Sustainable Construction, Green Building Strategic Model

Abstract

Academic and policy literature over the past four decades (from as early as the 1970s) has been, and still is, concerned with understanding and articulating the core principles of sustainable development and sustainable construction or, in other words, sustainable building and construction, which is a holistic, multi-disciplinary approach. The increasing global concern with the maintenance and improvement of the environment, as well as the protection of the human health has become an important aspect to be considered by construction companies worldwide. The chapter falls into two parts. The main aim of the first part is to present a critical review of the established theoretical frameworks in order to understand the topic in depth, and identify the main concepts and relevant dimensions or variables that have a crucial influence on promoting and implementing sustainable construction/green buildings practices. The second part presents the findings of a research study conducted by the authors (Salama and Hanna, 2013) that sought to develop a strategic model for implementing the green building initiative in the UAE; Green Building Strategic Model, (GBSM – UAE). Despite being based on the UAE case, the underpinning theoretical framework and the stages of modelling used in building, training and validating the model makes this section a useful read for all parties interested in the area of sustainable construction in general, and green buildings in particular, regardless of their geographical location.