Karunasena, G; Rathnayake, R M N U and Senarathne, D (2016) Integrating sustainability concepts and value planning for sustainable construction. Built Environment Project and Asset Management, 6(2), pp. 125-138. ISSN 2044-124X
Abstract
Purpose - Sustainable construction (SC) is a vital requirement to safeguard the world for future generations. However, there are several potential barriers such as initial costs of implementation of sustainability concepts (approaches used to safeguard three dimensions of sustainability, namely environmental, social and economical). The purpose of this paper is to integrate sustainability concepts to value planning (VP) which attracts clients as it is used to reduce unnecessary costs. Design/methodology/approach - A comprehensive literature survey was carried out to develop a conceptual linkage between SC and VP disciplines. This was followed by a questionnaire survey with 40 respondents and 16 semi-structured expert interviews to ascertain prevailing status of these concepts in the Sri Lankan construction industry. Data were analyzed using statistical and content analysis, respectively. Findings - Findings revealed even though knowledge is fairly good, application and experience of experts are not satisfactory regarding these concepts. However, it is established that there is a huge requirement to apply these concepts in local construction projects. In order to overcome barriers identified, a framework has been developed to integrate sustainability concepts and VP disciplines in construction projects. Originality/value - The framework can be used as a guide by construction industry practitioners for betterment of construction projects, ultimately steering the industry toward sustainability.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | values; developing country; construction; sustainability concepts; sustainable construction; value planning |
| Index terms: | dimension, implementation, construction industry, construction project, methodology, questionnaire, practitioner, content analysis, linkage, survey, developing country, interview, sustainable construction |
| Subjects: | practitioner, data collection methods, business, contractual arrangements, data analysis and analytics, health monitoring assessment and metrics, production management, development economics, sustainable construction, research methods, industry analysis |
| Topics: | International Construction, Project Management, Research Practice, Business Strategy, Health and Safety, Procurement, Sustainability, Roles and Professions |
| 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