An integrated approach to value management and sustainable construction during strategic briefing in Saudi construction projects

There has recently been considerable concern regarding the degradation of the environment caused by depletion of natural resources, air pollution, global warming and the lack of consideration paid to the earth's ecosystem. The principles of sustainable construction are thus being widely adopted by many countries all over the world. This quest towards sustainable development throughout the world has put a spotlight on the construction industry. Sustainable construction is a major concept underlying a variety of efforts to ensure a good quality of life for the present and future generations. Most developing countries have experienced a fast uptake of urbanisation and the acceleration of infrastructure development, all of which fuel the necessity of establishing sustainable construction principles; this is true in Saudi Arabia as in other countries. This research has carefully investigated the current situation of Value Management (VM) and Sustainable Construction (SC) in the Saudi construction industry in terms of their application, clients' attitudes, barriers to implementation, identification of enablers that could overcome these barriers and improve their implementation, and determination of the level of existent knowledge about both subjects among people who work in the Saudi public sector. It has also defined Sustainable Construction principles in three dimensions, in Saudi Arabia: environmental, economic and social. The research findings have revealed that SC principles are not a major consideration in the Saudi construction industry and many people who work in the Saudi public sector have little or no experience in sustainable development. On the contrary, VM has been applied in the Saudi construction industry for more than three decades and its application is mandatory in all governmental projects funded by the Saudi government. This enables those people who work in the VM sector to possess great experience, skills and knowledge. However, there are a number of barriers that could impede or affect the VM performance in the Saudi construction industry which were taken into account in this research. (Continues...).