Factors Influencing Project Success & Overcoming Obstacles in Sustainable Construction

Project Management For Sustainable Buildings A Thorough Analysis Of The Factors That Influence Project Success

Introduction

Background

In construction management project, the main focus has to be the creation of a sustainable building and the making of an eco-friendly environment for future generations. In this field, the construction industry has been responsible for the increasing amount of carbon footprint in the context of the UK. In this way, the environment has been getting degraded deliberately day by day. Sustainable design aims to lessen the negative implications on the environment, and the well- being of the occupants hence, improving the performance of the building. Sustainability is the reduction of waste materials, less utilization of non-renewable sources.

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Aim

The main aim of this research is to investigate the success of sustainability. To find out potential factors and obstacles to sustainable building project management is the main focus of this research (Chan & Adabre, 2019). In this sector, the actions need to be identified for the building project management in the context of the UK. On the other hand, there will be several challenges that have to be addressed and analyzed in creating a connection between factors and limitations of construction practices.

Objectives

• To identify all the required actions in encouraging sustainable construction
• To analyze several challenges to best policies and practices of the nation in terms of eco-friendly building
• To assess the connection between factors and limitations which would have an impact on sustainable building construction in the UK
• To discuss the factors in reducing the carbon footprint at a large scale in the construction industry

Research questions

• How to identify all the required actions in encouraging sustainable construction
• What are the challenges for best policies and practices of the nation in terms of eco-friendly building
• How the connection will be associated between factors and limitations which would have an impact on sustainable building construction in the UK
• In what process the amount of carbon footprint would be reduced in the construction project

Research significance

The concept of various factors and actions in association with the building construction would be discussed and analyzed in this manner. To reduce the concentration of greenhouse gases and the importance of sustainable design have to be understood in this research (Stanitsas, Kirytopoulos & Leopoulos, 2021). On the other hand, with sustainable building construction there have been several benefits will be analyzed such as the reduction cost will be effected with a rate of 30%, the productivity would be increased in reducing absenteeism. Moreover, the amount of waste would be minimized with the use of sustainable energy like wind or solar energy in building an environment-friendly environment in terms of the UK (Armenia et al. 2019). In this way, the quality of life would be increased with the application of green buildings. Those potential advantages would be developed in the research.

Problem statement

In the context of building construction, several problems have been addressed in the UK. As the sustainable materials are expensive, the building industry is using the low quality of products and materials for construction purposes thereby increasing the emission of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere (Adabre & Chan, 2019). Moreover, the lack of technicalities also hinders the management of sustainable construction project. In addition, the entire process has been associated with a long bureaucratic steps which is recognized as one of the most effective and significant problems of building construction. Moreover, there is a lack of information regarding the use of green construction (Manzoor et al. 2019).

The problems of awareness of the constructor and the planners have to be recognized as the problem statement of their building projects. In building construction, stakeholder and budget management would be also found as the main challenges of the building project in this manner (Ali et al. 2021). In the recent phenomenon, there are various competitors have been found in the construction field. That is why high quality with reasonable cost needs to be maintained to avoid the current problems in the recent period. Those are several problems would be addressed in this research for further analysis to enhance the quality of the research.

Literature review

Empirical study

The action of sustainable construction

According to Rashid Maqbool, 2022, the managerial perspective for eco-friendly construction in the UK has been discussed and demonstrated in this manner. Sustainability in daily life and in the growth of industries is a critical problem. This guarantees healthier air, fewer toxins in water and air, and the maintenance of forests to protect threatened species of plants (Rashid Maqbool, 2022). Unquestionably appealing, sustainability growth has the opportunity to improve the quality of life of everyone who lives on the planet. Nonetheless, most nations are still attempting to transform this idea into a specific and recognizable name. The intersectional component of sustainable building has been the most difficult to handle in specific activities out of the three cornerstones of sustainable development (Rashid Maqbool, 2022). It is undeniable that major projects are extremely important for achieving sustainable growth. Construction erection, operation, and final dismantling as in the UK account for between "40 and 50" percent of all energy use. Researchers have seen and confirmed this sort of the change in the number of buildings used. [Referred to appendix 1]

Figure 1: Different dimensions of sustainability

(Source: Ioannis Kiziridis, 2021)

The construction industry of the UK uses roughly 390 metric tons of natural products as well as raw materials annually, waste and useless resources total nearly 13 metric tons and 100 billion tons, respectively. Until everyone participates and is dedicated to reducing emissions, ecological sustainability in building projects can give a strong impact on building construction (Rashid Maqbool, 2022). The pollution and the amount of greenhouse gases have been increasing deliberately in the UK. That is why the main concentration is to give more emphasis on sustainable building construction in the context of the UK. In this sense, improvement of tools and technology needs to use as by the non-governmental bodies and the higher authorities (Rashid Maqbool, 2022). But in the path of sustainable context, there would be several hindrances have been addressed in this sense. The changing behaviors, stakeholder activity, and technological factors such as BIM technologies would have to use in lean methodologies and the use of reusable materials.

Awareness of green construction

According to Ioannis Kiziridis, 2021, the definition of SD is a topic of discussion around the world. But even so, there's still broad agreement that SD would be the operation of reconfiguring the connection between individual needs and also the climate, with benefits for both today and in the present and future sufficient diversity in views on which methodologies should be used, goals to be established, and car owners to navigate the operation (Ioannis Kiziridis, 2021). The three axes that makeup sustainability have previously been stated. The societal aspect is defined as fair and advantageous business practices throughout society and the area in which a corporation operates (Ioannis Kiziridis, 2021). The external factor focuses on maximizing the use of natural resources while limiting damage to and influences on the outlying towns.

Figure 2: Framework of construction project

(Source: Ioannis Kiziridis, 2021)

By supplying the required infrastructure and production plants, the industry boosts the GDP and directly employs hundreds of thousands of individuals. It also promotes to socio-economic growth. The process of sustainable construction has been recognized as a combination of products and processes (Ioannis Kiziridis, 2021). This process and products will indicate the reduction or minimization of harmful and non-renewable resources and this method can also provide relevant knowledge to their consumers in building decision-making power. Much research sought to find out how much people in the contracting business were aware (Ioannis Kiziridis, 2021). Given complaints about schemes' subpar performance measurement. understanding and application of ecological construction methods have been also finding out in the green construction process. Only major developers were found to be bothered with environmental issues for respective projects, and most builders refrained from pursuing sustainably in their quality issues to blank spots and financial considerations (Ioannis Kiziridis, 2021). The findings demonstrated that while contractors will accept and follow government standards, respondents lacked the motivation to start new initiatives for better practices. On the other hand, the high cost of capital has been identified as a barrier to the construction implementation process in the UK. There are several factors that have been also addressed as barriers to the building project such as the high cost of the investment, changes of cultural resistance, fear of the high cost of investment, and lack of legislation and knowledge. [Referred to appendix 2]

Solution and obstacles of sustainable development

According to Bon-Gang Hwang, 2012, Green infrastructure is gaining ground, and green infrastructure is progressively spreading across the globe as environmental concerns and knowledge over climate increase. Yet, due to the absence of an adequate organizational structure for such developments, the construction of sustainable structures in the nation's capital continues to face obstacles (Bon-Gang Hwang, 2012). According to Bon-Gang Hwang (2012), as environmental concerns and understanding about climate change rise, green infrastructure is gaining traction and steadily spreading around the globe. Yet, the development of sustainable structures in the nation's capital still encounters challenges since there is a lack of a sufficient organisational framework for such advances (Bon-Gang Hwang, 2012). This study seeks to identify typical issues experienced in managing green buildings. The findings of this study demonstrate that there are additional barriers to constructing construction of green buildings, even if cost estimation is the main one. The industrialised nations have been heavily focused at energy consumption up to 20% to 40% in both residential and commercial building development (Bon-Gang Hwang, 2012). On the other hand, recycling products and materials need to use in a large way. Those obstacles and risks would be managed by a risk management program. Adoption of green practices like reusing of building elements, waste disposal, and shielding of developed forms future lawsuits have to be concerned with the non-compliance level of sustainability with related legislation. Furthermore, the concept of green properties has been generated at a large scale and this is leasing with conventional buildings (Bon-Gang Hwang, 2012). In this phenomenon, the reduction of global warming has to be the main aim of the research. On the other hand, all the planners and developers need to pay off their financial obligation and loan for the construction industry.

Figure 3: Pillars of sustainable development

(Source: Rashid Maqbool, 2022)

The obstacles have been found with the high cost of the premium. Green elements and materials are highly expensive than that ordinary materials. That is why most of the constructor has been using ordinary elements which reflects global warming in the current phenomenon (Bon-Gang Hwang, 2012). In addition, the benefits have been shown with the unequal distribution. All the developers have been giving more focus on reducing the high premium of cost in the creation of green buildings like maintaining environmental quality and saving on the cost of water and energy. [Referred to appendix 3]

Literature gap

Most of the scholars and empirical studies would have been focused on the use o renewable energy instead of non-renewable energy. But how those energies would be generated in a large way, is the main concern of the building industry (Olawumi & Chan, 2019). On the other hand, the entire process is expensive. So, the financial condition of the country has not been focused on in this manner. The amount of global warming and carbon footprint would not be species in the context of the UK. Those are several limitation of the research that needs to be assessed and addressed in a larger sense to enhance the quality of the entire research.

Methodology

In this research work the concept of pragmatism research philosophy will be used with the aspect of sustainable building construction in the context of the UK (Guribie et al. 2022). This process would be helpful to collect and gather knowledge and information related to the green and sustainable development of construction buildings. In the research philosophy, the use of renewable energy has to be used in making a green and eco-friendly environment. In the current phenomenon, the concentration of greenhouse gases has been growing which will be effective for the climatic changes in order to global warming (Wuni et al. 2019). That is why renewable resources like wind energy, solar energy, and water consumption need to focus on through this research philosophy.

In this secondary research work, the concept of inductive research approaches would be applied to enhance the quality of the entire research. In the construction project based on the previous empirical study, renewable resources have to be used in terms of sustainable development. But in this sense, the products and materials of the green elements are very cost-effective (Kassem, Khoiry & Hamzah, 2019). That is why the high cost of premiums can be seen as a barrier to green construction. These measures and observations of the construction would be generated with the help of inductive research approaches. In this way, this research approach would be played a crucial role in enhancing the entire research process.

In this research work the qualitative research design will be applied for further analysis of the research. Qualitative research designs have been including the knowledge and aspect of the previous scholars on the current phenomenon (Alvarenga et al. 2019). The BIM technologies, use of renewable resources, water consumption, and the ideas of green developments would have been collected gather with the help of qualitative research design method. On the other hand, the gap and limitations of the entire research would also be generated with the application of the research design (Chan et al. 2019). To find out the technologies, activities, policies, and legislation of the higher authority in the UK would be time-consuming this manner. Moreover, the authentic source of the inflammation and experiences will also be found as the limitation of the research.

The step of data collection is one of the most effective and significant processes of the entire research. In this research, the secondary method of data collection will be used for further discussion and analysis of sustainable bulldog construction. On the other hand, an interview would be also created with the construction company to know the success of sustainable construction (Kim et al. 2020). Even, though the company has been facing with problems those will also be assessed by an interview process. The interview will also generate the client’s view regarding the construction. In this research work, the knowledge and information on the building project in the UK would be collected and gathered on the basis of several scholars and journals (Bag et al. 2021). On the other hand, the internet is one of the effective sources which will develop the correlation among actions, factors, and barriers to building construction in the UK. Even, various texts, books, and journals related to building g project management in the context of the UK would also be helpful in enhancing more information based on the secondary data collection process (Wuni et al. 2019). In this process, the secondary data collection method will be effective in generating more knowledge, practices, and perception regarding the current condition of the climatic changes due to the construction industry.

Figure 4: Secondary research methodology process

(Source: Self-created in MS Word)

In this research work, the data analysis would be completed with the aspect of the thematic analysis method. All the related information, knowledge, and experiences would be construed with the operation of qualitative research design based on a thematic analysis of the research (Kassem, Khoiry & Hamzah, 2019). These will be helpful in generating ideas for the application of renewable energy that has to be used in making a green and eco-friendly environment. The previous literature review will be helpful which can be able to generate the amount of global warming, emission of pollutants, and concentration of air pollution in the current period (Bon-Gang Hwang, 2012). That is why the use of green and pollution-free technologies in the construction industry would be constituted in terms of sustainable development. In this process, knowledge and experience would be generated in the construction project management.

Outcomes

In the current phenomenon, the quantity of greenhouse gasses and global warming is the most important matter of discussion. The emission of several pollutants has been responsible for the climatic change and concern f air pollution in this manner. That is why the building industry needs to use green technologies and tools in reducing the emersion of the carbon footprint in order to create a sustainable environment (Chan et al. 2019). This research will be generated on the potential advantages of the use of green technologies. Even the actions which would be required for the sustainable project. But the limitation of the use of those technologies will be generated by this research. The developed country has aimed to generate a fresh and carbon-free environment (Alvarenga et al. 2019). To reach this goal of creating a pollution-free and carbon-free environment this research will play a crucial role in this manner. On the other hand, the research would also constitute several challenges in making eco-friendly buildings with the best policies and practices in the nation. In this file to the reduction of carbon gasses and reduce the global warming the building industry needs to give more emphasis on the use of wind energy, solar energy, tidal energy, and the consumption of water (Olawumi & Chan, 2019). But the cost of that renewable energy is high which the main constraint of this research is. Those potential outcomes will be generated by this entire research in enhancing the research aims and goals in further development.

Table: Probable outcomes on the factors of construction by the research

(Source: Self-Created)

Summary

Building project management with sustainable practices has been discussed and demonstrated in the context of the UK. In this field, the construction industry has been responsible for the increasing amount of carbon footprint as a result, the environment is getting degraded deliberately. The methodological process has been beneficial to gather the information, practices, and perception of the building industry in the UK. The pragmatism process of research philosophy has been assessed to have knowledge and information related to the green and sustainable development of construction buildings. The significance of the design and utilization of green construction is to reduce the operational costs, usage of energy effectively and efficiently and to conserve water. Sustainable construction enhances improved health of the occupants. Moreover, it has been observed that the productivity of workers during construction has also improved.

Reference list

Journals

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