ADOPTION OF SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT IN THE RWANDAN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY. CASE STUDY: RWANDA

Abstract

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. To manage such a process, sustainably, there is a need for some kind of management system or tool from the perspective of the process owner and the management of the project. To link sustainability with quality and environmental aspects is one way to systemize this process. This study investigates the level of adoption of sustainable construction management in the construction industry to improve its implementation. The quantitative research approach was used for the study. The research design was a survey (Questionnaire) in nature. The simple random sampling technique and purposive or judgemental sampling techniques were adopted. The respondents were the architects, engineers, and quantity surveyors registered in professional bodies. Hence 43 respondents filled and returned the questionnaires. Data analysis was done with frequency, mean scores, t-test, and analysis of reliability (using Cronbach alpha). In addition, all data were presented in tables. This study also assessed the awareness and performance of the roles of sustainable construction managers, drivers of SCM on the construction projects, challenges hindering their uptake, and the solutions or strategies through which SCM adoption may be improved. Results showed the levels of awareness and performance are still low. there is more necessary to improve the awareness among the construction managers to strongly improve the adoption of sustainable construction management. It was concluded there is a low level of adoption of sustainable construction management, thus there is a strong need for improving the awareness of sustainable construction management among the construction players, conducting the training on benefits of SCM and, mandating the use of sustainable construction management on big projects. This research is expected to improve the awareness and performance of SCM and its drivers in the construction industry by the fight against the relevant challenges and promoting the strategies identified in this study. Future research should be conducted to identify the main factors for improving the Adoption of SCM.