The State of Sustainability Best Practices in Construction: A Benchmark Study

Abstract During the last decade, sustainability-related technologies and practices have become increasingly common among construction companies, both in the home office and on the job site. Multiple drivers are fueling this trend, including government policies for sustainability in capital projects and increased recognition of the benefits of sustainable practices in the private sector. However, the extent to which sustainability-related technologies and practices have been adopted by companies in the field has not been systematically documented. This study used semi-structured interviews and field observations to document the sustainability-related practices of 28 construction firms in the eastern United States. The purpose of the study was to benchmark current industry use of construction sustainability best practices. Findings of the study show that most firms have tried sustainability practices in the field on at least some of their projects, sometimes without being aware that those practices were rel...