IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v12y2020i23p10162-d457424.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Building Sustainably: A Pilot Study on the Project Manager’s Contribution in Delivering Sustainable Construction Projects—A Maltese and International Perspective

Author

Listed:
  • Ruth Borg

    (Department of Construction and Property Management, Faculty for the Built Environment, University of Malta, MSD 2080 Msida, Malta)

  • Rebecca Dalli Gonzi

    (Department of Construction and Property Management, Faculty for the Built Environment, University of Malta, MSD 2080 Msida, Malta)

  • Simon Paul Borg

    (Department of Environmental Design, Faculty for the Built Environment, University of Malta, MSD 2080 Msida, Malta)

Abstract

Despite ample technological advancements, the building industry is still seen as an unsustainable activity. To counteract this, building development is now being requested to be more sustainable. Due to the increasing complexity of sustainable projects’ criteria, the project manager’s role, tasked with the overall management of a building’s different development phases, is changing, becoming increasingly crucial for the attainment of pre-established sustainability goals. Based on this premise, the research presented in this paper is a pilot study set to preliminarily establish and identify a set of project management processes and supporting practices from existing literature, and gauge their significance and possible added value provided. This was done via a purposely designed questionnaire distributed locally, in Malta, and globally amongst established project managers. Notwithstanding the preliminary nature of the study some interesting results were obtained. Among the main outcomes of the study, it is observed how all respondents are very aware about sustainability issues and that their decision-making role places them in an optimum position to bring forward a sustainability agenda for a particular project. In terms of intervention, pre-construction (43%) and construction (28%) were considered to be the main stages were a project manager usually gives the highest input. However, various challenges were also highlighted by the respondents, including clients’ refusal to commit increased capital (34%), the requirement for further training (33%), and the lack of incentives aimed towards increasing the sustainability of projects (22%).

Suggested Citation

  • Ruth Borg & Rebecca Dalli Gonzi & Simon Paul Borg, 2020. "Building Sustainably: A Pilot Study on the Project Manager’s Contribution in Delivering Sustainable Construction Projects—A Maltese and International Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(23), pages 1-15, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:23:p:10162-:d:457424
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/23/10162/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/23/10162/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Danijela Toljaga-Nikolić & Marija Todorović & Marina Dobrota & Tijana Obradović & Vladimir Obradović, 2020. "Project Management and Sustainability: Playing Trick or Treat with the Planet," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(20), pages 1-20, October.
    2. Wei Wang & Shoujian Zhang & Yikun Su & Xinyang Deng, 2019. "An Empirical Analysis of the Factors Affecting the Adoption and Diffusion of GBTS in the Construction Market," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-24, March.
    3. Christopher Vella & Simon Paul Borg & Daniel Micallef, 2020. "The Effect of Shank-Space on the Thermal Performance of Shallow Vertical U-Tube Ground Heat Exchangers," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-16, January.
    4. Albert Ping Chuen Chan & Amos Darko & Ernest Effah Ameyaw, 2017. "Strategies for Promoting Green Building Technologies Adoption in the Construction Industry—An International Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(6), pages 1-18, June.
    5. Stefano Armenia & Rosa Maria Dangelico & Fabio Nonino & Alessandro Pompei, 2019. "Sustainable Project Management: A Conceptualization-Oriented Review and a Framework Proposal for Future Studies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-16, May.
    6. Radek Doskočil & Branislav Lacko, 2018. "Risk Management and Knowledge Management as Critical Success Factors of Sustainability Projects," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-13, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Carmen Díaz-López & Andrés Navarro-Galera & Montserrat Zamorano & Dionisio Buendía-Carrillo, 2021. "Identifying Public Policies to Promote Sustainable Building: A Proposal for Governmental Drivers Based on Stakeholder Perceptions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-21, July.
    2. Ludovic-Alexandre Vidal & Franck Marle & Mathieu Dernis, 2021. "Modeling and Estimating Host Country Values in International Projects to Facilitate In-Country Value Creation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-21, May.
    3. Oz Sahin & Edoardo Bertone, 2022. "Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems (SDEWES)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-4, October.
    4. Ruben van der Sluijs & Gilbert Silvius, 2023. "Exploring the Values of a Sustainable Project Manager," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-22, May.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ludovic-Alexandre Vidal & Franck Marle & Mathieu Dernis, 2021. "Modeling and Estimating Host Country Values in International Projects to Facilitate In-Country Value Creation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-21, May.
    2. María Pilar de la Cruz López & Juan José Cartelle Barros & Alfredo del Caño Gochi & Manuel Lara Coira, 2021. "New Approach for Managing Sustainability in Projects," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-27, June.
    3. Mateusz Trzeciak, 2021. "Sustainable Risk Management in IT Enterprises," Risks, MDPI, vol. 9(7), pages 1-20, July.
    4. Quangdung Tran & Sajjad Nazir & Tu-Hieu Nguyen & Ngoc-Khoa Ho & Tuan-Hai Dinh & Viet-Phuong Nguyen & Manh-Hung Nguyen & Quoc-Khanh Phan & The-Son Kieu, 2020. "Empirical Examination of Factors Influencing the Adoption of Green Building Technologies: The Perspective of Construction Developers in Developing Economies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(19), pages 1-28, September.
    5. Komalsingh Rambaree & Agneta Sundström & Zhao Wang & Sandra Ann Ingela Wright, 2021. "Qualitative Stakeholder Analysis for a Swedish Regional Biogas Development: A Thematic Network Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-20, July.
    6. Gisele Blak Bernat & Eduardo Linhares Qualharini & Marcela Souto Castro & André Baptista Barcaui & Raquel Reis Soares, 2023. "Sustainability in Project Management and Project Success with Virtual Teams: A Quantitative Analysis Considering Stakeholder Engagement and Knowledge Management," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-38, June.
    7. Mohamed M. Dhiaf & Khakan Najaf & Hazem Marashdeh & Osama F. Atayah & Guilherme F. Frederico, 2022. "The role of project’s initiatives focused on the reduction of environmental footprints during COVID-19: evidence from the United States firms," Operations Management Research, Springer, vol. 15(1), pages 413-427, June.
    8. Rashid Maqbool & Mohammed Rayan Saiba & Ayman Altuwaim & Yahya Rashid & Saleha Ashfaq, 2023. "The influence of industrial attitudes and behaviours in adopting sustainable construction practices," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(2), pages 893-907, April.
    9. Victor Jiménez & Paulo Afonso & Gabriela Fernandes, 2020. "Using Agile Project Management in the Design and Implementation of Activity-Based Costing Systems," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(24), pages 1-23, December.
    10. Gisele Blak Bernat & Eduardo Linhares Qualharini & Marcela Souto Castro, 2023. "Enhancing Sustainability in Project Management: The Role of Stakeholder Engagement and Knowledge Management in Virtual Team Environments," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-26, March.
    11. Linyan Chen & Xin Gao & Shitao Gong & Zhou Li, 2020. "Regionalization of Green Building Development in China: A Comprehensive Evaluation Model Based on the Catastrophe Progression Method," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-22, July.
    12. Alberto Cerezo-Narváez & Andrés Pastor-Fernández & Manuel Otero-Mateo & Pablo Ballesteros-Pérez, 2022. "The Influence of Knowledge on Managing Risk for the Success in Complex Construction Projects: The IPMA Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-30, August.
    13. Radek Doskočil & Branislav Lacko, 2019. "Root Cause Analysis in Post Project Phases as Application of Knowledge Management," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-15, March.
    14. Mohammad Hamsal & Diena Dwidienawati & Mohammad Ichsan & Ahmad Syamil & Bambang Trigunarsyah, 2022. "Multi-Perspective Approach to Building Team Resilience in Project Management—A Case Study in Indonesia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-22, October.
    15. Han Zhang & Shiying Shi & Fangfang Zhao & Xiaosu Ye & Hanyue Qi, 2023. "A Study on the Impact of Team Interdependence on Cooperative Performance in Public–Private Partnership Projects: The Moderating Effect of Government Equity Participation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(17), pages 1-22, August.
    16. Wei Wang & Shoujian Zhang & Yikun Su & Xinyang Deng, 2019. "An Empirical Analysis of the Factors Affecting the Adoption and Diffusion of GBTS in the Construction Market," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-24, March.
    17. Amjad Hussain & Mohsin Jamil & Muhammad Umar Farooq & Muhammad Asim & Muhammad Zeeshan Rafique & Catalin I. Pruncu, 2021. "Project Managers’ Personality and Project Success: Moderating Role of External Environmental Factors," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-22, August.
    18. Joanna Piotrowska-Woroniak, 2021. "Assessment of Ground Regeneration around Borehole Heat Exchangers between Heating Seasons in Cold Climates: A Case Study in Bialystok (NE, Poland)," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-32, August.
    19. Kosa Golić & Vesna Kosorić & Slavica Stamatovic Vuckovic & Kosara Kujundzic, 2023. "Strategies for Realization of Socially Sustainable Residential Buildings: Experts’ Perspectives," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-31, April.
    20. Borja Badenes & Miguel Ángel Mateo Pla & Teresa Magraner & Javier Soriano & Javier F. Urchueguía, 2020. "Theoretical and Experimental Cost–Benefit Assessment of Borehole Heat Exchangers (BHEs) According to Working Fluid Flow Rate," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-29, September.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:23:p:10162-:d:457424. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.