Testing the understanding of the operatives on sustainable construction in the Agona east district of Ghana: an examination of excavation works
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Date
2021-05-14
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Abstract
Sustainability is viewed as an essential element of development. The negative impact of
construction on the environment has gained much attention in recent times. As a result, several
guidelines for construction works have been developed in favour of environmental sustainability.
The International Council for Research and Innovation in Building and Construction (CIB) in
2002, emphasized the need for an internationally agreed Agenda on Sustainable Construction (SC).
While this move has seen many construction industry players in developing countries making
serious attempts to embrace SC practices in their activities, unfortunately, the situation appears to
be different in developing countries such as Ghana. This study tests the understanding of operatives
on SC on SC practices in the Agona East District (AED). Five newly awarded Construction
Projects were purposely selected for the study. A purely qualitative approach to research was used
for the study. Primary data were collected from in-depth interviews of twenty (20) key
respondents. The findings of this study revealed that most construction practices of these
operatives to a very large extent do not conform to SC principles or practices. The traditional
construction practices are still very dominant in their construction activities. Low level of
awareness of Sustainable Construction (SC) principles practices, Lack of government policy on
SC, increased financial cost, absence of a mandated regulatory body and socio-cultural reason
were cited as the major reasons for the low level of SC practices among the operatives of the AED.
Based on the findings, the need for a clear Government policy and an authorized regulatory body
among others have been recommended for this study.
Description
A thesis submitted to the Department of Construction Technology and Management in
partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of
Master of Science in Construction Management.
Keywords
Sustainability,, Sustainable Construction, Operatives,, Understanding, n works,, Ghana