Moyo, Cynthia; Moyo, Tirivavi and Mudombo, Mabel Vongai (2026) Integrating sustainable materials into construction: A review of Zimbabwe’s model building by-laws. Journal of Construction Business and Management, 8(S1), pp. 99-110. ISSN 2521-0165
Abstract
Environmental challenges associated with the use of traditional construction materials are widespread in Zimbabwe. Despite the availability of sustainable construction materials, the failure to adopt the Model Buildings by-law of 1977 has stalled the promotion of strategic interventions. Hence, the study identified pertinent modifications to the Model building by-laws that could enable the utilisation of sustainable construction materials—the interpretivist philosophy employed semi-structured online interviews. Purposive sampling was used to solicit views from sixteen (16) construction professionals, academics, and relevant local government officials with experience in sustainable construction. The generation of modern by-laws with relevant, sustainable material specifications, design-related modifications, and the adoption of green building principles or methodologies were the major themes identified. A comprehensive stakeholder engagement was recommended to ensure that any modifications are practical and implementable. Using sustainable construction materials requires a policy intervention incorporating a comprehensive stakeholder support framework from manufacture to material disposal. The paper highlights the necessary changes to the model-building by-laws (MBBLs) to integrate sustainable construction material utilisation in Zimbabwe. This is valuable to all stakeholders in the construction industry as it aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals of climate action and responsible production and consumption. The main limitation was the exclusive use of a key-informant qualitative design rather than end users. However, the exploratory nature of the study supported the approach.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | building regulations, model building by-laws, sustainable construction materials, Zimbabwe |
| Index terms: | construction industry, building regulation, local government, consumption, sustainable development goal, methodology, promotion, purposive sampling, interview, stakeholder engagement, sustainable construction, end user, Zimbabwe, philosophy, green building, construction professional, traditional construction, specification, sustainable material |
| Subjects: | community and social dimensions, administrative law, contractual condition, research methods, heritage and conservation, Geography, sustainable design, sustainable construction, data collection methods, professional development, regulatory law, management, sustainable materials, stakeholder, philosophical studies, industry analysis, design practice, consumer economics |
| Topics: | Information Management, Geographical Context, Stakeholder Management, Design Practice, Human Resources, Contract Administration, Roles and Professions, Sustainability, Research Practice, Construction Materials, Legal Issues |
| 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