Abstract
Sustainability and lean concepts can both be applied to the construction industry to help minimize waste. Although both concepts work to alleviate similar problems, organizations struggle to integrate the concepts. This paper examined projects of different sizes and in different environments within the Midwestern United States to determine what aspects hinder the integration of sustainability and lean concepts within the region. Professionals associated with the industry were interviewed to identify sources of waste for lean and sustainable projects. From the case studies, various aspects of waste that exist in construction projects were recognized, and a comparison of the interaction of lean and sustainable concepts was documented. A process for planning throughout the entire construction process was determined so that waste can be reduced and the integration of lean and sustainable concepts is more achievable.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Beheiry, S. M. A., Chong, W. K., and Haas, C. T. (2006). “Examining business impact of owner commitment to sustainability.” Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, Vol. 132, No. 4, pp. 384–392.
Birdi, K., Clegg, C., Patterson, M., Robinson, A., Stride, C.B., Wall, T.B., and Wood. S.J. (2008). “The impact of human resource and operational management practices on company productivity: A longitudinal study.” Personal Psychology, Vol. 61, No. 3, pp. 467–501.
Eriksson, P. E. (2010). “Improving construction supply chain collaboration and performance: a lean construction pilot project.” Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, Vol. 15, No. 5, pp. 394–403.
Hall, M. and Purchase, D. (2006). “Building or bodging? Attitudes to sustainability in UK public sector housing construction development.” Sustainable Development, Vol. 14, No. 3, pp. 205–218.
Horman, M. J., Riley, D. R., Pulaski, M. H., and Leyenberger, C. (2004). “Lean and green: Integrating sustainability and lean construction.” Proc., CIB World Building Congress 2004, CIB, Toronto, Canada.
Howell, G. A. (1999). “What is lean construction?” Proc., 7th Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction, Berkeley, CA, USA
Huang, R.Y., and Hsu, W. T. (2010). “Framework development for state-level appraisal indicators of sustainable construction.” Civil Engineering and Environmental Systems, Vol. 28, No. 2, pp. 143–164.
Hwang, B. G., Liao, P. C., and Leonard, M. P. (2011). “Performance and practice use comparisons: Public vs private owner projects.” KSCE Journal of Civil Engineering, Vol. 15, No. 6, pp. 957–963.
Imbeah, W., and Guikema, S. (2009). “Managing construction projects using the advanced programmatic risk analysis and management model.” Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, Vol. 138, No. 8, pp. 772–781.
Kibert, C. J. (1994). “Establishing principles and a model for sustainable construction.” Proc., First International Conference on Sustainable Construction, CIB, Tampa. FL.
Lapinski, A. R., Horman, M. J., and Riley, D. R. (2006). “Lean processes for sustainable project delivery.” Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, Vol. 132, No. 10, pp. 1083–1091.
Lonngren, H., Rosenkranz, C., and Kolbe, H. (2010). “Aggregated construction supply chains: Success factors in implementation of strategic partnerships.” Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, Vol. 15, No. 5, pp. 404–411.
Low, S.P. and Choong, J. C. (2001). “Just-in-time management of precast concrete components.” Journal of Construction Engineering Management, Vol. 127, No. 6, pp. 494–501.
Mao, X., and Zhang, X. (2008). “Construction process reengineering by integrating lean principles and computer simulation techniques.” Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, Vol. 134, No. 5, pp. 371–381.
Pulaski, M. H., Horman, M. J., and Riley, D. R. (2006). “Constructability practices to manage sustainable building knowledge.” Journal of Architectural Engineering, Vol. 12, No. 2, pp. 83–92.
U.S. Green Building Council. (2011). USGBC: Intro — What LEED is. Available at http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID =1988 (last accessed May 04.2011).
Wang, P., Mohamed, Y., Abourizk, S. M., and Rawa, A. R. T. (2009). “Flow production of pipe spool fabrication: Simulation to support implementation of lean technique.” Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, Vol. 135, No. 10, pp. 1027–1038.
World Commission on Environment and Development (1987). Our common future, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Koranda, C., Chong, W.K., Kim, C. et al. An investigation of the applicability of sustainability and lean concepts to small construction projects. KSCE J Civ Eng 16, 699–707 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12205-012-1460-5
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12205-012-1460-5