Afful, A E; Ayarkwa, J; Acquah, G K K; Baah, B; Adjei, E K; Oduro, S and Asiedu-Ampem, G (2026) Towards the delivery of environmentally sustainable buildings in Ghana: Drivers of capacity building. International Journal of Construction Education and Research, 22(1), pp. 27-52. ISSN 1557-8771
Abstract
Several studies have examined the barriers, drivers, strategies, and critical success factors for environmentally sustainable building (ESB) delivery, yet very few of these have attempted to address the perfunctory rate of adoption from the perspective of capacity building (CB) of designers. This study, therefore, sought to identify the drivers of CB for ESB project delivery in the Ghanaian construction industry. The study involves conducting interviews with a total of 38 designers, including designers such as architects, project managers, quantity Surveyors, structural engineers, and services engineers. Twelve (12) drivers were identified from all the designers. To prioritize the drivers to be explored, a Pareto analysis was employed. The Pareto analysis showed that demand for ESB projects, awareness of ESB issues, availability of training avenues, competitive advantage, and branding were the critical drivers for CB among designers. The study further categorized the drivers in a systemic framework. The results of this study are intended to enhance and support the existing research on competency-based efforts in ESB delivery. In doing so, this study contributes to the advancement of literature and knowledge in this area, specifically focusing on developing countries like Ghana.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | capacity building; drivers; environmentally sustainable buildings; Ghana; green buildings |
| Index terms: | quantity surveying, competitive advantage, pareto analysis, project manager, Ghana, capacity building, services engineer, designer, architect, construction industry, project delivery, developing country, interview, strategy, structural engineer, sustainable building, green building, critical success factor |
| Subjects: | industry analysis, design practice, management, project delivery, quality control, control systems, profession, data collection methods, social and economic development, market analysis, sustainable construction, development economics, Geography |
| Topics: | Human Resources, International Construction, Design Practice, Roles and Professions, Research Practice, Business Strategy, Quality Management, Procurement, Sustainability, Geographical Context, Project Management |
| 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