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Aye, L, Bamford, N, Charters, B and Robinson, J (2000) Environmentally sustainable development: a life-cycle costing approach for a commercial office building in Melbourne, Australia. Construction Management and Economics, 18(08), 927-34.

Boonstra, C and Knapen, M (2000) Knowledge infrastructure for sustainable building in The Netherlands. Construction Management and Economics, 18(08), 885-91.

Chau, C K, Lee, W L, Yik, F W H and Burnett, J (2000) Towards a successful voluntary building environmental assessment scheme. Construction Management and Economics, 18(08), 959-68.

Cole, R J (2000) Building environmental assessment methods: assessing construction practices. Construction Management and Economics, 18(08), 949-57.

Graham, P (2000) Building education for the next industrial revolution: teaching and learning environmental literacy for the building professions. Construction Management and Economics, 18(08), 917-25.

Kibert, C J, Sendzimir, J and Guy, B (2000) Construction ecology and metabolism: natural system analogues for a sustainable built environment. Construction Management and Economics, 18(08), 903-16.

  • Type: Journal Article
  • Keywords: sustainability; resource efficiency; sustainable construction; industrial ecology; industrial metabolism; design for the environment; construction ecology; construction metabolism
  • ISBN/ISSN: 0144-6193
  • URL: https://doi.org/10.1080/014461900446867
  • Abstract:

    Applying the principles of sustainability to human activities ultimately must result in the scrutiny of all sectors of economic activity to assess the changes required to provide for a high quality of life for future generations. A high priority for evaluation, in the light of its impacts on environmental quality and resources, is industrial activity in general and the construction industry specifically. The construction sector consumes 40% of all extracted materials in the USA, and accounts for 30% of national energy consumption for its operation. The sustainability of this industrial sector is dependent on a fundamental shift in the way resources are used, from non-renewables to renewables, from high levels of waste to high levels of reuse and recycling, and from products based on lowest first cost to those based on life-cycle costs and full cost accounting, especially as applied to waste and emissions from the industrial processes that support construction activity. The emerging field of industrial ecology provides some insights into sustainability in the built environment or sustainable construction. Construction, like other industries, would benefit from observing the metabolic behaviour of natural systems where sustainability is built in. This paper describes a view of the construction industry based on natural systems and industrial ecology for the purpose of beginning the discovery of how to shift the construction industry and its supporting materials industries onto a path much closer to the ideals of sustainability.

Lavers, A P and Shiers, D E (2000) Construction law and environmental harm: the liability interface. Construction Management and Economics, 18(08), 893-902.

Ofori, G, Briffett, C, Gang, G and Ranasinghe, M (2000) Impact of ISO 14000 on construction enterprises in Singapore. Construction Management and Economics, 18(08), 935-47.