Journal of Emerging Trends in Economics and Management Sciences: Home

Abstract:
Sustainability creation and awareness depends on the understanding of the consequences of individual actions, quest for knowledge and absolute involvement and commitment to the principle. This research is significant in that it compared the perception of the building professionals/developers of sustainability in building construction industry in Nigeria and Malaysia. Structured questionnaire was used to elicit information from the professionals in the built industry on the awareness level of sustainability concept and its practicability in the construction industry. The study revealed that in a developing country like Nigeria, there is a low awareness level. The situation in Malaysia as at 2009 is that there was a moderate awareness level of sustainable construction. This was evident in a similar study carried out by Nazirah Zanul Abidin in 2009 and published in a journal of World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology. Another area of enquiry was the social, economic and environmental features that constitute the triple bottom line of sustainability. The response evidenced that building professionals define sustainability more in terms of effective protection of the environment other than inclusion of both economic and social features. The professionals in the building industry, developers, Investors, property occupiers, Government and Non-Government Organizations have been identified as major stakeholders, drivers and promoters towards boosting and strategizing for a sustainable built environment. The study recommended that to improve the understanding and awareness of sustainability concept, a lot has to be done in the area of educating the construction players through conferences, seminars, training, and workshops. A virile consultation and collaboration between the academicians and the practitioners is also canvassed. Similar responses and recommendations were also observed in Malaysia study earlier carried out.

Keywords: sustainability, sustainable construction, developers, Nigerian construction industry.

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