

It is widely recognised the design and operation of more energy efficient solutions within buildings will play a significant role in the wider global battle to reduce energy consumption over the coming decades. If the industry is to succeed in delivering high energy performing buildings in the future then it will require the implementation of a variety of radical innovations. One potential avenue is for organisations involved in the design and manufacture of building systems to find innovative ways of playing a more prominent role in enhancing the through-life performance of those building systems. It is here that we locate this study, with an in-depth case analysis of a construction firm that is transitioning toward the delivery of servitized solutions. We position the paper within the field of socio-technical transitions. These studies have highlighted the role technological niches play in socio-technical change. There is, however, a limited understanding of how technologies acquire the form and attributes of a niche. In this paper, ConstructCo’s pursuit of a technological niche as they transition towards greater servitization. We trace this pursuit of a niche through three turns: the turn towards establishing a business need, the turn towards developing product intelligence, and the turn towards supplier development. The findings suggest that technological niches emerge as constellations of different technologies develop in parallel in different projects. Secondly, that by developing radical through-life solutions organisation seek to acquire greater control of the nature and direction of sustainable transitions. Finally, by unpacking different interactions between multiple actors involved in the pursuit of niches we offer fresh insights into the costs and contradictions involved in making sustainable transitions within construction.