Construction Briefs and the Sustainability Agenda: A Scoping Study to Enhance Brief Quality
Dolapo Kate Bajani1, James Olabode Bamidele Rotimi2
- National Industrial Court of Nigeria
- Massey University
Published in Proceedings of the International Conference on Smart and Sustainable Built Environment (SASBE 2024), edited by Ali GhaffarianHoseini, Amirhosein GhaffarianHoseini, Farzad Rahimian and Mahesh Babu Purushothaman. Springer Nature, Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering, volume 591, 2025, pages 534 to 545. DOI 10.1007/978-981-96-4051-5_52.
Abstract
This study explores construction and sustainability, emphasizing the importance of quality briefs from project conception. It highlights resource allocation, logistics, and intelligent design considerations to minimize energy use, water waste, and costs while enhancing structural resilience. The current agenda for sustainable construction underscores the need for whole-of-life considerations that foster harmony between human needs, structural integrity, and environmental sustainability. Thus, this study not only aims to investigate the current state of construction briefs and their alignment with New Zealand’s sustainability agenda but also proposes practical strategies that can be implemented to enhance brief quality within this context, offering a tangible path toward more sustainable construction practices. The study will comprehensively review extant literature and empirical data for the salience of sustainable construction. It will meticulously examine the characteristics and components of construction briefs, as well as the nexus of the principles and indicators of sustainability. By employing this scoping methodology, the research maps out the gaps and opportunities for improving existing construction briefs, ensuring a thorough understanding of the subject matter. The findings will highlight the multifaceted nature of construction briefs, encompassing aspects such as project objectives, stakeholder requirements, and design criteria. The significant challenges identified in the study include the need for more explicit sustainability objectives, enhanced stakeholder engagement, and better integration of sustainability metrics and benchmarks in construction briefs. This scoping study contributes to understanding construction briefs in the context of sustainability and provides practical insights for improving brief quality to support more sustainable construction projects.
Keywords
Session
Presented in Recorded Presentations, Session I, Friday 8 November 2024, 11:00 to 13:30, room WG 201, Auckland University of Technology. Session chair Dr Megan Burfoot.
How to Cite
Bajani, D. K., & Rotimi, J. O. B. (2025). Construction Briefs and the Sustainability Agenda: A Scoping Study to Enhance Brief Quality. In A. GhaffarianHoseini, A. GhaffarianHoseini, F. Rahimian, & M. B. Purushothaman (Eds.), Proceedings of the International Conference on Smart and Sustainable Built Environment (SASBE 2024) (Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering, Vol. 591, pp. 534–545). Springer Nature Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-96-4051-5_52
About the Conference
Presented at SASBE 2024, the International Conference on Smart and Sustainable Built Environment, held in Auckland from 7 to 9 November 2024 and chaired by Professors Ali and Amirhosein GhaffarianHoseini, founders of GDI Academy. The version of record is published by Springer Nature; this page is the conference archive record kept by GDI Academy.