The influence of sustainability in project management practices in the building sector

Sustainability is an increasingly adopted objective (and an overarching concept) that affects, and is affected by, every aspect of the construction project process. As the building sector is increasingly forced to adopt sustainability in organizational processes, researchers within the field have provided knowledge to improve “green” building performance, focusing on technologies, materials, and environmental management tools. Practitioners have usually focused on increasing efficiency, typically seen as reductions in the use of energy, water and other resources. However, insufficient knowledge still exists about the processes required in the effective implementation of sustainability principles. This dissertation seeks to create a comprehensive understanding of how sustainability principles influence project management and organizational processes in building projects. The research is based on five case studies of recent Montreal located building projects that have implemented sustainability principles. First-hand data included 14 Interviews with experts in sustainability, project management, and construction, as well as 24 interviews with professionals involved in the five projects. More than 200 project documents, press releases, and policy documents from the client organizations were studied and compared with the information obtained from the interviews and observations. The data was analyzed through a series of diagrams and mapping techniques that aimed at revealing the evolution of both the structure of the temporary multi-organization (TMO) and the sustainability practices within the case studies. Findings reveal that sustainability enables the alignment process between project management and business strategy. They also show that the implementation of “green” certifications in building projects often generates a series of tensions that influence project management processes and practices. Moreover, the study reveals that stakeholders adopt a multiplicity of sustainability approaches and that these approaches change during different stages of the project, generating additional tensions between stakeholders. The investigation suggests that in order to adopt sustainability practices in the building sector there is an urgent need to shift from linear, regulatory, and product-centred approaches to a more holistic, open, and process-centred approach. Contrary to common belief, results show that sustainability is not a homogeneous approach applied to building projects and that the diversity of approaches has a significant impact on project performance. There is, therefore, a need to fully understand different stakeholder approaches as well as their evolution in the project phases. From a practical point of view, results from this study can be used by project managers to avoid conflicts between stakeholders, reduce tensions between managerial approaches, facilitate innovation and collaboration, and transform tensions into opportunities for project quality enhancement.