Kaatz, E; Root, D and Bowen, P (2005) Broadening project participation through a modified building sustainability assessment. Building Research & Information, 33(5), pp. 441-454. ISSN 0961-3218
Abstract
Building assessment tools are used as a means to assess and encourage the adoption of sustainability-led thinking and practice in the delivery of buildings. However, the established tools focus primarily on the aspects of green or sustainable building (i.e. building as an end-product), rarely exploring the contributions towards sustainable product delivery (i.e. the building process). However, some principles of sustainable development are best implemented within the process rather than by being embedded in the product. By addressing the issues of equity via participation through stakeholder-oriented sustainability assessment, building assessment tools could be used to enhance significantly the overall sustainability of project delivery in the construction sector. A theoretical justification is advocated for implementing a participatory approach that is underpinning the development of a specification for a building sustainability assessment model currently under development. The barriers to participation in the construction process are considered as well as the need to develop innovative mechanisms to broaden membership of the construction project team. The philosophical approaches and resultant practices drawn from Environmental Assessment and the Process Protocol are presented as examples of potential solutions for incorporating stakeholder participation in a modified building assessment process.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | building assessment; building performance; environmental assessment; process protocol; service delivery; social equity; social responsibility; stakeholder participation; sustainable development |
| Index terms: | construction process, sustainable building, building sustainability, social responsibility, construction sector, building process, stakeholder participation, project delivery, environmental assessment, product delivery, building assessment, sustainability assessment, participatory approach, service delivery, specification, construction project team, building performance, sustainable development |
| Subjects: | environmental impact, community and social dimensions, data collection methods, product delivery, project delivery, sustainability and energy, service delivery, contractual condition, health safety and environment, sustainable construction, sustainability assessment, industry analysis, quality assurance, building construction, asset management |
| Topics: | Project Management, Research Practice, Business Strategy, Health and Safety, Procurement, Sustainability, Stakeholder Management, Quality Management, Supply Chain Management, Site Management, Contract Administration |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTE |
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