A review of sustainability applications in the construction industry: perspectives and challenges

Abstract

Introduction. One of the main causes of annual environmental degradation directly or indirectly is construction. The purpose of this study is to highlight current environmental issues in the construction industry. Besides how the construction sector can contribute to reducing the negative impact on the environment and creating “healthy buildings” that can be sustainable for both residents and our environment. Materials and methods. An overall literature survey was carried out to get relevant information and provide an overview of the current situation regarding the applications of sustainability in the construction industry. According to the selected theme, an inclusive investigation was conducted using several databases, such as Google Scholar, Scopus, eLIBRARY.RU,and ScienceDirect. Many crucial key words, such as environmental sustainability, social sustainability, economic sustainability, sustainable development, environmental issues, etc. Were used to extract data on the sustainability issues in the construction industry. The primary data was compiled in the form of tables and figures. In most cases,the emphasis was on recent data. Results. The most common methods for modelling sustainable construction indicators are described below, as well asthe sustainable construction materials that have been used recently. Conclusions. Building information modelling (BIM) appears is the single most commonly used technology today. With the development of computer technology, BIM is increasingly being used in combination with other techniques to achieve sustainable building goals. Careful selection of sustainable building materials may be the quickest way for builders to start integrating sustainable building design concepts.