Sustainability in the Construction Industry

Abstract

Gulf countries are experiencing rapid economic growth associated with the flourishing and maturity of the non-oil sector during the last three decades. In order to achieve sustainable growth, the federal authorities started promoting the non-oil sectors to reduce their support for oil and gas. The announcement of new high-rise buildings and infrastructure projects will serve the rapid urban development of the nation. In proportion to the flourishing awareness of the sustainable development of its bordering countries, many proactive actions from the government and professional bodies attempt to introduce the sustainability concept to the industry. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has come to be considered an integral part of sustainable building and development, and the uptake of socially responsible activities by the construction industry has risen. This paper reviews the sustainability and CSR in the construction industry to provide some recommendations that should facilitate and enhance the implementation of sustainability in the UAE. A questionnaire was distributed to a random sample of 50 practitioners representing clients, consultants, project managers, contractors, and suppliers. It is identified that the implementation of CSR is related to sustainability and hence examined the key areas of CSR activities in the construction industry through an online survey. The findings of the analysis show that the construction industry is perceiving a growing awareness of sustainability with an informal early-stage development of CSR.