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
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