Analytical Review of Organisational Factors Affecting the Usage of Sustainable Building Materials in Sri Lankan Construction Industry

Abstract

Sustainable development has been continuously emphasising globally, while Sri Lankan construction industry is debatable whether it is moving toward a sustainable future. This can be considered a topic worth rigorous investigation. Sustainability does not impose a constraint to the construction industry, the building sector has a strong global potential to help protect the environment which is lacking in Sri Lanka. The existing literature revels a deficiency in theoretical and empirical knowledge in the use of sustainable building materials (SBM) in the construction industry. Accordingly, the objective of the paper is to fill this knowledge gap by pursuing to recognise the organisational factors that influence the use of SBM in the Sri Lanka construction industry from the perceptions of the facilities managers. Methodology used to achieve the objectives of this research were by literature review, content analysis and Interview survey (conducted by using purposive sampling method for data collection with twenty highly experienced facilities managers who are registered members of the Institute of Facilities Management Sri Lanka - IFMSL). Findings, indicated prominent three organisational factors (awareness and knowledge, top management commitment and local authority governance) that militate the use of SBM, out of twenty-two identified factors. 

 © 2022 The Authors. Published by Department of Estate Management and Valuation, University of Sri Jayewardenepura.

Keywords: Sustainable Developments (SD), Sustainable Building Materials (SBM), Facilities Management (FM)