Mikel Zubizarreta

Sustainability assessment methodology for industrial buildings: three case studies

ABSTRACT Few other sectors have such a great impact on sustainability as the construction industry, which has expressed growing concerns in this regard for a long time, mainly focusing on the environmental dimension. The sustainability assessment methodology tested in this study is the Integrated Value Model for Sustainable Assessment – MIVES, applied to industrial buildings. In addition to traditional requirements (environmental, economic, and social), this non-commercial methodology involves other aspects of sustainability that are also important (employee safety, functionality, and corporate image) to establish a means of evaluation. Its reliability is tested here through its application to three case studies. MIVES is an AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process)-based Multi-Criteria Decision-Making methodology that can be applied in any field. In this study, its specific focus is on improvements to sustainability in construction.

Sustainability-Related Decision Making in Industrial Buildings: An AHP Analysis

Few other sectors have such a great impact on sustainability as the construction industry, in which concerns over the environmental dimension have been growing for some time. The sustainability assessment methodology presented in this paper is an AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) based on Multicriteria Decision Making (MCDM) and includes the main sustainability factors for consideration in the construction of an industrial building (environmental, economic, and social), as well as other factors that greatly influence the conceptual design of the building (employee safety, corporate image). Its simplicity is well adapted to its main objective, to serve as a sustainability-related decision making tool in industrial building projects, during the design stage. Accompanied by an economic valuation of the actions to be undertaken, this tool means that the most cost-effective solution may be selected from among the various options.

Innovation evaluation model for macro-construction sector companies: A study in Spain

The innovativeness of the traditional construction sector, composed of construction companies or contractors, is not one of its strong points. Likewise, its poor productivity in comparison with other sectors, such as manufacturing, has historically been criticized. Similar features are found in the Spanish traditional construction sector, which it has been described as not very innovative. However, certain characteristics of the sector may explain this behavior; the companies invest in R+D less than in other sectors and release fewer patents, so traditional innovation evaluation indicators do not reflect the true extent of its innovative activity. While previous research has focused on general innovation evaluation models, limited research has been done regarding innovation evaluation in the macro-construction sector, which includes, apart from the traditional construction companies or contractors, all companies related to the infrastructure life-cycle. Therefore, in this research an innovation evaluation model has been developed for macro-construction sector companies and is applied in the Spanish case. The model may be applied to the macro-construction sector companies in other countries, requiring the adaption of the model to the specific characteristics of the sector in that country, in consultation with a panel of experts at a national level.