A Case Study on the Social Aspect of Sustainability in Construction

The contemporary philosophy of Sustainability is based on three concerns of human ecology: economy, environment, and social equity. The trend today is to make this tri-dimensional concept into a more useable science. Industries generally have well-defined mechanisms for operating under the Economic aspect. While most of them, including construction, have different methods for comprehending the dynamics of the environmental aspect, progress on the social front has been mostly inadequate. This paper focuses on the social aspect of Sustainability in the context of the construction industry and will explore various issues in the life cycle that impacts the applicability of the Sustainability philosophy in general or its social agenda in particular. A case study of an advanced technology facility project catalogues how social sustainability can be part of the project life-cycle through a framework for understanding, formulating and benchmarking the social issues in construction. This research is limited by the case study approach in the Advanced Technology Facility sector, but does provide insight into how social sustainability can affect project outcomes.