Abstract
Sustainable construction practices (SCP) are increasingly recognised as essential for addressing the environmental, social, and economic challenges in the built environment. This study inves-tigates the awareness and use of SCP among construction and engineering professionals in South Africa, with the objective of evaluating the practices currently in use and assessing the extent of professional awareness across the industry.
A positivist research approach was applied, using a quantitative, cross-sectional survey of 72 professionals in various roles, from all sectors and levels of experience. The survey tool shows high reliability, with a Cronbach’s alpha = 0.895. The findings show that environmental and social practices are well integrated into current construction activities, while the economic di-mension remains underdeveloped. Practises such as environmental impact assessments; emis-sions control; health and safety compliance; and community engagement are widely understood and applied to reflect both regulatory enforcement and established industry culture.
However, the economic aspects such as lifecycle costing; long-term performance monitoring; and sustainability certifications are less consistently implemented, particularly in the post-con-struction phase. While most professionals express a positive attitude toward sustainability and demonstrate a strong awareness, there is still a noticeable gap between understanding the con-cepts and applying them regularly in practice. This gap becomes more evident after project completion, when accountability and follow-through tend to decline.
The study concludes that SCP are well supported and understood in principle, but their appli-cation remains uneven across different phases of the project life-cycle. To address this issue, the study offers a set of recommendations for industry practitioners, government policymakers, and training institutions. These endorsements focus on strengthening economic sustainability, improving lifecycle monitoring, and reinforcing long-term accountability in project delivery and management.
This research intends to make three key contributions. (i) It provides structured, data-driven insights into SCP in South Africa, highlighting both knowledge and application. (ii) It applies established sustainability frameworks to interpret findings across the project lifecycle. Finally, (iii) it offers practical recommendations to improve the consistent use of sustainable practises.
Overall, the study shows that sustainability must move beyond intention and become part of everyday decision-making and long-term planning.