Moving Toward Sustainable Construction in Kuwait – Developers Awareness

The construction industry and its associated activities significantly impact environment and health throughout the life cycle of a project. Associated environmental issues include global warming, ozone layer depletion, solid waste, air and water pollution, and natural resource depletion all of which are of increasing importance. As the level of construction activity increases in Kuwait, there is a need to create design and construction strategies which will minimize the environmental impact of new buildings. Due to these concerns, the introduction of green buildings along with the concept of sustainable development are considered to offer a potential approach in the construction industry to minimize these concerns and increase potential social and economic benefits. This paper presents the findings from a stakeholder survey conducted in Kuwait designed to investigate both the awareness levels of the local developers and other stakeholders regarding the concept of green construction strategies and also whether these aforementioned stakeholders have absorbed the concept of sustainable construction in their current practices.