AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF PROFESSIONALISM IN THE KEY DRIVER OF SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION

Abstract

The life-threatening consequences of climate change have forced the world to cast its eyes on the concept of sustainable development for solutions to address the global challenge. Building and construction processes are undeniably liable for the massive consumption of resources and emissions of harmful substances. It is therefore the intent of this study to better associate the construction industry with sustainable development by exploring the concept of sustainable construction, specifically the social dimension, alongside the concept of professionalism. Due to the elusive nature of these concepts, both exploratory and phenomenological approaches are employed to collect data through the narratives and experiences of senior practitioners. Based on the grounded theory analysis, ‘global lens’, ‘autonomy of judgement’, ‘technical expertise’, ‘language of value’ and ‘values and beliefs’ are prominent themes that emerged. Using this result, the study proposes that ‘technical expertise’, ‘language of value’ and ‘values and beliefs’ form the makeup of a professional’s capacity that in turn affects a professional’s judgement. The study further posits three premises that enable professionalism to advance the efforts of sustainable construction: (1) a professional must have a global perspective; (2) a professional must have the autonomy of judgement and (3) professional judgement influences project outcome.