MULTI-LAYERED APPROACH TO SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION PRACTICE: A SOCIO-CULTURAL PERSPECTIVES

Abstract

Despite being a party to the formulation and signing of many international conventions and treaties on sustainable construction and development, unsustainable construction practice is still subsisting in Nigeria. This study therefore, examined the relationship between socio-cultural factors and promotion of sustainable construction practice through the social ecological model lens in Nigeria. A questionnaire survey was conducted through stratified random sampling of 675 building contractors, consultants/professionals and clients in South-East Nigeria; from which 426 were retrieved and used for analysis. The data generated through the survey were subjected to descriptive and inferential statistical analyses using SPSS Version 25. The result revealed that the five major socio-cultural factors of public policy, organisational, individual, interpersonal, and community could promote sustainable construction practice. It also revealed that the overall level of implementation of sustainable construction practice is still low. The result further revealed that public policy, organisational and community factors have significant positive relationship with all the dimensions of sustainable construction practice. However, it indicated that individual factors have significant positive correlation with environmental sustainable construction practice only; whereas interpersonal factors have significant positive relationship with environmental sustainable construction practice and significant negative relationship with social sustainable construction practice. The study suggested that the promotion of sustainable construction practice required strong regulatory, institutional and organisational supports, in addition to community shared values and norms and excellent communication network. It also suggested that issues relating to interpersonal factors such as workers-work relationship and workers’ cooperation should be treated with absolute caution otherwise; they can impede the processes of implementing sustainable construction practice.

Keywords: Construction Practice, Culture, Human Behaviour, Social Ecological Model, Sustainable Construction