The management of a construction project in a sustainable way should focus on the entire process from an early design stage towards the final product, and on the benefits and negative impacts that are to be expected during the life of the facility. The research presented here argues that there is a difference between sustainable building and sustainable construction, where the first considers the final product and the latter considers the way to the final product, i.e. the process. Read more...

The current building industry focus on durability is in part a reaction to the current perceived lack of it. Warranty claims and callbacks are increasingly leading to a rise in litigation and insurance costs. Another reason for the current focus on durability is the recognition that sustainability is not possible without durability. If you double the life of a building and you use the same amount of resources to construct it, the building is twice as resource efficient. It seems that one thing that both the development community and the environmental community can agree on is that durability is a good thing. What do we know about durability and how do we know it? The lessons of durability have come principally out of failure. Examining failures gives us guidance on increasing the durability of building constructions. Read more...