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1 – 10 of over 4000Faizal Kurniawan, Xavier Nugraha, Julienna Hartono and Angelica Milano Aryani Wibisono
This paper aims to analyze regulation regarding sustainable construction procurement in Southeast Asia and provide a reconstruction of regulation regarding the sustainable…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to analyze regulation regarding sustainable construction procurement in Southeast Asia and provide a reconstruction of regulation regarding the sustainable construction procurement to prevent land degradation.
Design/methodology/approach
This was done through legal research methods, mainly historical and systematical interpretation. The approaches used in this paper are the conceptual approach, statute approach and comparative approach.
Findings
By analyzing the related legal norms, it can be understood that many nations in Southeast Asia do not have regulation regarding sustainable construction procurement. Between Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand, only Indonesia has a ministrial regulation that provides general norms regarding sustainable construction procurement. Regarding the reconstruction of regulation, the bare minimum standards consist of principle, indicators, pillar, the phases of the procurement, law enforcement, both preventive and repressive, and sustainable procurement committee.
Research limitations/implications
This research is limited to regulation in Southeast Asian region. By analyzing the regulation, this paper will provide a reconstruction of regulations regarding sustainable construction procurement that will act as an ground rules. Having the same ground rules will create synergies between countries in Southeast Asia to apply the principles of sustainable procurement and move together toward to prevent land degradation.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first systematic legal research that compares regulations from three nations in Southeast Asia regarding sustainable construction procurement and also the first paper to provide reconstruction of regulation regarding sustainable construction procurement to prevent land degradation.
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Alex Opoku, Kelvin Saddul, Georgios Kapogiannis, Godwin Kugblenu and Judith Amudjie
This paper explores project managers' (PMs') role in contributing to and achieving sustainability within construction projects, particularly focusing on Sustainable Development…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper explores project managers' (PMs') role in contributing to and achieving sustainability within construction projects, particularly focusing on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11.
Design/methodology/approach
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 PMs working with construction firms in the UK. Thematic analysis was also performed on the qualitative data retrieved using the NVivo software.
Findings
The study’s findings revealed that PMs working on construction projects considered various sustainable construction processes in attempts to solve problems with traditional construction technology. Furthermore, it was revealed that the PM’s role was key in achieving the SDGs in general and SDG 11 in particular through the process of perfecting the client brief, ensuring the client’s financial stability and creating an environment of teamwork. In terms of specific competencies, sustainability leadership and sustainable innovative capability were revealed to suggest that a PM is the leader of change.
Originality/value
The study highlights the essential role of the PM in delivering sustainable construction projects as part of the drive to achieve SDG 11. The study impacts the construction industry in developing strategies and training programs that build PMs' competencies and skills for contributing to the world we want.
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Cansu Coskun, Irem Dikmen and M. Talat Birgonul
Megaprojects are large-scale and long-term investments. Three pillars of sustainable construction objectives, namely, social, environmental and economic, should be integrated into…
Abstract
Purpose
Megaprojects are large-scale and long-term investments. Three pillars of sustainable construction objectives, namely, social, environmental and economic, should be integrated into megaproject risk management to ensure long-term success. A risk assessment method, Risk Assessment Method for Sustainable Construction Objectives in Megaprojects (RAMSCOM), was developed for this purpose.
Design/methodology/approach
RAMSCOM was developed based on the latest concepts and identifying relevant and critical sustainability objectives and risks through an extensive literature review. Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Cross-Impact Analysis (CIA) were used to determine and quantify the threats regarding the importance of the sustainability objectives. The applicability of RAMSCOM was demonstrated on a real megaproject.
Findings
The findings revealed that sustainability risk assessment requires integration of economic, environmental, social objectives and analysis of cross-impacts of risk factors. Visualization of interrelated threats, vulnerabilities and objectives has a potential to support risk mitigation decisions to achieve sustainability goals.
Research limitations/implications
The method has been developed based on the findings from a detailed literature survey on sustainability objectives and risks. RAMSCOM was tested on a single project with the assistance of three experts' views. Findings from the case project cannot be directly generalised for various megaprojects considering the unique nature of megaprojects.
Practical implications
Decision-makers can use RAMSCOM to assess sustainability risks in megaprojects and develop risk management plans for the most vulnerable and important sustainable objectives in a visual and quantified approach to ensure megaproject's sustainability in the long-term.
Originality/value
The theoretical contribution is a novel risk assessment method that integrates all dimensions of sustainability and quantifies the vulnerability of sustainability objectives considering their priorities, interrelations and risks. Sustainability dimensions, objectives and risks used in RAMSCOM can be useful for other researchers aiming to develop similar methods.
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Ram Asra Khural, Shashi, Myriam Ertz and Roberto Cerchione
This study explores the relationships among sustainability implementation barriers (resource, managerial and regulatory barriers), sustainability practices (sustainable…
Abstract
Purpose
This study explores the relationships among sustainability implementation barriers (resource, managerial and regulatory barriers), sustainability practices (sustainable construction materials, sustainable construction design, modern construction methods and environmental provisions and reporting) and sustainability performance (environmental, economic and social) in hill road construction (HRC).
Design/methodology/approach
Primary data were collected from the 313 HRC practitioners with the help of a questionnaire, and research hypotheses were tested employing structural equation modeling.
Findings
The findings reveal a mixed effect of sustainability implementation barriers. Resource (managerial) barriers are negatively related to all practices except environmental provisions and reporting (sustainable construction materials), while regulatory barriers only negatively impact modern construction methods. On the other hand, all sustainability practices positively impact environmental performance, whereas economic (social) performance is positively influenced by all practices, except environmental provisions and reporting (modern construction methods), and positively affects economic performance.
Originality/value
In order to transform HRC toward sustainability, the barriers to sustainability implementation, sustainability practices and performance need to be understood by practitioners; however, the relationships have not previously been empirically assessed in extant literature. Besides, past research appears to be predominantly focused on the environmental aspect, thereby neglecting economic and social aspects. This study is a modest attempt to bridge these research gaps.
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Oluwaseun Enoch Akindele, Saheed Ajayi, Luqman Toriola-Coker, Adekunle Sabitu Oyegoke, Hafiz Alaka and Sambo Lyson Zulu
Amidst all solutions posited to address sustainable construction practices in Nigeria, the implementation plans are repudiated by sustainable barriers. This study examines and…
Abstract
Purpose
Amidst all solutions posited to address sustainable construction practices in Nigeria, the implementation plans are repudiated by sustainable barriers. This study examines and confirms the strategy with the most significant impacts on the identified barrier to sustainable construction practice (SCP).
Design/methodology/approach
The study deployed a questionnaire survey to evaluate the perspective of 100 construction actors on the barriers and strategies of sustainable construction practice in Nigeria. Factor Analysis was employed to categorize key barriers and strategies into their underlying clusters for further analysis. Partial least squares-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to confirm the construct's significant relationship and magnitude, thereby establishing the strategies with the highest impacts on the barriers to sustainable construction practices.
Findings
The findings revealed three clusters of barriers and four groups of strategies to SCP, including technopolitic barrier, perception and awareness barrier and sociocultural barrier. For the significant strategies, education and training, stakeholder regulation, incentive support and government and legislative support strategies were established. Overall, education and training strategy was identified as the most dominant and effective strategy to mitigate the barriers of SCP in Nigeria.
Originality/value
The paper establishes education and training as the key strategy to achieving sustainable quest in the AEC industry. The practical implication is that policymakers, educators and professional bodies can harness sustainable knowledge transfer through education and training to improve sustainable construction practices in Nigeria.
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Ayotunde Babalola and Nishani Harinarain
Sustainable construction practice is structured on regulatory and non-regulatory policies in developed and most developing countries. With the gradual uptake of sustainability…
Abstract
Purpose
Sustainable construction practice is structured on regulatory and non-regulatory policies in developed and most developing countries. With the gradual uptake of sustainability concerns in the construction industry, this paper aims to identify the strategic need for clear-cut policies to improve sustainable construction practice. Previous studies have harped on the need for regulatory and industrial/organisational policies on improving sustainable construction practice within the Nigerian construction industry.
Design/methodology/approach
A questionnaire survey was used to evaluate the perspectives of construction professionals on the policy barriers for sustainable construction practice in Nigeria, and 46 policy barriers were identified. A total of 249 questionnaires were returned and useable for analysis.
Findings
Factor analysis revealed four clusters in the policy barriers to sustainable construction practice in the following order of significance: implementation strategies for sustainable construction practice, owners/client inputs for sustainable construction practice, stakeholder’s policy barriers and governmental and regulatory policy barriers.
Practical implications
Mitigating the identified barriers through effective policies will require adequate inputs from all relevant policymaking stakeholders and ensure improved sustainable construction practice among stakeholders and policymakers in the industry. This will in turn set a high standard and promote the practice of sustainable construction.
Originality/value
This study goes a step further in identifying the policy issues needed to ensure a smooth implementation of sustainable construction practice. The research findings will serve as a guide for policymakers in developing countries that through mitigation of the identified barriers, sustainable construction practice will be promoted.
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Olabode Emmanuel Ogunmakinde, Temitope Egbelakin, Willy Sher, Temitope Omotayo and Mercy Ogunnusi
Establishing a more sustainable built environment is an increasing global concern for the construction industry. Despite the intrinsic and extrinsic obstacles the stakeholders…
Abstract
Purpose
Establishing a more sustainable built environment is an increasing global concern for the construction industry. Despite the intrinsic and extrinsic obstacles the stakeholders face, huge efforts are required to transition to a smooth, sustainable construction (SC) practice. This study identifies and discusses cogent obstacles to SC in developing nations.
Design/methodology/approach
The Preferred Reporting Item for systematic reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) approach was employed to establish research work in SC for developing countries. The databases used were Scopus and Web of Science. Meta-analysis of keywords was analysed thematically. The initial broad search returned 8,420 publications which were filtered and reviewed in-depth to fit the aim of the study, produced only 21 relevant publications from the years 2000–2021.
Findings
The four identified themes of obstacles to SC in developing countries are as follows: construction professional training and education, clients' attitudes and awareness, construction industries' culture and capacity and governments' regulation, policies and economy. The key barriers identified from the meta-analysis include inadequate training and education amongst construction professionals, poor execution of sustainability ethics, poor populace attitude towards sustainability, poor awareness and understanding, dearth of precise data and integrated study and inappropriate priorities about sustainability.
Originality/value
The originality in this study are themes drawn from millennium development goals (MDGs) and sustainable development goals (SDGs) publications related to SC. Consequently, the final framework presented a holistic approach to surmounting the established limitations and aided recommendations for future studies. Thus, setting a background for developing strategies to overcome the limitations and further attain sustainable development (SD).
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Heba Ayoub, Ghaleb Sweis, Waleed Abu-Khader and Rateb Sweis
This study aimed to provide a framework that includes the principles of sustainable construction to evaluate their application in the construction of government building projects…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aimed to provide a framework that includes the principles of sustainable construction to evaluate their application in the construction of government building projects in various environmental, economic, and social aspects distributed over the project phases throughout its life cycle.
Design/methodology/approach
Qualitative methods from literature review and analysis of sustainability assessment tools were used to design the framework. The designed framework included six main categories, comprising 19 indicators that include sustainable building principles to assess application levels in government construction projects. It was used to evaluate applying sustainability practices in Jordanian government construction projects. 133 questionnaires were distributed to a convenience sample of three government institutions concerned with the design, implementation, and management of government buildings in Jordan.
Findings
After collecting the quantitative data, the results showed that there is an application of six sustainability principles during the initial planning, analysis, and design stages of Jordanian government construction projects. The results focused on the application levels in social sustainability principles versus environmental and economical, especially in the operating stages during the project life cycle.
Originality/value
This study contributes by providing a tool to evaluate the sustainability of government construction projects and increase the efficiency and effectiveness of these types of buildings in both the short and long term by making them more sustainable. Subsequently, recommendations are made on reorienting government construction projects toward a sustainable building approach.
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Emmanuel Chidiebere Eze, Onyinye Sofolahan and Olayinka Gideon Omoboye
Sustainable/Green building materials (SBMs/GBMs) offer a wide range of benefits which cut across the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainability. The…
Abstract
Purpose
Sustainable/Green building materials (SBMs/GBMs) offer a wide range of benefits which cut across the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainability. The incorporation of these materials in construction projects in most developing countries is still low owing to some factors. This study assessed the major barriers to the incorporation of SBMs in the delivery of construction projects in developing countries, with Nigeria as a case in point.
Design/methodology/approach
The well-structured quantitative questionnaire was used to gather data from the key players in the construction industry, using the snowball sampling method and electronic means of questionnaire administration. Frequencies, percentile, relative importance index, Kruskal–Wallis H test, Kendall's coefficient of concordance and exploratory factor analysis were used to analyse the gathered data.
Findings
The study revealed that the major constructs of barriers to SBM adoption in construction projects are: (1) resistance and information barriers (Eigenvalues = 5.237; % of V = 23.806), (2) regulation and funding of R&D (Eigenvalues = 2.741; % of V = 12.457), (3) cost and market barriers (Eigenvalues = 2.223; % of V = 10.105), (4) government incentive and suppliers' availability (Eigenvalues = 1.728; % of V = 7.852) and (5) GB experts and labour barriers (Eigenvalues = 1.307; % of V = 5.942).
Originality/value
This study assessed the view of construction experts in the five states of the south-eastern geo-political zone of Nigeria, particularly as regards the barriers to the incorporation of sustainable building materials in construction projects in the region.
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Ernest Kissi, Prosper Babon-Ayeng, Clinton Aigbavboa, Daniel Duah, Eugene Danquah-Smith and Reuben Agyei Tannor
The adoption of green construction concepts in road infrastructure projects is an opportunity to minimise the carbon footprint while boosting the built environment's capacity to…
Abstract
Purpose
The adoption of green construction concepts in road infrastructure projects is an opportunity to minimise the carbon footprint while boosting the built environment's capacity to promote sustainability. Consequently, this study examines the components of green road construction practices in developing countries such as Ghana.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a quantitative research method, four hypothesised constructs identified from the review of relevant literature were tested. The views of 144 quantity surveyors, civil engineers and project managers within Ghana's three road agencies were elicited using a structured close-ended questionnaire. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) based on the structural equation model (SEM) was adopted in analysing the data obtained.
Findings
The study's results reveal that the identified components: sustainable design, materials and resources, stormwater management and energy efficiency, significantly influence green road construction.
Practical implications
It reveals the critical elements of sustainable road design and construction, aiding organisations, construction companies and legislators in making informed choices on road design and construction.
Originality/value
Results from this study provide empirical evidence lacking in the literature about the main components of green road construction.
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