Need for rating system for assessing sustainability of built environment during construction stage

Abstract

Sustainability in construction has gained attention in recent years as the construction industry adversely impacts the environment and green construction has been emphasized. Various rating systems have been developed by various organizations across the world like LEED, USA; CASBEE), Japan; BREEMA, UK; GBCSL, Sri Lanka, IGBC, India; etc. to certify construction projects under the green projects category, based on parameters majorly considering three factors environmental, societal & economic impact during the entire span of a project from inception stage to demolition stage. In these sustainability assessment rating systems, the parameters relevant to the construction phase have not been emphasized except for a few factors which have been considered under pre-requisite. Though the construction phase has a comparatively shorter duration, it adversely impacts sustainability if considered collectively. So, a holistic approach is needed for sustainability assessment which shall include construction stage-based sustainability parameters too. In this paper, with a questionnaire survey & interaction with experts, the need for construction-based sustainability parameters has been discussed for making a holistic sustainability assessment rating system. The survey & interaction data were analyzed with an analytical hierarchical process (AHP) to understand the need for the additional parameter during the construction stage of the project.