Sustainable construction: principles and a framework for attainment
01 May 1997-Construction Management and Economics (Taylor & Francis Group)-Vol. 15, Iss: 3, pp 223-239
TL;DR: In this article, the evolution of the concept of sustainable development is used as a basis for advancing understanding of sustainable construction and a multi-stage framework is proposed which requires the application of Environmental Assessment and Environmental Management Systems for construction projects.
Abstract: The evolution of the concept of sustainable development is used as a basis for advancing understanding of sustainable construction. Principles of sustainable construction are developed and divided into four ‘pillars’ - social, economic, biophysical and technical - with a set of over-arching, process-oriented principles, to be used as a checklist in practice. A multi-stage framework is proposed which requires the application of Environmental Assessment and Environmental Management Systems for construction projects.
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TL;DR: The three-pillar conception of sustainability, commonly represented by three intersecting circles with overall sustainability at the centre, has become ubiquitous as discussed by the authors, however, there is no single point of origin of this threepillar conception, but rather a gradual emergence from various critiques in the early academic literature of the economic status quo from both social and ecological perspectives on the one hand, and the quest to reconcile economic growth as a solution to social problems on the part of the United Nations on the other.
Abstract: The three-pillar conception of (social, economic and environmental) sustainability, commonly represented by three intersecting circles with overall sustainability at the centre, has become ubiquitous. With a view of identifying the genesis and theoretical foundations of this conception, this paper reviews and discusses relevant historical sustainability literature. From this we find that there is no single point of origin of this three-pillar conception, but rather a gradual emergence from various critiques in the early academic literature of the economic status quo from both social and ecological perspectives on the one hand, and the quest to reconcile economic growth as a solution to social and ecological problems on the part of the United Nations on the other. The popular three circles diagram appears to have been first presented by Barbier (Environ Conserv 14:101, doi: 10.1017/s0376892900011449, 1987), albeit purposed towards developing nations with foci which differ from modern interpretations. The conceptualisation of three pillars seems to predate this, however. Nowhere have we found a theoretically rigorous description of the three pillars. This is thought to be in part due to the nature of the sustainability discourse arising from broadly different schools of thought historically. The absence of such a theoretically solid conception frustrates approaches towards a theoretically rigorous operationalisation of ‘sustainability’.
1,155 citations
Cites background from "Sustainable construction: principle..."
...Some works consider additional pillars such as institutional (Spangenberg et al. 2002; Turcu 2012), cultural (Soini and Birkeland 2014), and technical (Hill and Bowen 1997)....
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TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a review of the existing green BIM literature and outline the most important directions for future research, and suggest that a "one-stop-shop" BIM for environmental sustainability monitoring and management over a building's full life cycle should be considered.
416 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a conceptual framework aimed at implementing sustainability principles in the building industry is presented, which includes resource conservation, cost efficiency and design for human adaptation, based on the sustainable triple bottom line principle.
Abstract: This paper presents a conceptual framework aimed at implementing sustainability principles in the building industry. The proposed framework based on the sustainable triple bottom line principle, includes resource conservation, cost efficiency and design for human adaptation. Following a thorough literature review, each principle involving strategies and methods to be applied during the life cycle of building projects is explained and a few case studies are presented for clarity on the methods. The framework will allow design teams to have an appropriate balance between economic, social and environmental issues, changing the way construction practitioners think about the information they use when assessing building projects, thereby facilitating the sustainability of building industry.
370 citations
Cites background from "Sustainable construction: principle..."
...It is also a way to portray the industry’s responsibility towards protecting the environment [3,17,21,22]....
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TL;DR: In this article, a new approach for conducting project feasibility study by embracing the principles of sustainable development is introduced, and the importance of incorporating sustainable development principles in conducting feasibility study is not effectively understood by project stakeholders.
351 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a review of sustainable practice in the construction industry and the relationship between sustainability performance and business competitiveness is presented, where a framework for implementing sustainable construction practice to improve contractors' competitiveness is introduced to help contractors develop their sustainable strategies for meeting a changing competition environment.
290 citations
References
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Book•
01 Jan 1974
3,942 citations
2,502 citations
01 Jan 1950
TL;DR: A Sand County Almanac combines some of the finest nature writing since Thoreau with an outspoken and highly ethical regard for America's relationship to the land as discussed by the authors, which was published in 1949 and praised in The New York Times Book Review as "a trenchant book, full of vigor and bite".
Abstract: First published in 1949 and praised in The New York Times Book Review as "a trenchant book, full of vigor and bite," A Sand County Almanac combines some of the finest nature writing since Thoreau with an outspoken and highly ethical regard for America's relationship to the land. Written with an unparalleled understanding of the ways of nature, the book includes a section on the monthly changes of the Wisconsin countryside; another part that gathers informal pieces written by Leopold over a forty-year period as he traveled through the woodlands of Wisconsin, Iowa, Arizona, Sonora, Oregon, Manitoba, and elsewhere; and a final section in which Leopold addresses the philosophical issues involved in wildlife conservation. As the forerunner of such important books as Annie Dillard's Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, Edward Abbey's Desert Solitaire, and Robert Finch's The Primal Place, this classic work remains as relevant today as it was forty years ago.
1,450 citations
TL;DR: This paper reviews the current status of the debate about the concept of environmental sustainability and discusses related aspects of growth, limits, scale, and substitutability.
Abstract: This paper reviews the current status of the debate about the concept of environmental sustainability and discusses related aspects of growth, limits, scale, and substitutability. While the paths leading to environmental sustainability in each country or sector will differ, the goal remains constant. But this conceptualization is far from an academic exercise. Ensuring, within less than two human generations, that as many as 10 billions people are decently fed and housed without damaging the environment on which we all depend represents a monumental challenge.
1,238 citations