Hassan, O A B (2016) An integrated approach to assessing the sustainability of buildings. Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology, 14(4), pp. 835-850.
Abstract
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to advance a model that relates the criteria of sustainable development with the construction engineering of buildings. Moreover, a method to evaluate the building sustainability is suggested. Design/methodology/approach The method is based on calculating the weighted expected utility function of a building with respect to composite indicator. Findings Based on this integrated approach, a tentative index to evaluate the sustainability of buildings is proposed. Research limitations/implications The study is limited to the assessment of the sustainable development of the built environment. Practical implications The feasibility of assessing the sustainability of a building using the sustainable index of buildings (SIB) is that it permits the decision-makers to study the potential improvement in the sustainable development of buildings in the long and short run. Moreover, the role of benchmarking in improving the sustainability performance of buildings is discussed in view of the suggested method. Social implications The present method is practical and easy to use for ranking building (or a part of a building) according to the sustainable performance. Originality/value New methodology based on integrating the value-focused thinking together with the composite indicators is used to evaluate the sustainable development.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | sustainable construction; composite indicator; sustainable development; construction management; sustainability |
| Index terms: | construction engineering, building sustainability, built environment, composite, sustainability performance, methodology, benchmarking, integrated approach, sustainable construction, sustainable development |
| Subjects: | materials science, contractual arrangements, sustainability and energy, sustainable construction, health safety and environment, research methods, engineering methods, performance measurement, sustainability assessment, infrastructure and transport systems |
| Topics: | Procurement, Sustainability, Health and Safety, Research Practice, Engineering Principles, Construction Materials, Urban Studies, Quality Management |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCT |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here