Social aspect of sustainability in construction
Navneet Agrawal, Spring 2006
Brief:
The contemporary philosophy of Sustainability is based on three concerns of human evolution, economy, environment, and social equity. The trend among modern industries is to make this tri-dimensional concept into a more useable science. All industries have well defined mechanisms for operating under the Economy aspect. While most of them, including construction, have different methods for comprehending the dynamics of the environmental aspect, progress on the social front has been unsatisfactory and inadequate. This research focuses on the social aspect of Sustainability in the context of the construction industry. This study, primarily literature based, explores and analyzes various issues in the life cycle of the construction product that either impact the applicability of the Sustainability philosophy in general or constitute its social agenda in particular. It further proposes a framework for understanding, formulating and benchmarking the social issues in construction. The research, highlighting the fragmented structure of the construction industry, reveals that the rigid legal environment and the fragmented business setup restrict the construction industry from transitioning into a true Sustainability paradigm. It also points out that the practice of limited responsibility sharing of the key players in the life cycle of construction products is inconsistent with the new philosophies of Sustainability accounting. This study provides a foundation for a framework for analyzing and developing a social benchmarking structure from a Sustainability perspective. This is an important milestone.