Construction projects are highly technical long-term projects in which the structure and the shape of the building, road, bridge, plant, or other works is planned and developed on an ongoing basis. They involve many parties, which although supposedly committed to achieve a common goal all have their own interests. These and other reasons lead to a high technical, organizational, and legal complexity, which increases the risk of disputes and the need for effective dispute resolution. However, not only construction projects, but also construction disputes and their resolution are highly complex.
The book focusses on the nuts and bolts of these complex construction disputes and their resolution. It covers in its chapters dispute avoidance, alternative dispute resolution, arbitration, litigation, and evidence in construction disputes as well as future trends, such as the digitalized construction site and legal tech in construction disputes. Legal systems have developed different methodologies to deal with disputes. The obvious divide is between the civil law and the common law worlds. While various legal systems have considerably different approaches to construction disputes, they regularly achieve similar dispute resolution outcomes. The book looks on construction disputes from an international perspective, presents different paths to their resolution, and gives insight on the common issues faced on the way.