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Measuring the Sustainability of Construction Projects throughout Their Lifecycle: A Taiwan Lesson

Author

Listed:
  • Wen-der Yu

    (Department of Construction Engineering, Chaoyang University of Technology, Taichung 41349, Taiwan)

  • Shao-tsai Cheng

    (Department of Construction Management, Chung Hua University, Hsinchu 30012, Taiwan)

  • Wei-cheng Ho

    (Department of Civil Engineering, Chung Hua University, Hsinchu 30012, Taiwan)

  • Yu-hao Chang

    (Department of Construction Management, Chung Hua University, Hsinchu 30012, Taiwan)

Abstract

Researchers have proposed many industrial or national sustainability evaluation indicator systems during the past decade, although there has not yet been a project-level sustainability evaluation system for the evaluation and execution monitoring of the sustainability status for a construction project. Without such an evaluation system, it will be difficult for the planners to plan the sustainable project objectives, for the contractors to select the sustainable execution alternatives, and for the facility managers to operate sustainable constructed facilities. To meet the abovementioned requirements, this paper presents an effort conducted in Taiwan to propose a Construction Project Sustainability Assessing System (CPSAS) considering three pillars of sustainability: environmental, social, and economic, based on the theoretical backgrounds from the literature and former successful sustainable projects. The proposed CPSAS comprises four levels: Level 1, 3 main pillars; Level 2, 8 categories; Level 3, 19 sub-categories; and Level 4, 31 indicators. Different selections of indicators for application in different project phases are suggested according to the prioritization via questionnaire surveys. A procedure for sustainable project management with the proposed CPSAS is suggested to the project management team. Finally, three green building projects and two civil infrastructure construction projects of Taiwan were tested to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed CPSAS. It is concluded that the proposed CPSAS is useful for construction stakeholders to achieve sustainability more effectively during the execution of a construction project.

Suggested Citation

  • Wen-der Yu & Shao-tsai Cheng & Wei-cheng Ho & Yu-hao Chang, 2018. "Measuring the Sustainability of Construction Projects throughout Their Lifecycle: A Taiwan Lesson," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-16, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:5:p:1523-:d:145724
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    5. Reza Kiani Mavi & Denise Gengatharen & Neda Kiani Mavi & Richard Hughes & Alistair Campbell & Ross Yates, 2021. "Sustainability in Construction Projects: A Systematic Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-24, February.
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    7. Perry C. Y. Liu & Huai-Wei Lo & James J. H. Liou, 2020. "A Combination of DEMATEL and BWM-Based ANP Methods for Exploring the Green Building Rating System in Taiwan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-19, April.
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