Construction is a broad term implying the science and art of to shape material, structures, or other organic organisms, and derives from Latin ad constructum, and Old French construction. To construct is also the subject: the act of constructing, and the object is construction: what a thing is constructed of, its nature, etc. The object, as we shall see in detail below, may be humans or other things: buildings, bridges, tunnels, ships, and the like. It may be used in the singular or in the conjunction, as in “the man who designed the building,” “the men who made the bridge,” etc.
As regards the definition of the term, construction can take on various definitions. For instance, in technical discussions, one construction is said to be any task not requiring the exertion of physical effort, such as installing heating and air-conditioning systems; digging ditches for drainage; putting up fencing or walls; arranging furniture; and so on. Another construction is described as “making arrangements for future operations” and is usually undertaken to prepare for future operations, by making provisions for workers, material, machinery, and facilities. Meanwhile, construction in more common usage includes all tasks involving the manipulation of material, by hand or by machine, for the purpose of constructing real objects. In addition, construction may also refer to the construction of buildings and other physical objects.
Now if we wish to define construction in more precise terms, let us consider its three basic elements. These are: technical know-how, labor, and material resources. A contractor cannot build a building without knowing how to erect walls, install ventilation systems, apply paint or stain, and fix electrical wiring; and a builder cannot make a building without having the skills and knowledge for carpentry, masonry, bricklaying, etc. A project undertaken without proper knowledge and expertise will be very expensive and time-consuming.
On the other hand, if you hire a contractor, he will train you in these matters, so that your job is easier. Besides, most contractors also provide you with additional services, such as pre-construction meetings, site investigations, cost estimations, contractor’s guarantees, etc. But there is a crucial question: does your hired contractor have permission to use copyrighted materials, resources, inventions, etc. Before embarking on any construction project, it is essential for you to acknowledge that you own the rights to any Copyrighted Work that you may find in the World Wide Web, even if you did not create it yourself. You need to specifically identify the copyright ownership by making a request to the owner of the resource or item.
For instance, if you happen to find a picture of a real estate property, you should acknowledge that you own the copyright to the image. The owner of the photo should acknowledge this too. Now, if you find third party content on the web, such as information, e-books, articles, etc., regarding construction techniques, etc., you should again make an effort to acknowledge the source of the content. You can do so by making a link to the owner’s website or by contacting the legal authority who granted the right to use the copyrighted work. A contract should then be drawn up in order to protect both parties’ rights to the material.
It is essential for all users via the internet to acknowledge the source of any third party content they may come across. It is also essential that users make sure that they do not use anything that infringes the rights of the copyright holder. Finally, it is important to recognize that although the owner of the copyright does have the right to sue for any infringement of his copyright, it is unlikely that he would sue every site that carries third party content that is accessible to users via the internet. Therefore, construction projects, as well as any other projects that require the hiring of contractors, can run successfully without any need to spend money on legal bills.
