Integrating sustainable development into briefing and design processes of buildings in developing countries : an assessment tool

Abstract

This study proposes a specification for an assessment tool that integrates sustainable development into briefing and design processes of buildings in developing countries. The building and construction industry have a significant role to play in supporting sustainable development in developing countries. However until the implications of sustainable development for the building and construction industry in developing countries are understood and interpreted into a plan of action, little progress can be made. The research proposal aims to make a contribution to knowledge within the field of sustainable development and building and construction in developing countries. The study suggests that an effective way of beginning to integrate sustainable development into building and construction is to make sustainable development an explicit goal during the briefing and design process of the building. The study develops a specification for assessment tool that enables the goal of sustainable development to be interpreted into building and construction objectives and shows how this can be used in the briefing and design processes of buildings. The study is based on both a qualitative and quantitative approach. Through critical review of literature and inductive analysis key concepts pertaining to sustainability, sustainable development, developing country contexts, assessment frameworks, and building and construction are defined. These are compared and analysed to formulate a specification for an assessment tool. In order to test and validate findings the specification is compared with an existing building assessment tool, the Sustainable Building Assessment Tool. All hypothesis developed by the study are successfully demonstrated and the study is successful in proposing a specification for an assessment tool that integrates sustainable development into briefing and design processes of buildings in developing countries.