Factors influencing sustainable construction in Egypt
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3846/jcem.2026.20955Abstract
The concern about sustainable development has become a global goal, and as such, the United Nations has adopted the seventeen sustainable development goals that are targeted to be achieved by 2030. Furthermore, to address the energy and Greenhouse gases (GHG) crisis, the world has moved towards developing policies concerned with rationalizing energy consumption and reducing GHG emissions. The main idea of sustainable construction is to avoid the depletion of natural resources for both the present and future generations. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the factors that prevent and delay the adoption of sustainable construction practices in Egypt. Using the survey method, a questionnaire was filled out by professionals and practitioners in Egyptian construction projects. The findings of this study indicate that the most critical factors affecting sustainable construction in Egypt are the “poor market demand for green and recyclable construction materials”, and “fear of higher investment costs”. The study recommends raising awareness to overcome these factors.
Keywords:
sustainable development, sustainable construction, factors, construction industryHow to Cite
Share
License
Copyright (c) 2026 The Author(s). Published by Vilnius Gediminas Technical University.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
References
Ahmed, A. M., Sayed, W., Asran, A., & Nosier, I. (2023). Identifying barriers to the implementation and development of sustainable construction. International Journal of Construction Management, 23(8), 1277–1288. https://doi.org/10.1080/15623599.2021.1967577
Akadiri, O. P. (2011). Development of a multi-criteria approach for the selection of sustainable materials for building projects. [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. University of Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton, UK.
Ali, A. H., Kineber, A. F., Elyamany, A., Ibrahim, A. H., & Daoud, A. O. (2023). Modelling the role of modular construction’s critical success factors in the overall sustainable success of Egyptian housing projects. Journal of Building Engineering, 71, Article 106467. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2023.106467
Ametepey, O., Aigbavboa, C., & Ansah, K. (2015). Barriers to successful implementation of sustainable construction in the Ghanaian construction industry. Procedia Manufacturing, 3, 1682–1689. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.promfg.2015.07.988
Bamgbade, J. A., Kamaruddeen, A. M., Nawi, M. N. M., Adeleke, A. Q., Salimon, M. G., & Ajibike, W. A. (2019). Analysis of some factors driving ecological sustainability in construction firms. Journal of Cleaner Production, 208, 1537–1545. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.10.229
Banihashemi, S., Hosseini, M. R., Golizadeh, H., & Sankaran, S. (2017). Critical success factors (CSFs) for integration of sustainability into construction project management practices in developing countries. International Journal of Project Management, 35(6), 1103–1119. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2017.01.014
Barbhuiya, S., & Das, B. B. (2023). Life cycle assessment of construction materials: Methodologies, applications and future directions for sustainable decision-making. Case Studies in Construction Materials, 19, Article e02326. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cscm.2023.e02326
Barros, L. B., Knockaert, M., & Filho, J. R. T. (2023). Towards a more sustainable construction industry: Bridging the gap between technical progress and commercialization of self-healing concrete. Construction and Building Materials, 403, Article 133094. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2023.133094
Chakraborty, D., Elhegazy, H., Elzarka, H., & Gutierrez, L. (2020). A novel construction cost prediction model using hybrid natural and light gradient boosting. Advanced Engineering Informatics, 46, Article 101201. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aei.2020.101201
Djokoto, S. D., Dadzie, J., & Ohemeng-Ababio, E. (2014). Barriers to sustainable construction in the Ghanaian construction industry: Consultants perspectives. Journal of Sustainable Development, 7(1), 134–143. https://doi.org/10.5539/jsd.v7n1p134
Ebolor, A., Agarwal, N., & Brem, A. (2022). Sustainable development in the construction industry: The role of frugal innovation. Journal of Cleaner Production, 380, Article 134922. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.134922
Elhegazy, H., Ebid, A., Mahdi, I., Haggag, S., & Abdul-Rashied, I. (2021). Implementing QFD in decision making for selecting the optimal structural system for buildings. Construction Innovation, 21(2), 345–360. https://doi.org/10.1108/CI-12-2019-0149
Elhegazy, H., Badra, N., Haggag, S. A., & Rashid, I. A. (2022). Implementation of the neural networks for improving the projects’ performance of steel structure projects. Journal of Industrial Integration and Management, 7(1), 133–152. https://doi.org/10.1142/S2424862221500251
Elhegazy, H., Ebid, A., AboulHaggag, S., Mahdi, I., & AbdelRashid, I. (2023). Cost optimization of multi-story steel buildings during the conceptual design stage. Innovative Infrastructure Solutions, 8(1), Article 36. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41062-022-00999-2
Elnaggar, S. M., & Elhegazy, H. (2022). Study the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the construction industry in Egypt. Structures, 35, 1270–1277. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.istruc.2021.09.028
Fathalizadeh, A., Hosseini, M. R., Silvius, A. J. G., Rahimian, A., Martek, I., & Edwards, D. J. (2021). Barriers impeding sustainable project management: A Social Network Analysis of the Iranian construction sector. Journal of Cleaner Production, 318, Article 128405. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.128405
Fathalizadeh, A., Hosseini, M. R., Vaezzadeh, S. S., Edwards, D. J., Martek, I., & Shooshtarian, S. (2022). Barriers to sustainable construction project management: The case of Iran. Smart and Sustainable Built Environment, 11(3), 717–739. https://doi.org/10.1108/SASBE-09-2020-0132
Gade, A. N., & Selman, A. D. (2023). Early implementation of the sustainable development goals in construction projects: A Danish case study. Journal of Building Engineering, 79, Article 107815. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2023.107815
Gehlot, M., & Shrivastava, S. (2022). Sustainable construction practices: A perspective view of Indian construction industry professionals. Materials Today: Proceedings, 61, 315–319. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2021.09.493
Hazarika, N., & Zhang, X. (2019). Factors that drive and sustain eco-innovation in the construction industry: The case of Hong Kong. Journal of Cleaner Production, 238, Article 117816. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.117816
He, Z., & Chen, H. (2021). Critical factors for practicing sustainable construction projects in environmentally fragile regions based on interpretive structural modeling and cross-impact matrix multiplication applied to classification: A case study in China. Sustainable Cities and Society, 74, Article 103238. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2021.103238
Jaradat, H., Alshboul, O. A. M., Obeidat, I. M., & Zoubi, M. K. (2024). Green building, carbon emission, and environmental sustainability of construction industry in Jordan: Awareness, actions and barriers. Ain Shams Engineering Journal, 15(2), Article 102441. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asej.2023.102441
Karunasena, G., Rathnayake, U., & Senarathne, D. (2016). Integrating sustainability concepts and value planning for sustainable construction. Built Environment Project and Asset Management, 6(2), 125–138. https://doi.org/10.1108/BEPAM-09-2014-0047
Kinnunen, J., Saunila, M., Ukko, J., & Rantanen, H. (2022). Strategic sustainability in the construction industry: Impacts on sustainability performance and brand. Journal of Cleaner Production, 368, Article 133063. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.133063
Krizmane, M., Slihte, S., & Borodinecs, A. (2016). Key criteria across existing sustainable building rating tools. Energy Procedia, 96, 94–99. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2016.09.107
Mjakuškina, S., Kavosa, M., & Lapiņa, I. (2019). Achieving sustainability in the construction supervision process. Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity, 5(3), Article 47. https://doi.org/10.3390/joitmc5030047
Moghayedi, A., & Awuzie, B. (2023). Towards a net-zero carbon economy: A sustainability performance assessment of innovative prefabricated construction methods for affordable housing in Southern Africa. Sustainable Cities and Society, 99, Article 104907. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2023.104907
Nasereddin, M., & Price, A. (2021). Addressing the capital cost barrier to sustainable construction. Developments in the Built Environment, 7, Article 100049. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dibe.2021.100049
Nilimaa, J. (2023). Smart materials and technologies for sustainable concrete construction. Developments in the Built Environment, 15, Article 100177. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dibe.2023.100177
Oke, A., Aghimien, D., Aigbavboa, C., & Musenga, C. (2019). Drivers of sustainable construction practices in the Zambian construction industry. Energy Procedia, 158, 3246–3252. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2019.01.995
Opoku, A., & Fortune, C. (2013). Implementation of sustainable practices in UK construction organizations: Drivers and challenges. International Journal of Sustainable Policy & Practice, 8(1), 121–132. https://doi.org/10.18848/2325-1166/CGP/v08i01/55360
Opoku, A., Deng, J., Elmualim, A., Ekung, S., Hussien, A. A., & Abdalla, S. B. (2022). Sustainable procurement in construction and the realization of the sustainable development goal (SDG) 12. Journal of Cleaner Production, 376, Article 134294. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.134294
Ortiz, O., Castells, F., & Sonnemann, G. (2009). Sustainability in the construction industry: A review of recent developments based on LCA. Construction and Building Materials, 23(1), 28–39. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2007.11.012
Patel, A., Shelake, A., & Yadhav, A. (2023). Sustainable construction by using novel frameworks using BIM, LEED, and Lean methods. Materials Today: Proceedings. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2023.02.238
Rajabi, S., El-Sayegh, S., & Romdhane, L. (2022). Identification and assessment of sustainability performance indicators for construction projects. Environmental and Sustainability Indicators, 15, Article 100193. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indic.2022.100193
Safinia, S., Al-Hinai, Z., Yahia, H. A. M., & Abushammala, M. F. M. (2017). Sustainable construction in Sultanate of Oman: Factors effecting materials utilization. Procedia Engineering, 196, 980–987. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2017.08.039
Tokbolat, S., Karaca, F., Durdyev, S., & Calay, R. K. (2019). Construction professionals’ perspectives on drivers and barriers of sustainable construction. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 22(5), 4361–4378. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-019-00388-3
United Nations. (2022). Paving the way to sustainable development. https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/947Paving_the_way_final.pdf
Waqar, A., Gultom, M. H., Qureshi, A. H., Tanjung, L. E., & Almujibah, H. R. (2023). Complexities to the deployment of cloud computing for sustainability of small construction projects: Evidence from Pakistan. Ain Shams Engineering Journal, 14(12), Article 102559. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asej.2023.102559
World Commission on Environment and Development. (1987). Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development: Our common future (The Brundtland Report). https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/139811?ln=en
Yao, H., Xu, P., Fu, H., & Chen, R. (2023). Promoting sustainable development in the construction industry: The impact of contractors’ cultural preferences on green construction performance. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 103, Article 107253. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eiar.2023.107253
Yu, T., Shi, Q., Zuo, J., & Chen, R. (2018). Critical factors for implementing sustainable construction practice in HOPSCA projects: A case study in China. Sustainable Cities and Society, 37, 93–103. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2017.11.008
Zhong, S., Elhegazy, H., & Elzarka, H. (2022). Key factors affecting the decision-making process for buildings projects in Egypt. Ain Shams Engineering Journal, 13(3), Article 101597. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asej.2021.09.024
View article in other formats
CrossMark check
Published
Issue
Section
Copyright
Copyright (c) 2026 The Author(s). Published by Vilnius Gediminas Technical University.
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.