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This study aims to review the zeal exhibited by universities in South Africa towards aligning institutional mandates of teaching, learning, research and community engagement to the sustainable development (SD) agenda. The implementation of the SD agenda across higher education institutions (HEIs) continues to draw attention from the wider society. This is because HEIs are increasingly being looked up to for leadership in this regard. However, although several studies are quick to identify various factors which have driven the adoption of sustainable practices in HEIs, the paucity of studies seeking to identify the drivers for SD implementation remains glaring. This is particularly so in developing countries like South Africa.

To confirm the exploratory data from desktop study on public university engagement with sustainability in South Africa, a single case study was conducted in the Central University of Technology (CUT). The single case study design adopted semi-structured interviews and document reviews as data collection techniques. Purposive snowballing sampling technique was strictly adhered to in the selection of interviewees. Interviewees were selected on the basis of their roles in the implementation of the CUT’s sustainability agenda.

Data emanating from these interviews were analysed thematically using qualitative content analysis. Although a plethora of drivers were identified, there appeared to be a consensus between most of the interviewees that the quest for cost reduction remained the most significant driver for the viable implementation of the sustainability agenda at CUT.

It is expected that findings from this study would provide a platform for the development of effective implementation strategies in South African HEIs. Also, the findings contribute to filing the extant gap observed concerning implementation and drivers for engendering SD implementation in HEIs in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) region.

By highlighting the drivers for SD implementation, this study contributes to the development of a more receptive social ontology among various stakeholders in an HEI towards the agenda, particularly within the SSA context where there is low level of awareness and buy-in by these stakeholders.

This study makes an original contribution to the research base of SD in HEIs and implementation.

Qualitative researchers are often confronted with a dilemma of selecting an appropriate approach within which to situate their research. This has led to successive attempts by qualitative researchers in the built environment (BE) to combine two dominant approaches – deductive and inductive; in the conduct of their inquiry. Such attempts can be traced to the poor comprehension of the abductive approach. The purpose of this paper is to elucidate the principles of the abductive approach and illustrate its applicability within the context of BE qualitative research.

In this study, an illustrative case study is used to depict the usefulness of the abductive approach in BE research. The case relied upon is a recently completed study of an infrastructure delivery system and an assessment of the system’s ability to deliver on socio-economic sustainability objectives.

It was established that extant theories, particularly those with a history of provenance, could be used as a basis for the development of testable propositions for assessing certain phenomena, qualitatively. However, the manner in which these propositions are utilised under an abductive approach is pivotal to the generation of credible findings.

It is expected that the findings of this paper would create awareness among researchers on the relevance of an abductive approach to qualitative research.

This study makes an authentic contribution towards resolving the challenge confronting qualitative researchers within the BE discipline as it pertains to selecting between deductive and inductive approaches. In this case, an abductive approach is suggested and its modalities shown through a comprehensive study.

Sleep quality has been associated with health and safety issues influencing construction labour productivity in developing countries. Despite its significantly adverse contribution to these facets if left unattended to, limited studies have sought to establish its prevalence and causal factors in labour-intensive contexts. This study aims to bridge the gap between the prevalence and casual factors of poor sleep quality among construction workers.

Adopting a case study research design, data were collected from a randomly selected sample of construction workers (n = 475) recruited from four construction-based corporations in Southern India. Self-administered questionnaires comprising a Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scale was used to measure sleep quality among respondents alongside demographic characteristics, lifestyle preferences and work-habits data. Data were analysed using multivariate logistic regression analysis and descriptive statistical techniques.

Slightly more than a third of the construction workers (n = 33.9%) surveyed experienced poor sleep quality based on a PSQI method score of = 5. Also, the nexus between demographic characteristics, lifestyle preferences and work habits on the incidence of poor sleep quality among construction workers was confirmed.

The study contributes to the contemporary discourse on improving sleep health of construction workers to enhance their well-being thereby enabling their contribution towards achieving improved construction labour productivity.

This study makes an original contribution to the extent that it seeks to not only determine the prevalence of sleep quality within the construction industry and associated causal factors but to explore its implications on construction labour productivity.

The built environment is well known for carbon emission and its impact especially as it pertains to existing buildings. This has culminated in an increasing need for a retrofit of such buildings. This study details the development of an artefact for improving the delivery of energy retrofit projects therein to curb these impacts.

The study utilized a mixed method research design for data collection. In achieving this, data was collected in three different phases; (1) a pilot study; (2) a juxtaposition of desktop case studies, live case studies, focus group discussion forum and an expert survey; and (3) a questionnaire survey for the validation of the emergent artefact. Accordingly, the quantitative data was analysed using descriptive statistics, whereas qualitative content analysis was deployed for qualitative data.

The findings enabled an identification of the elements of a building energy retrofit project (BERP) such as project initiation, building assessment, detailed energy survey, technical analysis and implementation plans of energy measures, monitoring and verification. Also, it provided the challenges and enablers associated with successful BERP. This information was subsequently utilized in the development and validation of an artefact for delivering successful BERP. Summarily, a set of guidelines comprising of seven stages for managing successful BERPs were elucidated.

The validated artefact provides an adaptive and innovative route for achieving sustainability in retrofit trade.

The study conceptualizes an artefact for improving the delivery of BERPs.

Effective cost performance is a crucial criterion measuring successful project management in public-housing projects. This paper aims to analyse the vital underlying factors surrounding the successful cost management process (CMP) outcomes in public housing projects (PHPs).

The research was conducted in three stages. The first stage consisted of a detailed literature review to document success factors affecting cost performances and management. In stage two, brainstorming sessions were undertaken with construction experts knowledgeable in cost management practices and have been involved in PHPs. These sessions were used to refine those success factors for the PHPs settings and define their criticality with respect to the CMP stages using interpretive ranking process. In stage three, focus group sessions were performed to validate the interrelationships of the contextualised critical success factors.

The top three most critical factors for successful implementation and outcomes at all CMP stages in PHPs settings were found to relate to competencies, team qualities and collaborative practices of the project team. Early contractor involvement and effective construction planning and management also emerged relevant to the process.

Government project departments, project managers and construction organisations (consultants and contractors) need to commit and mandate continuous development of cost management competencies for all professionals engaged in PHPs. Channels supporting team integration and collaborative practices between design and construction teams are required to increase the likelihood of successful project cost management practice and outcomes in PHPs.

The research has developed a factor-process relationship model that can be used to improve and evaluate the efficacy of CMP implementation in PHP settings.

An increase in outsourcing of consultancy services has been observed during procurement and delivery of public-sector infrastructure projects. However, the incidence of project failure has continued unabated despite this shift by public-sector entities. Also, there appears to be limited literature focussed on seeking to provide the rationale governing the decision to outsource or insource consultancy services by public-sector organisations. The purpose of this study was to appraise the performance of public-sector projects in which consultancy services have been outsourced or insourced. These are the gaps which this study was undertaken to fill.

A grounded theory methodology (GTM) research design was adopted based on the nature of evidence sought and gathered from a Provincial Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (PDPWI) in South Africa. Data was obtained from a mixture of semi-structured interviews and project-specific documents spanning a five-year period and was analysed according to the procedures associated with GTM. Accordingly, open coding, axial coding and pattern matching were carried out at several intervals to develop categories and themes.

The findings of the study showed the absence of a structured approach within the PDPWI for facilitating decisions pertaining to outsourcing or insourcing consultancy services within construction projects. Furthermore, the study established that both approaches yielded similar results across all performance facets of cost, time and quality. In addition, a detailed insight into the steps required for the successful application of GTM in built environment research has been provided in the study.

Limited studies have been undertaken to compare the impact of either outsourced or insourced services on the organisational and project performance. This was the gap to which the study reported in this paper was undertaken to contribute.

The use of recycled concrete (RC) can reduce the greenhouse emissions associated with the production of cement, which is one of the primary materials used for the execution of construction projects. This research aims to review the state of knowledge in the field of RC research. An understanding of the state of the art in the RC domain justifies future research in this field.

A systematic and comprehensive search of RC-related literature was conducted using the Scopus database. In this research, the bibliometrix R-package was used for the analysis of bibliometric information of the selected papers. The software was used to create a map, which highlights the trends and gaps in the RC knowledge domain.

The results reveal the research themes, clusters, collaboration networks and advancement of knowledge in the field of RC research. The study integrates the literature focussed on RC research and provides a platform for progression of knowledge in this field.

The study contributes to the growing body of knowledge by providing an up-to-date RC knowledge map based on an analysis of bibliographic data. Information gleaned from previous studies suggests that bibliometric review can strengthen and complement the findings emerging from other forms of literature reviews. The study reported here is one of the first studies to provide insights into the evolution of RC research.

The purpose of this paper is to propose a model for operationalizing the integrated use of lean and sustainability concepts for infrastructure delivery. This model is premised on the need for the attainment of a sustainable built environment through efficient infrastructure delivery.

A case study research design was used in assessing five purposively selected cases within Gauteng province in South Africa. These facilities attained Green Building Council of South Africa ratings of 5- to 6-star, for the rating of green buildings and available evidence of integration of lean principles at the developmental stage. Questionnaires were administered to project’s role-players and semi-structured interviews were conducted with the users and facility managers, in order to elicit data for the model development. Questionnaire survey was adopted for the model validation.

The lean-sustainability platform for infrastructure delivery demonstrates features such as resources, drivers, barriers, activities, outputs, the results, and the ultimate impact. The findings give insight into various components of the model. It validates its robustness and highlights leadership among other critical factors necessary for successful operationalization of the lean-sustainability ethos required to transform the delivery of infrastructure.

The developed model provides a transformational route for achieving infrastructure sustainability. The lean-sustainable indicators identified will serve as evaluation tools for assessing lean-sustainability ethos during the delivery phases of infrastructure projects.

The model provides a new way of thinking about infrastructure project delivery regarding the need to promote sustainability in the built environment.

Sustainability has the potential to bring enormous benefits to our built environment. To release this potential, a change in business models is required. The purpose of this paper is to investigate green business models (GBMs) transformation by adopting five essential elements of green value creation and capture: green value proposition (GVP), target group (TG), key activities (KA), key resources (KR), and financial logic (FL).

In this qualitative study, 19 semi-structured interviews were conducted. Interviewees were selected purposively. The emergent data were analysed with the aid of themes.

It was observed that significant effort was being made towards enabling the transformation of certain elements pertinent to green value creation: KA and KR. This was particularly so when compared to other elements like GVP, TG, and FL.

Findings from this study should encourage construction managers to align their extant BMs to green activities hence enabling new approaches to green value creation and capture. Furthermore, the study will aid in improving the environmental and economic positions of the value chain within the construction sector.

This research is one of the few empirical academic works investigating GBMs in the construction sector.