scholarly journals Measuring perception about sustainability of building materials in Kosovo

Facilities ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (7/8) ◽  
pp. 436-461 ◽  
Author(s):  
Visar Hoxha ◽  
Tore Haugen ◽  
Svein Bjorberg
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Building Materials ◽  
Selection Process ◽  
Embodied Energy ◽  
Materials Selection ◽  
Sustainable Building ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Low Energy Consumption ◽  
Selection Of ◽  
Sustainable Building Materials

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop the empirically tested framework about the knowledge and perception about sustainability of building materials in Prishtina, Kosovo from the perspective of users, construction industry and facility managers. Design/methodology/approachA survey of representative sections of the population was designed and carried out in the capital city of Kosovo to determine the knowledge and perception of the population about the sustainability of building materials and to determine the main criteria of selection of sustainable building materials. The study may be used as guidelines for sustainable real estate developers in Prishtina during the materials selection process. Qualitative interviews were conducted with architects, consulting engineering companies, construction companies and facility managers from the region of Prishtina with open-ended questions also being used. FindingsResults of quantitative research find that embodied energy, durability and low energy consumption are used as key criteria that influence the materials selection process on the part of users. The results of the cross-case analysis of qualitative measure the perceptions of construction industry and facility managers, according to which durability to a large degree is the main criterion for selection of sustainable building materials followed by embodied energy and low energy consumption. Research limitations/implicationsThe study of measurement of level of knowledge and perception about sustainability of building materials in Kosovo focuses only on one pilot city; hence, further research is needed throughout Kosovo to validate the empirically tested tool within other geographical settings in Kosovo. Originality/valueThis survey represents the first quantification of knowledge and perception regarding the sustainability of building materials among users, construction sector and facility managers.

Low Embodied Energy Sustainable Building Materials and Technologies

2015 ◽  
Vol 650 ◽  
pp. 13-20
Author(s):  
Ashok Kumar ◽  
P.S. Chani ◽  
Rajesh Deoliya
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Building Materials ◽  
Embodied Energy ◽  
Energy Materials ◽  
Sustainable Building ◽  
Comprehensive Literature Review ◽  
Construction Techniques ◽  
The World ◽  
New Buildings ◽  
Sustainable Building Materials

Construction industry is one of the largest consumers of the natural resources and responsible for substantial amount of CO2emission in the world. The purpose of this paper is to carry out comprehensive literature review on the low embodied energy materials and techniques used in the existing and / or new buildings in India. The paper also compares the conventional building materials and techniques, with alternative ones to assess their superiority. An investigation into the energy consumed by the building materials and techniques is computed to find out the embodied energy requirements to prove superiority of innovative construction techniques over traditional materials.

Barriers to the use of sustainable materials in Australian building projects

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sheetal Gounder ◽  
Abid Hasan ◽  
Asheem Shrestha ◽  
Abbas Elmualim
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Building Materials ◽  
Construction Materials ◽  
Building Projects ◽  
Sustainable Building ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sustainable Materials ◽  
Main Barrier ◽  
Economic Considerations ◽  
Sustainable Building Materials

PurposeAlthough the adverse effects of construction activities on the environment and the need for sustainable construction practices are recognised in both research and practice, any significant shift in the selection and use of construction materials from the sustainability perspective has not taken place in many building projects. Still, conventional construction materials are widely used in building projects in both developed and developing countries. This study attempts to identify the main barriers to the use of sustainable materials in building projects in an advanced economy such as Australia.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopted a questionnaire survey approach to examine the main reasons behind the low usage of sustainable materials in building projects. Based on the relative importance index, exploratory factor analysis and multinomial logistic regression analysis, the study examined the main barrier measures and barrier factors to the use of sustainable materials in building projects.FindingsThe findings reveal that critical barriers to the use of sustainable materials are related to cost and profit considerations, the unwillingness of the key stakeholders to incorporate these materials into building projects, lack of incentives and government policies. The factor analysis reduced the critical barrier measures into three factors: techno-economic considerations, cost and delay concerns and resistance to use. Furthermore, multinomial regression analysis based on the extracted factors identified techno-economic considerations as the main barrier factor to the use of sustainable materials in building projects.Practical implicationsThe empirical results of this research can inform construction practitioners, organisations and policymakers on how to increase the use of sustainable building materials in the construction industry.Originality/valueIdentification of barriers to the use of sustainable building materials is a prerequisite to improve their uptake and use in the construction industry. The study fills a gap in the existing research on the use of sustainable materials in building projects in Australia.

scholarly journals Determinants of sustainable building materials (SBM) selection on construction projects

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 166-194
Author(s):  
Emmanuel Chidiebere Eze ◽  
◽  
Rex Asibuodu Ugulu ◽  
Onyealilam Peter Onyeagam ◽  
Desoji Anthony Adegboyega ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Construction Projects ◽  
Building Materials ◽  
Green Building ◽  
Embodied Energy ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Materials Selection ◽  
Sustainable Building ◽  
Green Building Materials ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Sustainable Building Materials

The complexity and fragmented nature and the multiple stakeholders in the construction industry often make it difficult to come up with a firm decision regarding sustainable building materials selection. The wrong choice could negatively impact the project objective and performance outcome. This study assessed the critical factor influencing the choice of sustainable building materials (SBM) selection on construction projects in the Southeast geopolitical zone of Nigeria. Data were collected using a well-structured questionnaire, non-probability (purposive and snowball) sampling techniques, and an internet-mediated survey. Data analyses were carried out using the appropriate descriptive and inferential statistical tools and exploratory factor analysis (EFA). The study revealed recycled plastic, natural clay and mud, stone, bricks and tile, cellulose, stray bales, grasses, limestone, and wood timber, are the commonly used sustainable building materials. Also, their level of awareness is high while their adoption is moderate. EFA revealed that the major clusters of determinants of the choice of green building materials are: emissions minimisation, low running cost and reusability, low thermal and energy consumption efficiency, low cost and high health and safety consideration and waste minimisation. The key factors influencing the choice of sustainable building materials selection in construction are: reducing greenhouse gas emissions from buildings, materially embodied energy cost, operating and maintenance costs, non-toxic or low toxic emissions generated by the products/materials, recyclability of the building materials, availability of the technical skills, renewable (reusable) properties, inhibiting the impact of buildings on the environment, safety and health of the occupants, and appearance and aesthetic. It is recommended that consideration be given to these factors in selecting sustainable/green building materials in the designs and specifications of construction projects.

scholarly journals Sustainable Material Awareness, Belief and Readiness in Housing Development

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 88
Author(s):  
Kim Dung Thi Vu ◽  
Bao Ngoc Nguyen
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Renewable Resources ◽  
Building Materials ◽  
Sustainable Building ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Managerial Implications ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Sustainable Materials ◽  
Future Work ◽  
Sustainable Building Materials

The construction industry is one of the industries accounting for a large proportion of Vietnam's overall GDP. It is also one of the least sustainable industries with extensive use of non-renewable resources. A study on the current situation of occupational awareness of sustainable building materials, identifying factors that prevent the diffusion of sustainable building materials is critical. The present study raised the theoretical basis of using sustainable building materials for the construction industry. Questionnaire data from 130 valid responses were used to carry out statistical analysis and make interpretation of results. The results indicate no significant difference between the two groups of respondents in awareness, belief, and readiness towards sustainable materials. The awareness and readiness levels are higher among construction practitioners who have experience. The present findings might suggest several courses of action to solve the problem of sustainable materials being overlooked. Our research suggests that it is essential for policymakers to encourage stakeholders to consider sustainability more seriously. The research findings have profound managerial implications that experienced practitioners might significantly impact the decision-making process in the realm of sustainable orientation. Future work should concentrate on integrating sustainable building materials into innovative and transformative practices in the construction industry. Keywords: sustainable materials; awareness; belief; readiness; Vietnam; construction industry

A sustainable assessment model for material selection in construction industries perspective using hybrid MCDM approaches

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 234-259 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaliyan Mathiyazhagan ◽  
A. Gnanavelbabu ◽  
B. Lokesh Prabhuraj
Keyword(s):  
Building Materials ◽  
Material Selection ◽  
Fuzzy Topsis ◽  
Assessment Model ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
Bottom Line ◽  
Sustainable Building ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sustainable Material ◽  
Selection Of

Purpose Urbanization and globalization in India have led to the depletion of resources and degradation of the environment to meet the demands. Because of these issues, researchers and practitioners have begun to study various strategies to reduce the level consumption of resources to utilize it for present and future needs. In pursuit of finding solutions to the problems, sustainable building construction is found as the best key to avoid depletion of resources. Sustainable material selection is found as a vital strategy in construction. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach A three-phase methodology is proposed for framing the assessment model for construction industries to select materials for construction. In the first phase, a total of 23 sub-criteria of triple bottom line (TBL) and four brick materials as alternatives were identified. The second phase finds the weights and ranks of criteria and sub-criteria using the best worst methodology (BWM) the third phase involves ranking of materials concerning sub-criteria weights determined in phase II using Fuzzy Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). Findings The objective of study is fixed to identify the criteria list for the selection of material in construction industries from the literature review especially for Indian construction industries; to rank the criteria for selection of materials with the help of the BWM approach; and to prioritize the identified materials in the view of sustainability with the help of Fuzzy TOPSIS in construction industries perspective. This study analyzed and choosing right sustainable materials by the three pillars of sustainability which are the environment, economic and social, also called TBL, for Indian construction companies by framing a sustainable material assessment model. Originality/value The results of this study facilitate to frame an assessment model for evaluating and selecting sustainable building materials.

scholarly journals Understanding Innovation for Sustainability within the Australian Building Industry: An Evolutionary Social Learning Model

2008 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 119-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geoffrey Binder
Keyword(s):  
Social Learning ◽  
Building Materials ◽  
Developmental Psychology ◽  
Learning Model ◽  
Organizational Relationships ◽  
Sustainable Building ◽  
The Social ◽  
Selection Of ◽  
Sustainable Building Materials

This paper argues that within the context of the building sector, inter-organizational relationships are determinants of innovation. To explain the workings of these relationships and their dialectical nature, an evolutionary social learning model is proposed that draws on Vygotsky's (1978) developmental psychology, Bourdieu's (1977) concept of habitus, and Wittgenstein's (1958) insights. A case study of the development of a tool designed to make builders select more sustainable building materials is analyzed to illustrate how the social learning model developed here allows an understanding of innovation. The “EcoSelector” was the tool developed to guide the builders in their selection of materials. The model provides managerial and behavioral insights into groups or individuals seeking to implement innovations in general, and sustainability innovations in particular.

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