Sustainable building materials utilization in the construction sector and the implications on labour productivity

Abstract

Purpose The United Nations has demonstrated a commitment to preserving the ecosystem through its 2030 sustainable development goals agenda. One crucial objective of these goals is to promote a healthy ecosystem and discourage practices that harm it. Building materials production significantly contributes to the emissions of greenhouse gases. This poses a threat to the ecosystem and prompts a growing demand for sustainable building materials (SBMs). The purpose of this study is to investigate SBMs to determine their utilization in construction operations and the potential impact their application could have on construction productivity. Design/methodology/approach A systematic review of the existing literature in the field of SBMs was conducted for the study. The search strings used were “sustainable” AND (“building” OR “construction”) AND “materials” AND “productivity”. A total of 146 articles were obtained from the Scopus database and reviewed. Findings Bio-based, cementitious and phase change materials were the main categories of SBMs. Materials in these categories have the potential to substantially contribute to sustainability in the construction sector. However, challenges such as availability, cost, expertise, awareness, social acceptance and resistance to innovation must be addressed to promote the increased utilization of SBMs and enhance construction productivity. Originality/value Many studies have explored SBMs, but there is a dearth of studies that address productivity in the context of SBMs, which leaves a gap in understanding. This study addresses this gap by drawing on existing studies to determine the potential implications that using SBMs could have on construction productivity.

A principal component analysis of sustainable building construction features for project delivery in South Africa

“…Therefore, emphasis should be placed on reducing the embodied and Sustainable building construction features operational energy of the buildings in South Africa. This necessitates designing lightweight structures and using low-embodied energy materials (Karimpour et al, 2014;Adebowale and Agumba, 2023). Also, most buildings should be retrofitted rather than demolished (Adebowale and Agumba, 2023).…”

“…Furthermore, Lawrence (2015) proposed using bio-based renewable materials to reduce the embodied energy of buildings and in-use energy demand. Besides, as recycled materials still use significant energy, bio-based materials offer a viable substitute for environmental sustainability (Adebowale and Agumba, 2023).…”

“…The operating energy of a building plus the embodied energy of the building materials and construction make up the building's life cycle energy (Karimpour et al, 2014). Using low embodied energy materials, designing a lightweight/efficient structure to minimise material consumption, using recycled/reusable materials, renovating buildings rather than demolishing them and using locally sourced materials are some of the methods mentioned in the literature to reduce the embodied energy of buildings (Karimpour et al, 2014;Adebowale and Agumba, 2023).…”

“…The International Energy Agency advocates for substantial reductions in CO 2 emissions in building construction to limit global warming to below 2°C (IEA, 2020). Building materials and their production play a significant role in GHG emissions, underscoring the importance of sustainable practices or choosing sustainable options (Adebowale and Agumba, 2023).…”

“…Many low-carbon footprint building materials are available for small-and large-scale construction projects. Typical building materials with a low carbon footprint and less environmental harm include bamboo, rammed earth, recycled steel and complementary cementing materials (Adebowale and Agumba, 2023).…”