x1.

INTRODUCTION

Sustainable construction can be described as green construction which is concerned with the

economic, social, and environmental impact of creating a usable structure. Sustainable

construction development has led to significant changes in building delivery systems that meets

the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own

needs and it is a prominent aspect of the socio-economic development of humans that mainly

based on the buildings and the provision of safe and affordable homes for many countries of the

world . The contribution of buildings to Nigeria’s development has not yielded the desired

potentials this can be attributed to failed projects and currently their poor. Many a time building

industry commonly referred to as an industry that is unfriendly and unkind to the natural

environment . Many researchers have expressed concern about the continued destruction and

enormous impact of the construction industry on the environment. Nevertheless, to deal with this

situation, sustainable construction has offers a guiding paradigm to develop a new kind of built

environment: one that meets the needs of humans in the present without limiting the ability of

future generations to meet their own needs. The sustainable construction concept has been

introduced mostly in developed countries while less attention has been given to the concept in

developing countries, where Nigeria is no exception .The importance of good structures

(building, road etc.) in the society has necessitated the need for improvements in the standard of

construction, this is possible through coordinated and committed participation of all stakeholders

in the industry using the appropriate regulations as the key guide and document for quality

management. However, there has been increase in cases of building collapse in Nigeria in recent

times, which has brought to the fore the effectiveness of instituted construction regulations.
The construction industry in Nigeria is characterized with problems which impair the standard of

construction and which, according to Adenike (2006), Grema (2006) and Bamisile (2004), are

often hinged on quality of materials and workmanship which can be cont/rolled by proper use of

the appropriate regulations. Unfortunately, specifications standards and construction regulations

as drivers of good standard of construction are suffused with a lot of challenges.

In Nigeria, there are few existing National Standards relating to general construction (buildings,

roads etc) and many of them are not even known (Bamisile, 2004). As a result, the designers use

mainly British and American Standards and Codes despite the fact that local requirements are

often different. Serpell et al. (2002) observed that the development process of standards is

difficult, cumbersome and unstable. This aggravates the situation with respect to regulations.

Furthermore, many designers in Nigeria lack adequate knowledge with respect to the function

and performance of the materials and components they specify (Adafin et al., 2011 and

Folorunsho and Ahmad, 2013).

Buildings that satisfied the acceptable standard for performance requirements enhance the

national asset stock and Gross Domestic Product and are termed as sustainable buildings. They

meet the requirement of the present and consequently contributing to future needs [6]. Many

productive lives and properties have been lost to series of building collapse in Nigeria, and these

losses, portent danger to future generations as well as the socio-economic status of its citizenry .

Many researchers have reported five elements of the principles of sustainable development

which involves the selection of durable and sustainable materials that comply with acceptable

requirement for standards; appropriate site selection; adoption of flexible and durable designs;

proper planning and management of construction activities; and proper commissioning of

building systems and equipment before occupation Sustainable construction is conducted

through all stages of a building's life from design to construction to maintenance and beyond.

The initial work is supervised by a specialized firm that is familiar with the complexities of this

kind of design. In the United States, any firm that is able to meet up with specific criteria earn

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification from the U.S. Green Building

Council. The Green Building Initiative, another US sustainability organization, also offers

certification programs for buildings, known as the Green Globes.

It has been found that some nations actively promote sustainable construction with rebates and

other incentives to companies that practice it. It is also promoted through trade organizations that

provide certifications to sustainable buildings that fall within the acceptable standards. These

organizations inspect buildings to determine whether or not they were built sustainably, and

sometimes their certifications qualify buildings and companies which use green construction for

awards, tax breaks, and other incentives. Many researchers have reported six basic principles for

sustainable construction such as minimization of resource consumption; maximization of

resource reuse; use renewable and recyclable resources; protect and preserve natural

environment; develop a healthy and non-toxic environment and quality control in developing

built environmement. These principles of sustainable construction cut across the whole life span

of construction, starting planning stages to deconstruction. These principles also extend to the

resources required to create and operate the built environment during its whole life span; land,

building materials, water, energy, and ecosystems (Kibert, 2008).Du Plessis (2009)reported that

majority of developing countries are faced with the serious developmental challenges which

includes housing and infrastructure shortfall, poor governance, high poverty rate, ineffective

institutions, high rate of urbanisation, weak economy and poor human development index. Most

of the developing nations of the world their construction activities are best described as
paradoxical. Many a time there is an attempt to bridge the gaps in housing and infrastructure

requirement for social-economic growth and these activities affected the environment adversely

both socially and economically. With sustainability becoming a serious global issue, it is

essential that the developing countries give the much needed attention to it,

With sustainability becoming a serious global issue, it is pertinent that the developing countries

give urgent attention is required in order to alleviate the negative implications attributed to it.

Thorpe and Ryan [2007] found that there is paucity of information on the advancement made in

sustainable construction by the developing countries of the world. Embanking on implement

sustainable construction, a responsive, efficient and viable construction sector is important to

drive the implementation process. In the actualisation of sustainable construction the

stakeholders in the construction industry have key roles to play.

BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

Organized construction practice in Nigeria dates back to the 1930s when the very few

construction activities of significance in the country were handled by the Public Works

Department (PWD) and the Royal Army Engineers which was later transformed into the

Nigerian Army Engineers. Direct labour was the mode of construction project delivery at this

time. Construction contracting in Nigeria began in the 1940s with a few British and Italian

companies coming into operation (OlowoOkere, 1985). Nigeria’s independence in 1960 brought

an upward trend in construction activities and until the late sixties, most of the available

construction organizations were over-stressed with contracts. Construction contracting in Nigeria

witnessed an overwhelming upsurge during the “oil boom” of the 1970s and up to the end of the

second republic in 1983. Unfortunately, the period also witnessed an unprecedented level of

degeneration of standards in the project delivery process. Projects were poorly conceived,

carelessly planned and shabbily executed. The result was unreasonably high time and cost

overruns, low quality and widespread abandonment. This widespread abuse of the contract

system was probably responsible for the National Council of Work’s recommendations in its

13th annual conference in 1984. It recommended direct labour system for capital project

delivery, which gained wide acceptance at all the three tiers of government, under the military

government of that era. Although some impressive results were obtained at the initial stage of

this regime (Dawaki, 1987; Anonymous 1989); abuses were also later discovered. For example,

it has been said that direct labour projects are usually ineffectively managed to the extent that it

may become even costlier and longer to execute projects than when the contract approach is used

(Machina 1989, Sanni 2007). Therefore,may not be the mode of delivery adopted but the

integrity, managerial and professional competence of the executors. The public sector constitutes

the major client of the construction industry in Nigeria, and the traditional approach in this sector

is to handle building design and construction in two separate phases and by two separate teams –

the design and construction teams. The design team usually consist of consultant or in-house

professionals such as: architect, quantity surveyor, structural engineer and services engineer

(electrical and mechanical). The construction team, on the other hand, usually consists of a major

constructor and a number of sub-contractors who are selected on the basis of lump sum

competitive tender, undertaken after completion of most of the design activities. This approach

offers the lowest chance for integration of construction experience into design. The result is the

delay of project execution and high level of difference between the designed and constructed
products. Gidado (1996) and Ogunsanmi (1997) opined that the system of contract procurement

is a strong factor in determining the nature of relationships between the design standard and the

construction teams. Other procurement methods that aim at better integration of the two sets of

experience, and better overall project success have also evolved in the country. Such other

methods include: management contracting, construction management, partnering and design and

build. Until 2006, Nigeria was without uniform regulations, guidelines and standards for the

design, construction and operation/maintenance of buildings. This manifested in a range of

deplorable state of affairs in the building construction industry and in the built environment.

1.1 Statement of the Problem

The sustainable framework in Nigeria is non-existence, this is due to adequate involvement and

participation of stakeholders in practice and research. This has created a very enormous gap in

the Nigeria construction practice in method of projects delivery. According to Bamisile (2004)

regulations, which are supposed to collate all relevant standards for incorporating them in the

construction projects, and which constitute the key document for quality management, are

frequently absent in Nigeria. The results of the survey carried out by Lam et al (2004) showed

that lack of co-ordination, ambiguities, irrelevant clauses, inappropriate standards and reluctance

of contractors to embrace quality culture are the frequent problems in drafting of specifications.

Regulations are often not complied within quality control of materials and work on site (Sani and

Othman, 2011). Gelder (2007), categorized the problems in practice into two broad groups -

unsound regulations and unused regulations. Unsound regulations arise because regulations are
often not well-written. Unused regulations refer to problems that arise when specified

products/services are not used. The causes of unsound regulations, according to Gelder (2007)

are misuse or misquoting of standards, non-compliance with regulations, pseudo-specifications

(more content than needed and not job specific) and conflict with drawings; unsound regulations

are those that are unused by contractors and unused by contract administrators or construction

enforcement officers.

1.1.1 MAIN PROBLEMS

There is ever exist gap in Nigeria policy on sustainable development which is caused by

lack of common understanding about sustainability

1.1.2 SUB-PROBLEM

i. There is no implementation of sustainable development in Nigeria policy?

ii. There is lack of knowledge on sustainable development technologies for the

construction industry?

Iii .Non responsiveness to framework by the stakeholders and client which has contribute

to poor quality and product services for sustainable building in Nigeria?

1.2 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This study will covers the investigation of Nigeria policy on sustainable development in

Ado Ekiti, Ekiti state Nigeria.This is to establish ,promote and maintain construction

policy on sustainable development .information will be sourced from professionals in the

construction industry, developers ,contractors and clients.

1.3

Research QUESTIONS

i. was there any policy for sustainable development in Nigeria construction

industry?

ii.What is the effectiveness of instituting construction policy for sustainable development

in Nigeria

iii.How can construction policy in Nigeria be establish, promote and maintain for

sustainable development for good performance in construction industry.

1.4 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

The aims of this study is to investigate into Nigeria policy on sustainable development.

The objectives are to :

I .Identify if there is any policy for sustainable development in Nigeria

ii .Assess the effectiveness of institutionalizing construction policy for sustainable

development in Nigeria

iii.Recommend ways of establishing,promoting and maintaining sustainable development

policy in Nigeria construction industry.

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study will contribute to literatures on factors influencing the ability and practice of

sustainable development policy in Nigeria construction industry. This is to recommend a

way of planning and implementing policies (e.g Building codes)which set out minimum

construction standard for design and construction works that are based on sustainable

principles.

1.7 DEFINITION OF TERMS

INVESTIGATION: According to OXFORD DICTIONARY, is a scientific or academic

examination of a subjects or problems.

POLICY:According to OXFORD DICTIONARY ,is a plan of action agreed or chosen by

a political party.

CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY :Ministry of works (N0v2003) defines construction

industry as a sector of the economy that transform various resources into constructed

physical ,economic and social infrastructure necessary for social economic development .

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: According to Abraham Taiwo & Albelt

Adeboye(2013) described sustainable development as that which meet the needs of the

present without comprising the ability of future generation to meets their own needs .

2. LITERATURE REVIEW

The Construction industry is a large, dynamic, and complex industry that plays an

important role to the Nigerian economy. Construction workers and employers build our

roads, houses, and workplaces and repair and maintain our nation's physical

infrastructure. Construction work can involve building of new structures, which may

include activities involved with subdividing land for sale as building sites or preparation

of sites for new construction. Construction work also includes renovations involving
additions, alterations, or maintenance and repair of buildings or engineering projects such

as highways or utility systems. When the construction industry is examined from a global

context, its socio-economic significance becomes obvious. The industry is the world's

largest industrial employer (111 million employees) and in most countries it accounts for

more than half of capital investment and as much as 10 per cent of GNP (Du Plessis,

2001).

Construction work covers many activities, techniques, materials and hazards and it is this

diversity that increases the probability of accidents' occurring. There is a commonality of

accidents within the industry and the factors that can contribute indirectly to an accident.

An accident may be defined as any unplanned event that resulted in injury or ill health of

people, or damage or loss to property, plant, materials or the environment. A recurring

theme is that people are killed during simple, routine work and in many cases a clear lack

of planning and compliance with standard contributed to the tragedy. However, safety

and safeguard of life has been lacking in the Nigeria construction industry (Ndirangu,

2009). An underlying belief is that the majority of accidents are not caused by careless

workers but by failures in compliance with standard and control which ultimately is the

responsibility of management.

Construction regulations are statutory instruments that seek to ensure that the

construction policies set out in the relevant legislation are carried out (Gelder, 2004).

Construction regulations approval is required for most construction work in any given

country. In construction, regulation involves registration of contractors, projects, skilled

construction workers, construction site supervisors, training institutions, and provisions

relating to collection and payment of the construction levy (G.O.K, 2012). Generally in
every country, construction regulation authorities are established to harmonize

construction laws found in statutes which may contradict each other, curb uncontrolled

and unchecked physical planning of buildings and construction, control and enforce the

mechanisms on the application of the Building Code in the construction industry, prevent

easy entry and penetration of unqualified contractors, and improve on the bureaucratic

requirements and procedures in approval of building plans. Further, construction

regulation authorities eliminate corruption cases in the building industry, emphasize on

both material quality and contractor performance, and revise the Building Codes to

ensure relevance (Nahinja, 2014). Construction regulations are statutory instruments

setting out the minimum legal requirements for construction works and relate primarily to

the health, safety and welfare of the workforce which must be taken into account when

planning construction operations and during the actual construction period (Chudley &

Greeno, 2006). According to Mohammed (2010), construction regulations must

incorporate a provision that the contractor who plans to perform any construction shall

before carrying the work notify in writing the competent authority for construction

planning. Traditionally, cost, quality and time have constituted the parameters within

which projects have been managed. However, increasing awareness of the role of

standard in overall project performance, and the inclusion of standard technique and

materials as a project performance measure by organizations has improved services in the

sector. The number of large-scale construction accidents in Nigeria in the recent past has

further raised the level of awareness on the need for construction standards.

Regulation of building construction in Nigeria is done through a statutory authority

known as the Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria - CORBON, whose function is to

establish and oversee the construction industry and coordinate its development. The

Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria - CORBON is mandated to encourage the

standardization and improvement of construction techniques and materials, provide,

promote, review and co-ordinate training programs for skilled construction workers and

construction site supervisors, accredit and register contractors and regulate their

professional undertakings, accredit and certify skilled construction workers and

construction site supervisors, develop and publish a code of conduct for the construction

industry (GOK, 2011).

. Implementing sustainable Construction

Sustainable construction is described as any development that intended to meet the

requirement and aspirations of the present without compromising the ability to meet those

of the future generations . The construction industry is client driven and level of

awareness as well as adoption of sustainable construction by clients play an important

role in the implementation. Construction professionals are the main stakeholders in

actualizing sustainable construction . The implementation process of sustainable

construction has experienced serious drawback by most Nigerian construction firms

owning to ignorant about the market value and possible loosing clients since majority of

the clients are negligent of the benefits. The greater percentage of clients was not aware

of sustainable construction and the ones that aware are interested in initial cost rather than

the long term benefits of sustainable construction.

Sustainable Development is a fulcrum for balancing environmental, social and economic

goals that comprises of the provision of safe and affordable homes . It is pertinent to
incorporate sustainable principles from the beginning of any project in order to achieve

high-performance and low-environmental-impact buildings . Venegas [2003] stated five

key elements of built environmental sustainability; the people, industrial base, resource

base, natural environment, and the built environment. However Sev(2007)found that

sustainable construction can be classified base on the three dimensions of sustainable

development which includes environmental, social and economic and these is based on

three principles; resource management, life-cycle design and design for human

habitation. There are many challenges to sustainable features that create balance between

protecting ecology, societal interests and the economy. Information on the tenets of

sustainability is still very poor based on this finding the best practices for implementation

within the homebuilding industry remain passive.

There are six principles for sustainable construction, proposed by Miyakate (1996); CIB

(1996) • Minimization of resource consumption; • Maximization of resource reuse; • Use

renewable and recyclable resources; • Protect the natural environment; • Create a healthy

and non-toxic environment; and • Pursue quality in creating the built environment. 2

BARRIERS TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Despite the success of sustainable construction and the green building movement in the

developed countries of the world Nigeria is still widely lagged behind but more

entrenched traditional construction industry. However in defiance of these recorded

successes in sustainable construction technologies practices in the developed countries

are still faced with some barriers to more widespread acceptance. Development of
sustainable construction in any country, the bottlenecks that hindered these practices have

to be identified. Some of these challenges include; Clients reluctance, paucity of the right

information, non availability of sustainable construction materials, inadequate capacity

for execution of sustainable construction projects, inadequate expertise in sustainable

designs, cost Implications, professional barriers. Many researchers have worked on

different challenges to sustainable construction practices such as perceived cost

implications, ignorance of its economic benefits, absence of appropriate building

regulations, stakeholders’ lack of consideration of sustainability, inadequate expertise in

sustainable designs, clients’ reluctance, a lack of the right information, non availability of

sustainable construction mateSrials, and lack capacity to enforce and execute policies on

sustainable construction projects . According to the survey conducted in 2009, by the

Liverpool John Moores University with the view of assessing factors best promote or

prevent sustainable construction practices and establish the consistency of how

sustainability is measured . It was reported that the main drivers for sustainable

construction are financial incentives and building regulations. Affordability by clients is a

major constraint to sustainable construction, implied that sustainable construction is more

expensive to implement as compared to standard practices [23]. The drivers and barriers

of sustainable construction for developers are summarized below in Table

Table 1. Drivers and Barriers to Sustainable Construction

DRIVERS BARRIERS

.Building regulation .Affordability

.Clients demands .Building regulation

. Client awareness .Lack of client awareness

.Investment .Lack of business case understanding

.Labeling/measuring Lack of client demand

.Planning policy .Lack of proven alternative technologies

.Financial Incentive Lack of one labeling/measuring standard

.Taxes Planning policy

Djokoto et al. [24] reported some challenges encountered in the sustainable construction

industry in Ghana as shown in Table 2. Zhou and Lowe(2003) reported that sustainable

construction is faced with some challenges such as the unaware of its economic benefits,

lack of appropriate building regulations and planning policies that will make obligatory

sustainable construction. It is believed that the cost of sustainable construction is higher

compared with traditional approach in terms of capital has been seen as one of the major

challenges to the implementation of sustainable construction . The erroneous outlook that

sustainable construction will cost more reduces investors and construction organizations

interest . However, this perception is actually not true. However, the challenges

acknowledged in the literature can be classified into four main categories as regard

Nigeria’s perspective, this include; cultural, financial, Capacity or professional, and

steering barriers.

Table 2: Barriers that affect sustainable construction in the Ghanaian construction

industry Item Barriers to sustainable construction Relative Important Index(RII) Rank

1 Lack of Building Codes and Regulation 0.74 8th

2 Lack of incentives 0.63 15th 3 Higher investment cost 0.72 9th 4 Risk of investment

0.76 7th 5 Higher final cost 0.82 3rd 6 Lack of Public awareness 0.79 4th 7 Lack of

Demand 0.90 1st 8 Lack of strategy to promote sustainable construction 0.87 2nd 9 Lack

of Design and Construction team 0.56 7th 10 Lack of Expertise 0.54 18th 11 Lack of

professional knowledge 0.44 8th 12 Lack of database and information 0.63 16th 13 Lack

of Technology 0.52 19th 14 Lack of Government support 0.78 5th 15 Lack of a

measurement tool 0.68 10th 16 Increased Documentation 0.64 13th 17 Extensive Pre-

contract planning 0.65 12th 18 Change Resistance 0.64 14th 19 Lack of training 0.67

11th 20 Lack of cooperation 0.77 6t

A. Cultural Belief Barriers

The Nigerian construction industry process has not experience major growth over the past

decades and thus rendered itself as a sector which is very difficult to revolutionize

especially with respect to construction methods practiced and building materials utilized.

Construction in Nigeria ultimately favours the use of blocks and reinforced concrete

which is professional termed wet construction, and disregards other forms of construction

practiced in other parts of the world. Williams and Dair [20] also acknowledged that lack

of sustainability measure by consultants as a major challenge as well as lack of demand

by the client as a commonly recognized barrier. Lack of demand was also stated as one of

the major challenges as building project cannot be execute along with sustainable lines

without the owner or developer’s “full support for sustainable construction .

B. Initial Cost Perspective Barriers

The negative perception of higher investment costs for sustainable buildings compared

with traditional building and the risks of unanticipated costs are the major hindrance to

the acceptability of sustainable buildings [17]. Many a time the implementation of

sustainable building solutions may be hid because clients are much interested about the

higher risk involved in the unfamiliar techniques, the lack of preceding experience,

further testing, additional research and inspection construction, lack of manufacturer and

supplier support as well as lack of performance information . Hydes and Creech [26, 28]

mentioned likely reasons for the higher costs which may due to increases in the

consultant’s fees, design team and contractors with sustainable building methods. Kats

[29] reported that sustainable practices in construction are estimated to increase initial

capital cost to the range of 1 - 25%, moreover, this can be offset through savings from

operational costs. According to Baiden et al. [30] reported that sustainability will reduce

life-cycle cost as well as enhancing the productivity of staff using such building.

C. Technical know-Know of the Professionals barrier

Throughout the life of any construction project there involved many stakeholders. The

uniqueness of work environment and culture of a construction project is different from

most working conditions. A typical construction project consists of groups of people,

normally from several organizations, that are hired and assigned to a project to build a

facility . One of the main barriers to sustainable construction is the lack of technical

know-how of the stakeholders of the construction sector to actualize and implement

sustainable practices [31]. Häkkinen and Belloni [17] asserted that sustainable buildings

can be hindered by ignorance or a lack of common understanding about sustainability.

Rydin et al. [32] stated that while designers demonstrate confidence in their ability to
access and use knowledge in general, this confidence falls when sustainable building

issues are addressed. This presupposes that professionals within the built environment

have being identified to lack the technical knowledge and awareness and this has been

extended to the clients, ignorance of awareness of benefits, lack understanding about

sustainability, lack of education and proper perception in sustainable design as the main

set back in the implementation of sustainable construction.

Williams and Dair [20] recommended the formation of an integrated team from

conception to inception comprising of the developer/owner, project manager, contractor,

architect, services engineer, structural engineer, civil engineer, environmental engineer,

landscape consultant, cost planner and building surveyor. It is important that this team

have access to the best available information on products and tools to actualize

sustainable construction. Presently reverse is the case in Nigeria . The workforce of every

construction industry is its backbone hence it pertinent to involve professionals who are

not only knowledgeable but can enhance sustainable construction working as a team.

Some professionals are not well trained in the knowledge of sustainable construction and

this should be well addressed in the education sector.

D. Technical barriers.

The effect of technical barriers on the success of sustainable construction was reported

[30]. Many researchers have identified some of the major barriers to the implementation

of sustainable construction which includes lack of environmentally sustainable materials,

lack of sustainability measurement tools, lack of demonstration project, lack of easily

accessible guidance, lack of technical know-how, persistent skills and labour shortages

[32, 33]. These barriers are considered technical and they have direct impact on the
success of implementation of sustainable construction principles (Rydin et al. [32] stated

that some of the designers in the construction industry lack of confident on sustainable

construction design especially in the developing countries like Nigeria. It is imperative

for the professionals within the built environment to be acquainted with sustainable

construction principles for proper implementation of its practice.

According to Tah [35] and Olajumoke et al. [36] the availability of locally sourced

‘green’ building products, such as advanced glazing systems, proved difficult for many

sustainable construction projects. Products had to be imported from elsewhere in many

cases, either directly by the project team or through a locally approved distributor. A lack

of appropriate guidance appeared to exist for designers in the implementation of

sustainable construction projects. It is important that technical information on sustainable

construction is made available to design professionals in an appropriate format, and to the

contractors ultimately responsible for implementing the design. Access to such

information at an affordable rate was cited as a barrier to the use of such techniques

E. Steering Barriers

A stream of individual engaged in the construction industry ranging from clients to the

builder thus an efficient and effective steering or strategy will have to be involved to

execute sustainable construction. A well organised steering enhanced sustainable

construction. Steering barriers comprises of building codes, government policies/support

and measurement tools and so on. Zhang et al. [39] advocated for a new kind of

orchestrating and pioneering role of the building authorities and other public actors in the

building sector.

F. Inappropriate construction practices

Appropriate construction practice when applied correctly, can reduce the overall

construction burden on the environment and the society at large. Utilization of

sustainable and recyclable construction materials will enhance overall sustainability to

achieve cleaner and safer structures. The sustainable construction methods and materials

are immensely important in a successful sustainable construction. For “practical”

sustainable construction materials and methods, the waste and energy consumption and

the overall life cycle impacts should be minimized. Sustainable construction materials are

also much more efficient to recycle, requiring less energy and efforts in the recycling

process.