Annotated Bibliography: Sustainability in the Construction Sector

This annotated bibliography examines the multifaceted impact of sustainability within the construction industry, drawing upon a selection of academic articles and research papers. The bibliography begins by exploring the implications of Megaproject Social Responsibility (MSR) on enhancing the construction industry's competitiveness and emphasizes the importance of stakeholder interactions and ethical management practices. It delves into the integration of economic efficiency, environmental performance, and social justice in construction projects, highlighting corporate approaches to sustainability and the significance of contractor reporting. The bibliography also addresses the growing trend of off-site manufacturing (OSM) and its sustainability perceptions, particularly cost efficiency, innovation, and user-focused approaches. It further explores the factors driving ecological sustainability in construction firms, emphasizing standards, regulations, and institutional capacities. The challenges in transitioning to sustainability, including fragmented sustainability environments and technological vulnerabilities, are discussed. The application of lean practices and strategies in construction is examined, along with the adoption of environmental policies. Additionally, it covers eco-friendly building technologies, such as carbon-efficient designs and green construction, and the use of multi-criteria decision-making for assessing seismic resilience and sustainability in structural systems.

First Name Last Name
Instructor
Course
18 January 2020
Modern Construction Enterprises: Impact of Sustainability in Construction Industry.
Ma, H., Liu, Z., Zeng, S., Lin, H. and Tam, V. (2019). Does megaproject social
responsibility improve the sustainability of the construction industry? Engineering,
Construction and Architectural Management, ahead-of-print(ahead-of-print).
The article notes that improved sustainability in the construction industry have a redeeming
implication on the Megaproject Social Responsibility (MSR). MSR has positive consequences on
enhancing the competitiveness of the construction industry. These impacts are however,
diminished by primary investor interactions in the megaprojects although enhanced by secondary
stakeholder interactions. Ma asserts that executives and decision makers aim for state direction,
media oversight as well as public engagement in mega-projects to restrict possible unethical
activities in managing mega-projects thereby strengthen the social and economic-political
legitimacy that is important to the sustainability of the construction sector.
Afzal, F., Lim, B. and Prasad, D. (2017). An Investigation of Corporate Approaches to
Sustainability in the Construction Industry. Procedia Engineering, 180, pp.202-210.
From this article, it is reported that sustainability has resulted in change of approaches and
methodologies in conducting construction projects so as to integrate economic efficiency,
environmental performance as well as social justice. Corporate sustainability requires that
environmental performance, egalitarianism and economic efficiency be integrated into the
operational practices of the company. Contractors are progressively under influence to devote
and inform on the overall results of operational initiatives in terms of sustainability. Economic
performance is the primary objective of most organizations. Contractors from Europe are
regarded as the best whereas, on the other hand, contractors from Australia are ranked lowest in
reporting sustainability initiatives hence the practice.
Hu, X., Chong, H. and Wang, X. (2019). Sustainability perceptions of off-site
manufacturing stakeholders in Australia. Journal of Cleaner Production, 227(5), pp.346-
354.
In the construction industry, the trend of implementing off-site manufacturing (OSM) projects is
increasing. Sustainability is a key concern of OSM participants, and recognizing how these
stakeholders view it becomes crucial. The article notes that the most notable expectations in this

Last Name 2
regard include “Cost efficiency and affordability”, “Innovation." "High quality," "User-focused
approach and flexibility." In addition, the sustainability perceptions of the OSM participants
addressed the aspects of environmental, economic and environmental sustainability, and the
perceptions of social sustainable development were more centered in comparison to other
aspects. This study provides a platform for OSM investors to reconsider their sustainability
activities and create new structures for establishing sustainability mitigation frameworks
including performance metrics for OSM projects.
Bamgbade, J., Kamaruddeen, A., Nawi, M., Adeleke, A., Salimon, M. and Ajibike, W.
(2019). Analysis of some factors driving ecological sustainability in construction firms.
Journal of Cleaner Production, 208, pp.1537-1545.
Scholars in project management, investment firms, and development professionals greatly stress
the needs of companies to act accordingly to the damaging effects of construction on the
ecosystem and human societies. This foundation on sustainability in the construction sector
through the consideration of standards and regulations and a collection of institutional capacities
(internal culture, versatile design, performance focus, product differentiation and customer
satisfaction) is critical in assisting companies in achieving environmental sustainability.
Accordingly, constructive company core competencies continue to empower construction
companies in third world countries to explore new avenues for environmentally sound
construction sectors. A supportive regulation targeting the particular setup of large construction
companies in the Malaysian context may lead to their performance in terms of environmental
sustainability.
Martek, I., Hosseini, M., Shrestha, A., Edwards, D. and Durdyev, S. (2019). Barriers
inhibiting the transition to sustainability within the Australian construction industry: An
investigation of technical and social interactions. Journal of Cleaner Production, 211,
pp.281-292.
At present, the duty of care for transforming the construction industry into a sustainable one is
predominantly laid at the feet of low-carbon governance instruments such as mandatory codes
and sustainability rating tools. The study aims to move further than the debate on techniques and
define a wider range of factors that inhibit the transition to sustainability within the construction
industry. Although studies indicate a number of technological vulnerabilities hindering the
sustainability transition, the greater challenge is seen as being the proliferation of a fragmented
sustainability environment in which loosely coupled vested interest interests manipulate
Australia's unsuccessful transition regimes for their own profit. The realistic consequence is that

Last Name 3
current practices to improve evaluation measures and change building practices – solutions found
in previous research – will not suffice to affect significant transformation, as long as end-users
remain disillusioned, uncertain, and morbidly fascinated of the advantages of sustainable
buildings.
Babalola, O., Ibem, E. and Ezema, I. (2019). Implementation of lean practices in the
construction industry: A systematic review. Building and Environment, 148, pp.34-43.
As a result of dependency and sustainability, the application of lean concepts and strategies is
gaining ground in the construction sector globally. This article was based on a retrospective
study of academic literature in order to identify and categorize the various lean practices
introduced in the construction industry and their derivable benefits. 102 publications were
checked and contents examined incorporating descriptive statistics and content analysis released
between 1996 and 2018. Construction and engineering classified a total of 32 specific lean
practices; planning and control; building and project management; and safety and health
management were established.
Yılmaz, M. and Bakış, A. (2015). Sustainability in Construction Sector. Procedia -
Social and Behavioral Sciences, 195, pp.2253-2262.
Yilmaz and Bakış in their article on Sustainability in Construction Sector notes that
Environmental and energy policy adaptation that promotes economic and social development
that does not endanger natural life makes governments, institutions, entities, and corporate
worlds, and NGO’s and other actors compel acting in this way in the international community.
Environmentally-friendly and smart buildings are the product of the construction sector's
progressive environmental policies, that are primarily responsible for global resource use and
environmental pollution. Hi-tech buildings with their control and automation systems are
sustainable constructions called smart buildings or green buildings.
Cruz, C., Gaspar, P. and de Brito, J. (2019). On the concept of sustainable sustainability:
An application to the Portuguese construction sector. Journal of Building Engineering,
25, p.100836.
From this article, the issues facing the construction sector currently with respect to sustainable
development remain unresolved. This has since given rise to a new conceptual model integrating
sustainability issues into the sector's long-term growth. That means implementing methodologies
and policies which inevitably lead to more environmental sustainability. In the construction
sector the traditional approach to sustainability is overly focused on the environmental element.
A detailed and long-term plan based on an approach known as ' sustainable sustainability ' is

Last Name 4
required. In addition, consideration of the organizational, tactical, and strategic configurations is
important in order to accommodate the short to long-term impact of a sustainability strategy.
Mittal, D., Verma, V. and Rastogi, R. (2017). A Comparative Study and New Model for
Smart cities. International Journal of Scientific Research in Computer Science and
Engineering, 5(6), pp.58-61.
Building technology is continuously getting evolved and enhanced, and is now putting greater
focus on eco-friendly building to make the construction sector more robust and sustainable. Eco-
friendly building allows a reduction in energy consumption due to the use of carbon-efficient
design, resources, and construction techniques. Green construction incorporates ecofriendly
resources and building practices that are beneficial for both the climate and human health. Geo-
building techniques take the form of energy bricks to partially replace conventional excavated
clay and the use of plastic waste materials in road-making. The goal is not only to create new
building materials but also to reduce the impact on the environment of the commonly used
building materials.
Asadi, E., Salman, A. and Li, Y. (2019). Multi-criteria decision-making for seismic
resilience and sustainability assessment of diagrid buildings. Engineering Structures, 191,
pp.229-246.
sustainability and resilience both are qualifying criteria in the evaluation of structural systems for
hazard-informed decisions. Nevertheless, a structured framework that integrates a multi-criteria
decision making (MCDM) methodology has yet to be established notably to current structural
models namely diagrids. The article introduces a process of decision making for seismic design
and reconstruction of structural buildings, focused on stability and sustainability. This method is
often used to research the durability and sustainability of steel-diagrid archetypal buildings in a
high seismic zone. 6 conditions with different motivations like minimum time, asset, life, or
environmental loss and maximum resilience are examined to result in informed resilient design
and implementation and sustainability.