Kaatz, E; Root, D S; Hilland, R C and Bowen, P A (2006) Fostering sustainability and enhancing quality in construction with building sustainability assessment. In: Boyd, D (ed.) Proceedings of 22nd Annual ARCOM Conference, 4-6 September 2006, Birmingham, UK.
Abstract
Research reported in this paper advocates the need for a more widespread use of building assessment methods in building practice to enhance the quality of building design, construction and management, and to stimulate broader stakeholder participation. Lessons learnt from Environmental Assessment (EA) and the Process Protocol (PP) informed the development of a functional specification for a building sustainability assessment model with the aim to improve the effectiveness of building assessment in fostering sustainable construction. The most important test of effectiveness of any building assessment method in fostering sustainability is the extent to which it influences decision-making throughout the building process. Arguably, building assessment methods need to become more interactive and dynamically integrated with building project activities, introducing building assessment into the domain of project management. As a result, new core functionalities of a building sustainability assessment method come to the fore, including integration, transparency and accessibility, and collaborative learning. A brief discussion of one potential use scenario for the application of the proposed model is presented; that of a building performance audit, which illustrates the advocated integration of building assessment with an actual building project. The main conclusion of the research is that the future evolution of building assessment will most likely be focused on enhancing the building process and empowering stakeholders through their direct participation in sustainability-orientated decision-making. This focus should be the guiding principle in the development and application of building assessment methods.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | building performance audit; building sustainability assessment; process map; stakeholder participation |
| Index terms: | decision-making, evolution, building practice, building process, building assessment, stakeholder participation, audit, functionality, sustainable construction, specification, building sustainability, accessibility, project management, environmental assessment, effectiveness, collaborative learning, building performance, transparency, building design, integration |
| Subjects: | performance management, environmental impact, architectural design, decision analysis, sustainable construction, community and social dimensions, inclusive design, professional development, sustainability and energy, building construction, organizational analysis, contractual condition, performance measurement, environmental science, learning methods, quality assurance, design features, asset management, project management theory and practice |
| Topics: | Information Management, Project Management, Education, Contract Administration, Quality Management, Construction Technology, Risk Management, Design Practice, Sustainability, Organizational Design, Business Strategy, Stakeholder Management, Site Management |
| Descriptive scope: | 2 PC |
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