ABSTRACT
Sustainable development has been adjudged by the majority of researchers and stakeholders as the way to ensure that the world continues to grow in the present and in the future. Despite this revelation, however, many African nations have not keyed into the vision of adopting sustainable design and construction. This chapter investigates the factors responsible for the adoption and non-adoption of sustainable design and construction in the construction industry. The chapter reveals that the factors influencing sustainable design and construction are many and can be conveniently classified in many ways. Some of the classifications that are considered in this chapter are internal, external and management factors; economic, social and environmental factors; materials, energy, water, indoor environmental quality, surrounding environment, and miscellaneous; stakeholders’ involvement, leadership and responsibility; principles and techniques, feedback and building public confidence; the scope and quality of input of resources to sustainable construction projects; the flexibility of design changes to maintenance and variation; the estimation of the cost of design and construction; unforeseen inflation in the prices of materials for sustainable construction; and the management of the size and complexity of sustainable projects. At the organizational level, the factors influencing the adoption of sustainable design and construction are categorized as product, process and business innovativeness; new technology; adhocracy; and market orientation. The final classifications of factors considered are motivating factors and the readiness of stakeholders. The focus of this chapter is to discuss the factors that constitute the various categories that were identified.
