Low-carbon innovation in non-domestic buildings: The importance of supply chain integration

Abstract

Low-carbon innovation in non-domestic buildings: The importance of supply chain integration Construction must play a major role in meeting climate change targets, but this will require major changes in industry practice. The sector will need to adopt innovative low-carbon technologies, integrate these within novel building designs and ensure these designs are constructed, implemented and optimised successfully. A likely precondition for this is greater levels of integration within the construction supply chain. While there is evidence that supply chain integration (SCI) can improve project performance and enable innovation, the literature rarely differentiates between different types of innovation and has paid little attention to low-carbon innovation. This paper synthesises insights from three different bodies of literature-construction innovation, low carbon buildings and SCI-to create a typology of low-carbon innovations in non-domestic buildings and to identify conditions and strategies for their successful implementation. It proposes that low carbon innovations are 'building-enhancing' 'integral' and/or 'user-dependent' and their effective implementation requires collaboration, championing and userinvolvement. The paper uses two case studies to illustrate the diversity of mechanisms through which these conditions can be realised. It concludes with some reflections on the methodological challenges of studying this topic, together with the wider implications of the proposed framework for industrial practice and public policy.

Quantitative Analysis of Sustainable Use of Construction Materials for Supply Chain Integration and Construction Industry Performance through Structural Equation Modeling (SEM)

“…Sameer and Bringez (2019) [17] posited that supply chain integration is necessary for construction companies to improve performance and profitability. According to Kesidou and Sovacool (2019) [18], the key principles to be used within the businesses to deal with environmental safety and ethical practices, the supply chain management provides efficient means of supply chain integration.…”

“…The study of Neri (2016) [1] has highlighted that the construction firms of Pakistan have been contributing towards the socio-economic development and provided opportunities for the development and employment of the country. Based on the assessment of Kesidou and Sovacool (2019) [18], there are some issues that have created problems for this sector. Pakistan is a developing country and nearly 30-35% of the country's population is affiliated with construction sector.…”

“…According to the assessment of Papadopoulos et al (2016) [20], the government of Pakistan has invested and planned a major expansion for the infrastructure of the country that requires a sum of nearly the US $36 billion. Similarly, the infrastructure of the water and irrigation systems and other public sectors has also been developed for a better contribution to the country's growth (Kesidou and Sorrell, 2019) [18]. Overall, the country has been making effective progress in the improvement of infrastructure.…”

“…The study of Kesidou and Sovacool (2019) [18] has emphasised the fact that implementing supply chain management within the construction firms is necessary for increasing the overall performance and profitability. According to the assessment of Abebe and Desalegn (2019) [16], the application of supply chain management operations ensures better operations and higher value for the company.…”

Talking about targets: How construction discourses of theory and reality represent the energy performance gap in the United Kingdom

“…Talk in construction is of particular relevance to energy targets, given the influence of construction companies and their subcontractors as important "middle actors" in buildings' energy outcomes (Janda and Parag, 2013), and the well-documented difficulties of communications between the different professions and stages of construction projects (Kesidou and Sorrell, 2018). In response to Janda and Parag, the importance of middle actors to energy use in buildings has started to receive greater recognition by social scientists (Schaffer and Brun, 2015;Wade et al, 2016;Gram-Hanssen and Georg, 2018).…”