Introducing a conceptual model for evaluating health safety environmental performance of residential buildings using the fuzzy decision-making approach

Abstract

Today, the issue of the physical and psychological safety of residents of residential buildings and their impact on the environment are major concerns for residents, builders, and sellers of the construction industry. The design and construction with the Health Safety, Environmental (HSE) approach can influence the direct and indirect costs of the construction industry and is considered an important criterion for pricing at a time of sell. Creating models that can demonstrate the degree of adherence of a building to safety, health, and environmental standards can be effective in the usage as well as the physical and mental comfort of residents using that building. Accordingly, the purpose of this research is to provide a conceptual model for determining the performance criteria of buildings with the HSE approach. This study was carried out based on the practical purpose of the research as well as on a descriptive-analytic method. In this study, the factors affecting HSE performance were first determined. Then, Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) method was used in a fuzzy environment to measure cause and effect relationships. The findings of the research suggested that among the factors affecting building performance, the safety of the structure is the most influential factor, and the architectural welfare is the most important factor, which itself is in the category of influential factors and is affected by other factors. Creating structures that can assess the performance of a building with the Health Safety, Environmental (HSE) approach can be an important criterion in making decision at the time of designing, constructing, operating, purchasing, and housing for customers and residents of a building. This issue can be considered an indicator in the construction process. Government agencies, the insurer, and price-setting agent of buildings can also use this model for valuation and rank buildings and defining their premium rates.