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Sustainable Construction Risk Perceptions in the Kuwaiti Construction Industry

Author

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  • Dalya Ismael

    (Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA)

  • Tripp Shealy

    (Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA)

Abstract

Sustainable construction is fundamentally different than traditional construction because it requires whole systems thinking, early collaboration across stakeholders, and core principles like reducing resource consumption, eliminating toxins, and applying life cycle costing. Construction professionals unfamiliar with this mindset and approach may perceive sustainable construction as risky. One of the global regions in need of more sustainable construction is the Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) region. The MENA region is one of the fastest developing in the world. However, it is the slowest one in implementing sustainable construction practices. Kuwait, in particular, contributes 53% more carbon emissions per capita than the United States. To understand how the Kuwaiti construction industry perceives risks associated with more sustainable construction, a survey was developed with 52 risk elements in which 131 industry professionals responded. The results indicate that industry professionals perceive a lack of public awareness as the risk element with the highest probability of occurrence. The risk element with the highest possible negative impact on future projects is designers’ and contractors’ inexperience with sustainable construction. Other risks were found to include a high initial cost for materials and overall project costs. Educational interventions, changes in risk allocation, and behavioral science to reframe upfront costs as long-term savings are offered as possible solutions.

Suggested Citation

  • Dalya Ismael & Tripp Shealy, 2018. "Sustainable Construction Risk Perceptions in the Kuwaiti Construction Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-17, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:6:p:1854-:d:150365
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    Cited by:

    1. Edmundas Kazimieras Zavadskas & Jonas Šaparauskas & Jurgita Antucheviciene, 2018. "Sustainability in Construction Engineering," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-7, June.
    2. Mateusz Trzeciak, 2021. "Sustainable Risk Management in IT Enterprises," Risks, MDPI, vol. 9(7), pages 1-20, July.
    3. Meryem Bortali & Mohamed Rabouli & Madiha Yessari & Abdelowahed Hajjaji, 2023. "Characterizing Harbor Dredged Sediment for Sustainable Reuse as Construction Material," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-26, January.
    4. Bader Alshuraiaan, 2021. "Renewable Energy Technologies for Energy Efficient Buildings: The Case of Kuwait," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-16, July.
    5. Hung Duy Nguyen & Laura Macchion, 2023. "Risk management in green building: a review of the current state of research and future directions," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 25(3), pages 2136-2172, March.
    6. Lina Adib Khaddour, 2022. "Life-cycle sustainability risk management a multi-stakeholder approach: the case of Damascus post-war residential projects," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(11), pages 12756-12786, November.
    7. Sadaf Dalirazar & Zahra Sabzi, 2022. "Barriers to sustainable development: Critical social factors influencing the sustainable building development based on Swedish experts' perspectives," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 30(6), pages 1963-1974, December.

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