Analysis of challenges in sustainable construction industry by using analytic hierarchy process: a case study of Jubail Industrial City, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Construction procedures in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consume excessive capital, time and resources, and thus have a direct effect on the national economy and the nation's socio-economic development. These costly procedures add to the current difficult economic situation in the construction industry. The developed and many underdeveloped countries have implemented sustainable construction practices and are increasing the awareness of the environmental impacts caused by construction processes. The KSA has taken the initiative to support and implement green building principles but still there are various factors due to which the implication of sustainable construction has not been materialised in full swing. This research project studies and evaluates those factors which have become a challenge for the construction industry in the application of sustainable construction. A new settlement in Jubail Industrial City, Saudi Arabia has been taken as a case study. This research ranked some of the barriers identified from previous studies, based on their level of importance, using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to investigate the priority ranking of the issues involved in sustainable construction principles.