Abstract
Governing material conditions—including physical, material subjects such as machines, build constructions, construction materials, and subsoils—is a crucial challenge within projects and is underrepresented in project governance theory. To clarify the relationship between project governance and materiality, we draw on translation theory, which is essentially about the reinterpretation, appropriation, and representation of interests related to materials. This paper studies the challenges of governing the underground during the construction of the new terminal at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. The findings show that, during the project life cycle, the translation of the underground by project actors hampered the necessary relocation of utilities in this project. This eventually resulted in delays and unforeseen costs. This translation is explained by a combination of the governance of the project, strategic interactions of project actors, and the characteristics and context of the material conditions. We contribute to project governance studies by demonstrating the usefulness of translation theory to better understand the mechanisms at play in governing underrepresented material conditions in infrastructure projects.
Highlights
Project governance is an increasingly key approach to addressing and managing the complexities of infrastructure projects (Ahola, Ruuska, Artto & Kujala, 2014; Brunet & Aubry, 2016; Pitsis, Sankaran, Gudergan & Clegg, 2014)
We contribute to project governance studies by demonstrating the usefulness of translation theory to better understand the mechanisms at play in governing underrepresented material conditions in infrastructure projects
Based on the above discussion, the central question in this paper is how does the governance of projects influence the translation of material conditions? To answer this question, we present the case of the project governance and the translation of the underground in the pre-construction phase of the development of a new terminal in the heart of one of Europe’s busiest airports, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
Summary
Project governance is an increasingly key approach to addressing and managing the complexities of infrastructure projects (Ahola, Ruuska, Artto & Kujala, 2014; Brunet & Aubry, 2016; Pitsis, Sankaran, Gudergan & Clegg, 2014). Ninan, Mahalingam, Clegg, and Sankaran (2020) used a sociomateriality lens to demonstrate how ICT tools were used to manage external stakeholders in a metro construction project. In another example, van den Ende, van Marrewijk and Boersma (2015) showed how the sinking of historical buildings caused a crisis in the construction of the Amsterdam metro project. Van den Ende, van Marrewijk and Boersma (2015) showed how the sinking of historical buildings caused a crisis in the construction of the Amsterdam metro project Notwithstanding these examples, material conditions are underrepresented in project governance studies, and, in project studies more generally (Floricel et al, 2014). This topic can advance our knowledge and understanding of the governance of complex projects, as has been called for by Pitsis et al (2014)
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