Sustainable Construction in the Recession

Sustainability emerged as a public concern at a time when the construction industry was in boom. Government legislation and peer pressure led to the growing momentum in implementing sustainable development. However, as the world enters into recession, is there still room for sustainable construction? This paper investigates whether the drivers and barriers to sustainable construction have changed during the current recession. The research consists of a literature review into the subject and recent evidence of the industry’s reaction to the recession. In-depth interviews were conducted with construction professionals who represent a cross section of industry and project roles. The key findings reveal that 60 percent of respondents consider sustainable construction would continue to increase despite the recession, with the main drivers found to be increased legislation, customer demand and energy costs. Clients are found to be more likely to focus on passive design features over renewable energy technologies as a means of delivering sustainable construction in an economical way.