Sustainability Issues in the Field of Construction
Sustainability is synonymous to a green environment and with the overall growth in construction of buildings, housing spaces, offices and complexes, the construction field is a major focus of green designs. Sustainable buildings are also known as Green Buildings and impact the overall processes and structure of the building right from design, to project management and project completion. The sustainability in construction field impacts design, operational procedures, construction of the structure and final building, maintenance, demolition, and renovation. Sustainability applies to the complete lifecycle of all types of construction work impacting the end to end processes. Sustainability comes as a key CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) for the construction organization. The construction industry is a major consumer of natural resources and energy, and it also produces pollutants and carbon dioxide in large contents in the process. The sustainability issues impact procurement of raw material, refurbishment of existing stocks, waste management, up-skilling of existing staff, and effective use and management of water. The overall development plan must aim for the construction of a green building that would contribute to a sustainable environment. The green building must adhere to norms, with an efficient use of resources (Hwang and Ng 87-103).
A green construction project would also invite various challenges like a higher cost of construction, complicated processes and technologies, complicate design and use of alternative systems and materials. The project risk also increases with different green clauses in project contract, lengthy approval process, recycled material and new green technologies. The green projects require greater communication amongst teams, higher accountability, and the overall time for project implementation also increases due to increased checks, and onsite visits by the supervisors (Hwang and Ng 87-103).
The sustainability issues apply to the local area of San Diego as well. However, the following questions are raised on the sustainability of local area that must be answered.
What is more important in the long term, higher construction development or a better-sustained environment?
What issues can be anticipated with an uncontrolled and unmanaged construction?
What can be done to improve the awareness of sustainability awareness and practices?
Would it be better to create laws for green construction to achieve sustainable environment?
What are the various cost-effective, sustainable programs that are executed and accepted around San Diego?
Is there an existing resiliency plan towards a green environment for the construction field?
Works Cited
Hwang, Bon-Gang, and Wei Jian Ng. "Project management knowledge and skills for green
construction: Overcoming challenges." International Journal of
Project Management 31.2 (2013): 272-284.
