International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR)ISSN: 2319-7064
SJIF (2019): 7.583

Promoting Sustainable Building Construction in
ZambiaGomezga Gregory Mtonga1, Chabota Kaliba2
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia

Abstract: Since the Earth Summit held in Brazil in 1992 when agenda 21 was formulated as the international blueprint forsustainable development, all sectors of society have been in the process of interpreting and pursuing sustainability and sustainable
development within their specific contexts. However, the Zambian construction industry has not seen much of sustainable building
construction principles being put into practice. Therefore, the objectives of this research were to: examine the current construction(building) practices in Zambia; explore the fundamental principles of sustainable construction practices; to identify the main
challenges in implementing sustainable construction practices in the Zambian Construction Industry; and develop a framework andstrategies that could be taken to promote sustainable construction in the Zambian Construction Industry. This study was conducted
through a survey research design and made use of both qualitative and quantitative modes. A random sample of 35 commercial
buildings of the 50 targeted were used for the study. The results indicated that, 14% of the respondents have excellent level of awarenesson sustainable construction while 86% have a good level and the aim of achieving a sustainably built environment calls for excellency.
Results on current construction practices indicate organization/firms putting more preference on (37%) the economic aspect ofconstruction, while the professionals feel (51%) the environmental aspect should be the one prioritized. In conclusion, the status ofsustainable construction in Zambia is still in its infancy. The lack of awareness/training is among the major barriers for sustainable
construction practices. Besides the need for capacities, technologies and tools, ardent commitment by all players in the constructionindustry including the government and the public is required in order to achieve sustainable construction in the Zambian Construction
Sector.

Keywords: Sustainable Building Construction, Sustainable Development, Conceptual Framework

1. Introduction
The building and construction sector is of key importance tothe development of Zambia and the well-being of its
population. Zambia can fulfil the demand for a built
environment that meets the needs of the Zambian people
through the application of sustainable building andconstruction (SBC) concepts. The negative environmental
impact of buildings on the environment has led to a demandfor improved practice. The challenge of implementation of
ecological principles to the entire construction projects
lifecycle is as a result of such cry and it has been linked tothe evolution of a relatively new and evolving concept
termed “green building” – sustainable building andconstruction. Green building has been recognized as an
essential practice for improving negative environmental
outcomes of buildings. The building sector has beenaccounted to be responsible for about 25- 40% of energy
usage, 30- 40% of material resources consumption, 30- 40%
of waste production and 30-40% of greenhouse gases
released to atmosphere globally (Umar and Khamidi, 2012).
It is further revealed that about 30% of recently built or
retrofitted buildings suffer from sick building syndrome
which in turn exposes occupants to unhealthy environmental
conditions. However, the imperative of environmental
performance of building calls for systems that can assess theenvironmental impact of buildings.
Locally, the Zambia Green Jobs Programme (ZGJP) in
collaboration with the National Council for Construction
aim to provide technical and development assistance toenable Micro Small and Medium Scale Enterprise (MSMEs)
to enhance competitiveness and sustainable business in theconstruction Industry (Zambia Green Jobs Programme,2013). The combination of rapid population growth,urbanization and economic development are putting theAfrican continent at risk with regards to meeting theincreasing demands for housing and urban planning (DeBoeck, 2013). Although the construction industry could
form the bedrock for possible solutions to the developmental
challenges (Ebohon and Rwelamila, 2001), accounting for
more than 29% of the Gross Domestic Product in Zambia(African Economic Outlook country note on Zambia, 2014)
while growing, year-on-year, faster than the already rapidly
expanding Zambian economy, their significant contributions
to sustainability challenges in society and the biosphere as awhole have been little emphasized in Africa (Adebayo,2002). The need to develop appropriate strategies andactions to make the construction activities in the region moresustainable is of great importance to society (Djokoto et al.,2014).
Construction industry plays a vital role towards achieving
national and international strategies for social and economic
development. It contributes towards increasing the GDP,
stimulating growth of other industries and creating job
opportunities as well as providing societies with facilities
and infrastructure projects that meet their needs and fulfil
their requirements but having a major impact on theenvironment because about 50% of the material resources
for construction are taken from nature, 40% of energy
consumption and 50% of total waste generated (Othman,2010). The huge consumption of the resources byconstruction industry has called for sustainable constructionin order to meet the present and future needs.
However, current sustainable construction practices arewidely different depending on how the concept ofsustainable construction is developed in various countries(Thipparat, 2011). The difference between the market

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economies, transition economies and developing economies
influences its implementation priorities. The matureeconomies pay attention to a sustainable building stockeither by new construction or by refurbishment. In thetransition economies the emphasis is on new developments
reducing the housing shortage and improving theirtransportation networks. In the developing economies thesocial agenda (for example, job creation) is much higher on
the agenda than environmental concerns (Thipparat, 2011).
Therefore Zambia being a developing economy, with its
built environment still developing, measures to promote andstart implementing sustainable building construction
practices in all manner of construction should be taken wellin advance so that future generations are not „suffocated‟.
The construction of commercial buildings has continued to
grow within Zambia and unless appropriate measures are put
in place, development of unsustainable buildings will notstop.

construction team have left the site (Hill and Bowen, 1997).
According to the World Commission on the Environmentand Development (WCED), sustainability is a form ofdevelopment that meets the needs of the present withoutcompromising the ability of future generations to meet theirown needs. Sustainability design goes far beyond simply
creating products that benefits consumer in terms of better
air environment, cost savings and durability, rather effective
sustainable design must illustrate a thorough understandingof a full systems approach of products in their environment
and interaction, with other products, as well as the effect on
many other factors. Sustainability should be viewed as aprocess and not just a goal that allow a broader evaluation
over time of the environmental, economic and societal
impacts of buildings products (Ojo et al., 2013). Viewing
sustainability as a process is essential for green designs as
specifiers are challenged to evaluate the full life cycle ofproducts (Ojo et al., 2013).

1.1. Sustainable construction

The sustainability aspects in the built environment are
generally concentrated on reducing the environmental
footprint of buildings. Sustainable buildings are assessed by:(1) reduced production of greenhouse gas emissions(particularly carbon dioxide); (2) reduced use of natural
resources, in particular, water, gas and electricity; (3)reduced waste production and increased recycling; (4)enhanced building occupant health, comfort, and safety; (5)production of renewable resources; (6) collection of waterfor potable and non-potable uses; and (7) recycling andtreatment of sewage and waste water. Furthermore,sustainable construction can be qualified as a special case ofsustainable development targeting the construction industry
especially, whose role it is to develop, plan design, build,alter or maintain the built environment, including thebuilding materials manufacturers and suppliers (Adebayo,2002).

Sustainability is sometimes used interchangeably with green.
Green or sustainable supply chain management is defined as
the strategic, transparent, integration and achievement of anorganization‟s social, environmental, and economic
objectives in the systemic coordination of key interorganizational business processes for improving the longterm performance of the organization/firm and its supply
chain partners (Wu et al., 2012). Sustainable construction is
the one in which the construction companies in today‟scompetitive environment understand the needs of current
generations and offer them efficient and effective solutions
that achieve their objectives without compromising new
generations from achieving their own needs (Othman, 2010).
Bob Hansen in Dow Corning magazine stated thatsustainable construction also aims at ensuring that buildings
have long-term purpose even those that are built for onetime events.
Ultimately, the concerns of sustainable construction go
beyond the serviceability of a building during its lifetime,
but also the recycling of resources to reduce waste streams
associated with demolition is also given an importantconsideration. Increasing energy efficiency for the life of thestructure is also a key, as is minimizing waste in theconstruction of a building through recycling and design. The
four principal attributes which construction sustainability
depends on are social, economic, biophysical and technical(Xiao, 2005). In the light of achieving sustainable
construction, Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM) has
been adopted as an antidote (Ojo et al., 2012). Green supply
chain management aims to maximize overall environmental
profit by adopting a life cycle approach through productdesign, material selection, manufacturing, and sales andrecovery, and therefore helps the organization/firm to realize
its sustainable development and improvement (Shi et al.,2012). GSCM has become popular and notable concept insustainable construction because it largely takes
environmental elements into consideration.
The term „sustainable construction‟ is generally used todescribe a process which starts well before construction (inthe planning and design stages) and continues after the

2. Methodology
This study was conducted through a survey research design
and made use of both qualitative and quantitative modes ofinquiries to investigate sustainable building construction
practices in Zambia. The focus of the study was on thecommercial buildings newly constructed between 2012 and2017 within Zambia‟s Lusaka area which has experienced asteady rise in the number of commercial buildings. The
primary data emanated from questionnaires directed toArchitects, Engineers, Quantity Surveyors and Property
Managers. Further primary data were obtained from semi
structured interviews with policy makers in addition toobservations made during inspections. Secondary data wascollected through review of past work, journal articles, text
books and from the internet. The questions were developed
through the extensive literature review and the authors
experiences within the industry.
A total of 50 buildings were identified for this study in
Lusaka area but due to time and resource constraints, thestudy was restricted to a portion of the targeted population.
It focused on 75% of the target population; Burns (2000)
recommend a minimum sample of 30 items which wereselected through simple random sampling. To maintain
uniformity, premises that were sampled were limited to at

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International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR)ISSN: 2319-7064
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least two floors and above. This ensured that thecomposition of the accessible population had the samecharacteristics hence homogeneous. Questionnaires designedwith closed and open-ended questions were directed todifferent respondents which included Architects, Engineers,
Property Managers and Quantity Surveyors behind thesampled buildings. Further, enquiries were made frompolicy makers in the building industry particularly from thetechnical departments of the Government Republic ofZambia: Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Ministryof Local government and Housing, Ministry of Housing andInfrastructure Development, Ministry of Works and Supply
and Ministry of Energy through direct or personal contact.
Data from questionnaires, observation checklist andinterview schedules were coded to assist in analysis.
Responses from closed ended questions were assigned
numerical values and analyzed quantitatively using mean
item score and percentages whereas the open-ended
questions were analyzed qualitatively. For closed ended
questions, the analysis involved the use of mean item score,frequency count and ranking generated through use ofstatistical program for social sciences (SSPS) version 25 togenerate tables, pie charts, and weighted means. Microsoft
office excel was also used to generate other charts andgraphs for discussion.
To check on data validity, questionnaires were pretested ona sample that was similar to the actual sample intended forthe study and the procedure for pretesting was identical tothat which was used during the actual data collection.
Further, limiting the sample population in a particulargeographical zone (Lusaka) and zeroing in on commercial
buildings of at least two floors and above, increased
homogeneity and the level of data reliability. With valid andreliable data, the study could be replicated by otherresearchers within Zambia and in other counties.
Conclusions are based on how respondents responded
regarding environmental, social and economic merits ofsustainable construction and the extent to which these
aspects influence decision making within constructionindustry/contractor firms. By measuring current knowledge,
attitudes and practices, recommendations are made whichlead to the formulation of a framework that could be adopted
to promote sustainable construction in the Zambian
Construction Industry.
In all, fifty (50) questionnaires were distributed to various
respondents selected for the study. Thirty-five (35)
responses were retrieved for data analysis giving the
response rate of 70% which indicate an unbiased and higher
value of survey. Tables were used for representing
descriptive result. The five-point Likert scale (1= notpreferred and 5=most preferred) was used to calculate themean score for each green building rating which was thenused to determine its relative ranking in ascending order ofagreement. Also, the Likert scale (1=strongly disagree and
5=strongly agree) was used to calculate the mean score foreach benefit of green building rating systems which wasthen used to determine its relative ranking in ascendingorder of agreement. The averaging statistical analysis was
also used to calculate straightforward totals, percentages andaverages.

3. Results
Tabulation of Contextual data
Data for this study was collected from 35 respondents ofwhom 10 were Civil/Structural Engineers or Quantity
Surveyors, 8 were Architects, 6 Construction Managers, and1 was a Real Estate Practitioner. The distribution of role of
the respondents „organization in construction included 40
percent Client/ Client Representative, 28.6 percent
contractors, 22.9 percent Consultancy, 5.7 percentProperty
Development, and 2.8 percent Academia. The bulk of the
respondents had 5 to 10 years of experience, representing
54.2 percent of the sample. The proportion of respondents
with more than 10 years of experience was reasonably highat 37.2 percent.
Table 1 shows the contextual data of the study sample.
Table 1: Tabulation of contextual sample data
Architect
Construction Manager
Professional Civil/Structural Engineer
Background
Quantity Surveyor
Land Economist
Total
Contractor
Consultancy
Client/ Client Representative
Organizational
Regulatory Body
Role
Property Developer
Academic/Lecturer
Total
Less than 5 years
5 to 10 years
Work
10 to 15 years
Experience
15 to 20 years
More than 20 years
Total

Frequency Percentage
8
22.9
6
17
10
28.6
10
28.6
1
2.9
35
100
10
28.6
8
22.9
14
40
0
0
2
5.7
1
2.8
35
100
3
8.6
19
54.2
5
14.3
8
22.9
0
0
35
100

Source: Authors (2017)
3.1 Awareness on sustainable building construction
The study revealed that respondents were aware ofsustainable construction. All the respondents affirmed
awareness to sustainable construction. When asked further
about their understanding of sustainable construction,
respondents answered in varied ways. There was, however, ageneral principle that permeated all the definitions. The
three sustainability themes of economic, social andenvironmental stewardship were present in all definitions.
All respondents exhibited a good understanding ofsustainable construction. The level of awareness among
respondents was good. Respondents had acquired
knowledge through School, Books/Magazine, Colleagues,
and the Internet.
3.2 Level of awareness in sustainable construction
From Figure 1 below, a probe to check the level ofawareness in sustainable construction revealed that 30 (86%)
of respondents had a good level of awareness with 5 (14%)
being excellent.

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3.5 Sustainability Issues That Respondents Considered in
Their Operations
Based on the second part ofTable 2 above, environmental
sustainability issues were given more prominence by theexperts (respondents) than the others with 20 (51.3%)
considerations – which is the ideal situation for thepromotion of sustainable construction. Other issues likeeconomic came second with 10 (25.6%) while social issues
were considered the least with 9 (23.1%).
Tabulation of Primary sustainable construction concern
in connection with operations
Figure 1: Level of awareness
3.3 Widespread Knowledge of Sustainable constructionin Zambia
Respondents disagreed that there was widespreadknowledge of sustainable construction. None of the
respondents agreed to the statement that there is widespreadknowledge of sustainable construction in Zambia.
Knowledge among construction officials is good but not
across other departments which are not directly involved
with construction decisions.
3.4 Sustainable Construction Issues the Organizations
Consider versus issues experts Most consider in their
Operations
Table 2 of the results is divided in two parts, for the firstpart, the respondents were asked what theirorganizations/companies considered in their construction
business and shows issues of energy wastage, deforestationand economic development of the society in their operations.
However, economic development of the society wasconsideredhighest 25 (37%), followed by energy wastage 20(30%) and deforestation 22 (33%).
Table 2: Sustainable construction issues considered by theorganizations and the experts
Sustainable construction issues considered
Frequency Percent
by organizations
Energy wastage
20
30
Deforestation
22
33
Economic development of society
25
37
Total
67
100.0
Issues considered by experts
Economic
10
25.6
Social923.1
Environmental
20
51.3
Total
39
100

Source: Field research 2017

Table 3: Sustainable construction in connection with
operations
Factors

Responses
RII
1 2 3 4 5 Weight RII Rank

Disposal of waste or by
0 5 3 22 9
products
How to save power or
0 10 1 17 11
electricity
How to conserve water 0 8 15 8 8
Safety at work place 0 7 4 21 7
How to stimulate local
0 0 26 11 2
economyHow to conserve0 1 27 7 4
wildlife

152

0.779 1st146

0.749 2nd133
145

0.682 4th
0.744 3rd

132

0.677 5th

131

0.672 6th

Source: Authors Field Survey, 2017
Rank: [5-Strongly agree, 4-Agree, 3-Neutral, 2-Disagree, 1Strongly Disagree]
This section assessed the primary issues which wereconsidered by construction professionals in connection with
their operations. It sought the agreement or disagreement ofrespondents to some key considerations in sustainable
construction and considered which of the measures wereconsidered most. Disposal of waste appeared to be the key
issue considered most with a relative importance index (RII)
of (0.779). The least considered issue was conservation ofwild life with a relative importance index (RII) of (0.672).
Furthermore, socio-economic issues had a low relative
importance index (RII) of (0.677) in 5th place.
3.6 Challenges Affecting Sustainable Construction in
ZambiaThis section sought to measure the extent of agreement by
respondents to the challenges of sustainable construction in
the literature review. It aimed at establishing whether
theconstruction industry professionals could identify withthose challenges. Respondents identified with the following
challenges (1) lack of public awareness, (2) lack of interestin the issue of sustainability, (3) poverty and perceived highcost of initial investment, (4) lack of research into
sustainable construction, (5) lack of capacity of theconstruction sector, (6) little incentive for professional
officers, (7) resistance to technology, (8) turbulent economic
environment, and (9) lack of accurate data.

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SJIF (2019): 7.583
Table 4: Challenges affecting Sustainable construction in Zambia
Challenges
Lack of public awarenessLack of interest in the issues of sustainability
Poverty and perceived high cost of initial investment
Lack of research into sustainable construction
Lack of capacity of the construction sector
Little incentive for professional officers
Resistance to technology
Turbulent economic environment
Lack of accurate data

1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

2
0
0
2
8
12
6
20
48
52

Responses
3
4
0 128
6 128
3 128
9 120
6 112
27 108
15 96
15 40
12 36

5
35
25
25
10
15
0
0
0
0

Relative Importance Index (RII)
Weight
RII
Rank
163
0.836
1st
159
0.815
2nd
158
0.810
3rd
147
0.754
4th
145
0.744
5th
141
0.723
6th
131
0.672
7th
103
0.528
8th
100
0.513
9th

Source: Authors 2017
Rank: [5-Strongly agree, 4-Agree, 3-neutral, 2-Disagree, 1-Strongly Disagree]
According to the ranking above, the top three challenges ofsustainable construction are Lack of public awareness, lackof interest in sustainability issues with poverty andperceived high cost of initial investment. Lack of publicawareness was ranked highest and was identified byrespondents as the major challenge in promoting sustainable
construction. It was ranked 1st among the other challenges.
They least identified with lack of accurate data as achallenge.
3.7 Measures Undertaken to Mitigate Challenges
Table 5: Measures against challenges
Response
Education to adopt to situation
Vegetation reforestation
Total

Frequency
39
645

Percent
86.7
13.3
100

Source: Authors 2017
Two key issues were dominant as measures taken by
construction officials to mitigate the challenges ofsustainable construction. These issues were education toadapt to situation and vegetation restoration.
Most
respondents undertook education to adapt to situation with
86.7% as a way of mitigating the challenges of sustainable
construction, whiles Vegetation reforestation was also usedwith (13.3%). In other words, stakeholder sensitization was
done mostly along with vegetation reclamation. This is towhip up public support, understanding and interest.

4. Discussion
Here, the following sub-headings will be discussed from theresults of the study:a) The current construction (building) practices in Zambia.
b) Main challenges in implementing sustainable
construction practices in the Zambian Construction
Industry.
4.1 The current construction (building) practices inZambiaThe Building and construction sector is of key importance tothe development of Zambia and the well-being of its
population. Zambia can fulfil the demand for a built
environment that meets the needs of Zambian people
through the application of sustainable building andconstruction (SBC) concepts. The results of this study
indicate that, 86% of the respondents have a good level ofawareness on sustainable construction.
The level ofknowledge on sustainable construction is high andpenetrating based on the findings above. This therefore gives
a solid ground preparation for measures to improve on
sustainable construction. The aim of achieving a sustainably
built environment calls for excellency, to which, according
to the finding on awareness only 14% meet that threshold.
This means that, Officials dealing with construction haveappreciable knowledge on sustainable construction but thereis the need to do more for the translation of this knowledge
into tangible sustainably constructed buildings. The results
further indicate that, there is no widespread knowledge ofsustainable construction in Zambia. Knowledge among
construction officials is good but not across otherdepartments which are not directly involved withconstruction decisions.
Construction companies attach a higher value on theeconomic gain that the building will have to society andneglect to consider if the needs of the present would not becompromising the ability of future generations to meet theirown needs. From the results, 37% of construction
organizations/companies considered economic developmentof the society as a priority when it came to sustainable
construction matters. This was followed by deforestation
33%, and energy wastage 30%. This is true to the generalbelief that developing countries – Zambia inclusive –concentrate less on environmental sustainability issues but
more on social and economic factors (Ojo et al., 2013). The
construction industry is vital for the economic developmentof any society or nation (African Economic Outlook country
note on Zambia, 2014). This according to sustainable
construction does not mean, the construction industry mostprioritize economic gains at the expense of the environment
which is the bedrock of sustainability. The results indicatedthat 51.3% suggested environmental sustainability issues tobe given more prominence when it came to sustainable
construction.
The study further investigated the primary issues that wereconsidered by the professionals in the construction industry
in Lusaka in connection with their operations in order tohave a full depiction of the current situation of sustainablebuilding construction. From the results, the disposal of wastewith a relative importance of 0.779 was considered as themost practised in sustainable construction while the least
was conservation of wild life having a relative importanceindex of 0.672. This is a depiction that sustainable
commercial building construction in Lusaka is above

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relative importance index of above 0.5 but way less than
0.85 which is not good but not very poor/ bad at the sametime. This is a clear indication of the potential andprogression of the Zambian construction industry to fully gogreen.
4.2 Main challenges in implementing sustainable
construction practices in the Zambian Construction
Industry
The construction industry is complex in its nature because it
comprises large numbers of parties as owners (clients),
contractors, consultants, stakeholders, and regulators.
Despite this complexity, the industry plays a major role inthe development and achievement of society‟s goals.
According to the results, lack of public awareness with arelative importance index of 0.836 was ranked highest andwas identified by respondents as the major challenge inpromoting sustainable construction. This was followed by arelative importance index of 0.815 for lack of interest in theissue of sustainability by all parties involved. The thirdchallenge is poverty and perceived high cost of the initialinvestment for constructing a sustainable building, having a
relative importance index of 0.810. These three mentioned
challenges have a significantly high relative importanceindex and are the top impediments to sustainable building
construction in Zambia. From the results the other major
challenges of sustainable construction are: lack of research
into sustainable construction; lack of capacity of theconstruction sector; little incentive for professional officers;
resistance to technology; turbulent economic environment;
and lack of accurate data.
The study further investigated what has been done toeradicate the above challenges and the first thing that the
professionals in the construction industry – 87% of them –didwas to get an education onsustainable construction inorder for them to easily adapt to the „new norm‟ of green
construction. The statement, education on sustainable
construction complements a number of fields such asenvironmental
education,
multicultural
education,conservation education, global change education, ecologicalliteracy education, as well as sustainable engineering in
broad terms. This is a process that develops apprentice(student/learner) awareness, competence, attitudes andvalues, enabling them to be effectively involved insustainable development at local, national and international
levels, helping them to work towards a more equitable andsustainable future. In particular, it enables apprentices tointegrate environmental considerations into economic

decision-making. For example, when one understands thatbuildings, not automobiles, emit most of the carbon dioxide(CO2) in the United States and that the average house is
45% bigger now than it was 31 years ago (Montoya andTrethewey, 2009), they can begin to understand the role theyplay in environmental sustainability. In order to make suchinformation accessible and relevant to students, it isimperative that academics in engineering, construction,
education, and other disciplines heed the call for sustainable
technologies, policies, and practices.

5. Conclusion
In conclusion, Construction Engineers make decisions that
often have a critical impact on the environment and society.
This enhanced ability to impact others makes sensitivity to
ethical and social concerns a must in the constructionengineering profession. Obviously, sustainable construction
requires fresh knowledge and learning within theconstruction industry, because firm‟s innovativeness not
only improves client‟s satisfaction, competitive advantage
and profitability, but is also a vital procedure insustainability adoption in an organization. The results of thestudy indicate that, there is a good level of awareness on
sustainable construction but does not meet the excellency
threshold which sustainable construction needs in order tothrive in the society. Economic development is prioritizedover the environment and social aspects of sustainable
construction when organizations implement construction
projects. The professionals in the industry feelenvironmental aspects should be given priority when
implementing construction projects if there is to besustainable construction. Lack of awareness by the public on
all maters to do with sustainable construction is the number
one challenge in the implementation of sustainable building
construction. The other challenge is lack of interest from allparties involved to make green construction a fully realized
reality. There is potential and progression of the Zambian
construction industry to fully go green. The framework thatshould be adopted when implementing construction projects
has been formulated and is under the recommendation
section.

6. Recommendation
A framework and strategies that could be taken to promotesustainable construction in the Zambian Construction
Industry

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Figure 2: A framework that should be adopted when executing any construction
A sustainable construction action plan with well-definedtargets and strategies such as reducing waste, carbon
emissions, energy and water consumption, delivering social
benefits through procurement should be put in place. Thisaction plan will include various strategies and measures suchas using sustainable materials, energy efficient technology,
buying raw materials like timber from sustainable sources
and the use of labor-based construction techniques which
will create employment. This will encourage participation of
local enterprises and achieve economic and social objectivesof sustainable construction.

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