Sustainable Construction in Developing and Islamic Countries: From Present Challenges to Future Opportunities
By Dr. Eng. Malik Ali Dongola
Guest Writer | Prepared by Eng. Faisal Musa
Since the beginning of history, the demand for a better life for present and future generations has been one of the fundamental concepts that those interested in the field of building and construction try to apply its technology and strategy in different building systems. Traditional architecture has known for centuries concepts that we today call "sustainable construction" i.e. use of local materials, benefiting from natural ventilation and lighting, designing buildings in harmony with the climate, and reducing resource consumption.
The challenge today is to integrate this expertise with modern technology and safety, quality and efficiency requirements, especially with the increase in global warming and its impact on the ozone layer and desertification, in addition to the beginning of depletion of raw materials of minerals and fuel in the world besides the increase in population in the world and thus increased demand for energy and water consumption.
Hence the definition of sustainability as the ability to secure the needs of the present without affecting the securing of the needs of future generations, through following responsible and environmentally adequate practices regarding resource consumption during the life of the building which begins with design and continues after the completion of construction and operation and requires the use of natural resources at a rate at which nature can renew the consumed resources, and mitigating environmental pollution resulting from human activities.
All these reasons have pushed most countries of the world to adopt the idea of sustainable construction starting from the seventies of the last century after the world felt that economic and environmental shock and attention was paid to the fact that the world's natural resources are limited, therefore the pursuit of sustainable construction to increase the life cycle of natural raw materials and reduce their consumption and increase environmental awareness at the level of countries and governments where technologies used in sustainable construction depend on clean and environmentally friendly materials, which reduces the environmental impact of construction projects and improves people's lives.
And this matter is not limited to developed countries, but is evident greatly in developing countries where rapid population growth, urban expansion, and the increasing need for housing, infrastructure and public facilities, in conjunction with climate change challenges and rising costs of energy, materials and financing, make these countries go through a pivotal stage, in which talking about sustainable construction is no longer an engineering luxury or an environmental trend but has become an economic and developmental necessity that affects the future of the contracting industry and its ability to meet the needs of future generations.
This issue is of particular importance for Islamic countries, which include a large number of developing economies and promising markets in the construction sector, with the huge development needs in these countries, from housing, roads, airports and ports, to schools, hospitals, water and energy networks and new cities.
Sustainability is an Investment, Not a Cost
One of the most concepts that needs to be reconsidered is the belief that sustainable construction necessarily means an increase in the cost of the project which made the most criticized issue about building environmentally friendly buildings is the price especially since modern technologies tend to cost more money.
The truth is that some sustainable solutions and technologies may require a larger initial investment, but the evaluation of the project should not stop at the cost of construction, but should extend to the cost of its entire life cycle, where it was found that the return is ten times what you spend over the entire life of the building, the difference lies between the initial cost versus the life cycle cost of the building where money savings come from more effective use of facilities that lead to lower energy bills.
Sustainability in its reality is an integrated system, which contributes through its ability to save electrical energy consumption, rationalize water consumption, reduce energy used for cooling and heating water in increasing the life span of the building and improving human health and preserving the ecosystem which positively reflects on the economy and productivity. Thus, a building that consumes less energy and water, uses more efficient materials, requires less maintenance, and has a longer operational life, will be less expensive economically in the long run, in addition to its positive impact on the environment and society.
Also, raw materials in construction are often adopted and care is taken to use what is actually present in the surrounding environment and returning to the use of natural materials is the most important characteristic of sustainable construction which reduces actual costs.
Here appears the importance of moving in the contracting sector in our Islamic countries from the concept of "lowest price for implementation" to the concept of "best value throughout the life of the project".
Experiences to Build Upon
The experiences of many developing countries have proven that achieving tangible progress in sustainable construction is possible. Asian and African countries have witnessed expansion in energy and water efficient buildings, use of renewable energy, recycling of construction waste, and benefiting from local materials, besides developing systems and standards for green buildings.
These experiences point to an important fact which is that there is no single recipe for sustainability that is suitable for all countries. What suits a country with large financial and technical resources may not suit a country facing a shortage in financing or skills or supply chains, so the most successful model for developing countries is the model that combines modern standards and local expertise.
Challenges That Cannot Be Ignored
On the other hand, generalizing sustainable construction practices still faces many challenges in developing countries, which stand in the way of applying sustainable construction techniques, as follows:
High initial cost of some technologies: where sustainable construction practices often require in the near term a higher cost than traditional practices, although as we mentioned earlier they save money in the long term and reduce the amount of energy used, in addition to reducing the amount of water needed to operate and maintain the building.
Building codes: Engineering companies and designers still need modern building codes to promote sustainability in buildings, as the codes used are often old and do not contribute effectively to developing practices for this type of construction.
Lack of experience and shortage of specialized competencies: It is one of the main obstacles in developing countries, as many contracting companies do not have full knowledge of sustainable practices that must be followed during building and construction stages, and this makes it difficult to find contractors ready for new building methods.
Debt and financial pressures: Many Islamic and developing countries suffer from high debts, which restricts the ability of governments to finance long-term sustainable construction projects.
Financing challenges: The difficulty of obtaining financing for sustainable construction projects is at the forefront of challenges, as heavy dependence on external financing weakens the ability of governments to formulate independent policies, as donor agendas and conditions are imposed on them, and this leads to a gap between what the population actually needs and what is implemented on the ground.
Unavailability of some sustainable building materials locally: Some countries suffer from scarcity of sustainable building materials and difficulty in finding suitable local alternatives.
Weak governance: Some Arab countries lack effective governance structures to follow up on sustainable construction projects, which leads to weak oversight of implementation and distribution of resources.
Legislation shortcomings: Legislation, standards and their application represent a major challenge. The existence of a green building code alone is not enough; it must be accompanied by clear mechanisms for implementation, economic incentives, and training and qualification programs for contractors, engineers and workers in the sector.
Population pressure: The pressure of population increases in developing countries impedes sustainable development and increases slums.
Political instability: Ongoing conflicts and political instability reduce the ability of governments to plan long-term and increase risks for investments.
And most importantly, sustainability requirements should not turn into an additional burden on contractors, especially small and medium companies. Real transformation requires partnership between governments, contractors, financial institutions, developers, universities and research and training centers.
Future Opportunities for the Contracting Sector in Islamic Countries
The shift towards sustainable construction for the contracting sector in Islamic countries can be seen as a large economic and industrial opportunity and not just an environmental commitment, through the following:
Digital revolution: Generalizing the use of modern construction technology in construction methods in contracting companies and benefiting from digital solutions, digital models, artificial intelligence and improving planning and implementation processes in contracting companies.
Localization of green building materials industry: Developing low-emission construction materials technologies, and expanding recycling of construction waste.
Training national cadres: Training engineering, technical cadres and workers on using sustainable construction method, which creates many job opportunities for youth.
New job opportunities for contracting companies: Generalizing sustainable construction method opens new markets for contracting companies by capturing sustainable infrastructure projects that are increasingly demanded, especially road, bridge, water and sewage network projects.
Attracting clients: Sustainable construction projects usually attract clients who prefer environmentally friendly practices, and there are financial incentives from governments and environmental bodies for projects that follow sustainability practices, which can reduce initial investment costs.
Enhancing international partnerships: Shifting to sustainable construction contributes to cooperation with international organizations interested in generalizing sustainable construction such as (ESCWA, European Union, World Bank).
Developing new financing tools: Adopting the concept of sustainable construction helps develop more suitable financing tools for sustainable projects, so that the contractor gets real incentives when adopting solutions that reduce energy, water consumption and emissions, and also allows sustainable financing and transfer of new expertise in this field.
Empowering youth and local communities: Involving youth and local cadres increases the ability of projects to be resilient and enhances project sustainability.
Enhancing cooperation between Islamic countries: Enhancing cooperation between Islamic countries in this field provides great value for the sector. Instead of each country working individually, experiences and successful experiments can be exchanged, joint training programs can be developed, partnerships between contracting companies can be encouraged, and benefit from engineering and technological expertise available within our countries.
Towards a Shared Vision
Sustainable construction in developing countries is not just an environmental challenge, but is an issue of development, economy and competitiveness, and if we succeed in transforming these principles into policies, projects and practical partnerships, the contracting sector in our countries can be one of the most important drivers of this transformation especially since the volume of projects expected to be implemented in developing and Islamic countries during the coming years and decades makes the decisions we take today extremely important, as the cities, roads, buildings and infrastructure that we build now will remain for decades, and will determine a large part of our resource consumption and the ability of our societies to face future economic and climatic changes.
Hence sustainability is one of the essential elements that national contracting companies must adopt to improve the environment and reduce costs and through adopting sustainability practices in national contracting companies, they will be able to achieve multiple benefits including improving environmental quality, reducing operational costs, and increasing its attractiveness to clients and investors.
Despite the challenges associated with applying sustainability in contracting companies, the long-term benefits make it a strategic choice that is indispensable in the construction industry, and thus contracting companies can play an effective role in preserving the environment and promoting economic efficiency, which contributes to building a better future for future generations.
Hence also, our responsibility as a contracting sector goes beyond implementing projects to contributing to shaping a more efficient and sustainable future, and therefore how much we need today to a common vision based on three interconnected axes: legislation that encourages sustainability, financing that stimulates it, and a contracting sector that has the knowledge and ability to implement it, for the future will not stop building, but the real difference will be in the way we build sustainable facilities and a better future.
