Almost every day the news media tell us something new about the “global economy”. With such tight links to Europe and America, is it really possible that Britain could avoid foreign influence on its construction market and methods? There are many pressures on the way that buildings are procured, global harmonization and government financing being just two. These pressures have affected procurement procedures and arguably have irrevocably affected professional roles. The “one stop shop” and “single point responsibility” ideas have evolved into the contractor taking responsibility for both design and construction – we are in the “Design–Build” era. This book, part of the distinctive Architecture in Practice series from Wiley–Academy, looks at the finer detail of the D–B process and illustrates several examples of successful projects.