Rating the importance of material selection and sustainability criteria in building material selection

Abstract

Material selection is one of the most critical steps in constructing a building that is safe, economical, esthetically pleasing, durable, and functional, and ensuring building sustainability has become an indispensable task nowadays. Multiple options are available for people interested in owning their own residential property: (1) Purchasing finished houses; (2) building their own houses, which entails selection and purchase of building materials; and (3) purchasing unfinished houses and carrying out large-scale renovations. In this study, a survey with 141 participants was conducted to identify the extent of importance our respondents attach to 11 material selection criteria and seven sustainability criteria for building material selection. The survey data were subjected to descriptive and inferential analyses, which revealed no significant difference in the participants’ opinions according to their demographic characteristics. Thus, the results were generalized by determining the relative importance of the criteria. Durability and availability of materials and availability of skilled labor force were identified as the most important material selection criteria. Durability, ease of maintenance, and energy efficiency were determined as the most important sustainability criteria. Although cost is viewed as one of the obstacles to sustainable building construction, more than half of the participants stated that they could bear an additional cost ranging from 5% to 15% for sustainable materials. By comprehensively depicting the perspective of non-professionals, the results of this study provide a crucial reference for the stakeholders of the construction industry.

Keywords

Building material / Inferential analysis / Relative importance / Sustainability

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