Abstract
Urbanization and living comfort have revolutionized the construction industry. Many techniques and strategies have been used to improve the overall efficiency of construction and to reduce waste during and after the construction activity; some are cost effective and some not. Sustainable construction strategies have addressed these issues by proposing relatively more cost effective and environment-saving solutions. One strategy is to select sustainable construction materials at the building design stage. This article involved a questionnaire survey to collect data about local technical stakeholders’ (architects, designers, engineers, estimators, and managers) awareness of environmental sustainability and current practices for selecting construction materials. A sustainability index (SI) was developed using SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) for the complex statistical analysis. These data were used to develop a decision support system (DSS) using the multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) technique, the TOPSIS. The support system was validated by applying it to sustainable roof products in a pilot case study—these materials are frequently used in local markets for residential construction in West Australia. So the main objective was to get insight to local market trends and features involved in construction materials selection. Data analysis was carried out to develop a decision support system to help technical stakeholders in construction materials selection process.
Highlights
In the past the global construction industry has developed rapidly in terms of advanced technology and the incorporation of safety and sustainability
The support system was validated by applying it to sustainable roof products in a pilot case study—these materials are frequently used in local markets for residential construction in West Australia
The analysis showed that the decision makers were aware of the importance of using environmentally friendly and sustainable construction materials
Summary
In the past the global construction industry has developed rapidly in terms of advanced technology and the incorporation of safety and sustainability. Survey response rate and validity: Data were collected in three survey formats: postal, online, and self-administered surveys. 11 responses were received (response rate = 21.15%; Figure 1) This response rate was considered adequate because other researchers in the construction industry reported response rates for postal surveys between 20% and 30% [1] [2] [3]. Face-to-face, self-administered surveys were conducted with 7 company representatives (23 companies sent request; 30.43% response rate). This method of data collection is considered the best; complete responses are received through this method.
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