Moradi, S; Hirvonen, J and Sormunen, P (2026) Collaborative and life cycle-based project delivery for environmentally sustainable building construction: Views of Finnish project professionals and building operation and maintenance experts. Smart and Sustainable Built Environment, 15(1), pp. 407-430. ISSN 2046-6099
Abstract
Purpose – The energy performance gap (EPG) in building construction has been one of the major barriers to the realization of environmental and economic sustainability in the built environment. Although there have been a few studies addressing this issue, studying this topic with a special focus on the project delivery process has been almost overlooked. Hence, this study aims to address the EPG in building construction through the lens of collaborative and life cycle-based project delivery. Design/methodology/approach – In order to realize the objective of this study, the development of a theoretical framework based on the literature review was followed by a qualitative study in which 21 semi-structured interviews were conducted with Finnish project professionals representing clients, design/planning experts, constructors and building operation/maintenance experts to explore their views on the topic under study. Findings – The findings reveal the project delivery-related causes of EPG in building construction. Moreover, the obtained results present a collaborative and life cycle-based delivery model that integrates project and product (i.e. building) life cycles, and it is compatible with all types of contractual frameworks in building construction projects. Research limitations/implications – Although the findings of this study significantly contribute to theory and practice in the field of collaborative and sustainable construction project delivery, it is acknowledged that these findings are based on Finnish professionals' input, and expanding this research to other regions is a potential area for further studies. Moreover, the developed model, although validated in Finland, needs to be tested in a broader context as well to gain wider generalizability. Originality/value – The obtained results reveal the significance and impact of collaborative and life cycle-based project development and delivery on the realization of environmentally sustainable building construction.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | collaborative project delivery; construction management; life cycle-based project delivery; sustainable building construction |
| Index terms: | sustainable construction project, Finland, qualitative study, life cycle, economic sustainability, built environment, collaborative project, project development, project delivery, interview, literature review, building construction, methodology, energy performance gap, sustainable building, building operation |
| Subjects: | building construction, research methods, sustainable construction, Geography, economic analysis, contractual arrangements, infrastructure and transport systems, management, sustainability and energy, project delivery, data analysis and analytics, research design and methodology, data collection methods, value management |
| Topics: | Sustainability, Procurement, Project Management, Geographical Context, Urban Studies, Construction Technology, Business Strategy, Research Practice |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
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