NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND

TECHNOLOGY

MSc Construction Project

Management

Sustainable Construction Individual Assignment

STUDENT NAME: Shepherd Nhanga

STUDENT NUMBER: N01910621A

LECTURER: Mr. T. Moyo

Question 02 - Identify and profile an ongoing construction project evaluating the sustainable
construction practices on-site. Recommend detailed strategies that can be taken to ensure
that this current and future construction projects can align to the sustainable construction
requirements.

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Table of Contents
1. Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 3
2. Sustainable Practices on Procurement of Subcontractors & Vendors ................................. 3
3. Sustainable Practices on the Site/Environment ................................................................... 4
4. Material Selection ............................................................................................................... 5
5. Waste Prevention & Recycling Practices ............................................................................ 6
6. Sustainable Construction Methods ...................................................................................... 6
7. Efficient use of Energy ........................................................................................................ 7
8. Sustainable Construction Technologies .............................................................................. 8
9. Health and Safety Practices ................................................................................................ 8
10. Conclusion .....................................................................................................................10
11. References .....................................................................................................................11

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1. Introduction

Kingdom Cathedral Convention is a project located in Eastlea, Harare. The project is a 3 storey
building that comprises of a multipurpose auditorium, offices spaces and public utilities spaces
with included shops, restaurants and entertainment areas. The project is using sustainable
construction practices in order to meet the sustainable development goals as declared in the 2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development (United Nations, 2015). This report seeks to profile all the
sustainable practices and strategies that have been adopted on site and to recommend other
strategies so as to align to sustainable requirements. The sustainable practices on this project
have been employed on the following areas of construction;

a. Procurement
b. Site/Environment
c. Material Selection
d. Waste Prevention and Recycling
e. Efficient use of Energy
f. Construction Technologies
g. Health and Safety

2. Sustainable Practices on Procurement of Subcontractors & Vendors

In order to ensure sustainable practices are easy to implement, the Project Manager developed
a procurement strategy for subcontractors and vendors/suppliers (Riley & Pexton, 2003). The
subcontractors and supplier must have experience and be familiar with sustainable practises.
These strategies have been used on the selection of subcontractors;

a. Procuring of subcontractors that have design-build capabilities. This enhances the ability
to identify sustainable improvements through value engineering.
b. Procuring of sub-contractors with in-house fabrication capabilities. This improves the
awareness of waste reduction and provide more control over delivery schedules.
c. Contracting subcontractors or suppliers that have experience in successfully completing
work on sustainable projects. The experience assists in creating appropriate sustainable
attitude on the project.

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3. Sustainable Practices on the Site/Environment

The main goal of the environmental sustainable practices is to lower the impact of construction
activities on the site and the surrounding environment. The objectives of the sustainable practices
on site are to maintain soil permeability, prevent ground water contamination, preserve natural
vegetation, minimize erosion through sedimentation control and comply with Environmental
Management Agency (EMA) regulations. The following practices and strategies are being carried
out on site;

Site Clearance or Grading

a. The whole site is not to be cleared. The area to be graded or cleared is limited to the
building and parking platforms. The rest of the site vegetation is maintained and will be
landscaped. The top soil will be reused for landscaping.
b. The topsoil removed is stockpiled and protected against storm water erosion by
constructing the stock piles to freely drain surface water (heights of piles are a maximum
of 1.2 metres and slopes of the piles are 2:1 or flatter). During dry weather to stockpiles
are cover to prevent dust or watered.
c. Storm water in wet weather is dispersed using and natural drainage of the site which has
been maintained. This will ensure water flow is not rerouted from natural water courses
and does not flood habitable areas.
d. The contractor has to be conscious of equipment and vehicles emissions. The equipment
and vehicles are not left running unless restart issues are a concern.
e. The removal of trees is limited to the site access and construction area only. The trees on
the rest of the site are maintained. The trees removed are not to be burnt but clean cut
and sold.
f. The areas cleared or graded will be planted with native species of the site after
construction work has been completed.

Foundations

a. The foundations trenching equipment have a designated cleaning and refuelling areas on
impervious surfaces.
b. The excavated material is stockpiled on uphill sides of trenches to prevent surface water
from entering trenches during rainy season.

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 c. The contractor is providing protection against groundwater contamination during water
proofing by using green sealants that prevent penetrations through foundation walls.

Superstructure

a. There is a return policy for unused materials to the manufacturer (e.g. standard size rebar,
standard size steel members or trusses)
b. The environment is to be protected during painting by putting impervious material under
the painting area to avoid ground contamination through spillage. Properly disposal of
paint and varnishes must be as per the manufacturer guidelines.
c. Concrete waste is recycled into base material for roads and parking
d. Signage is provided directing waste and recycling to proper disposal points.
e. Materials are protected from rain and ground water ( this include cement, steel and other
perishable materials)
f. Heavy amounts of waste and scrap produced through interior construction are disposed
to recommended disposal sites.
g. The hydraulic fluid used for elevators is eco-friendly and the ground is protected from
contamination from elevator pit water proofing.

4. Material Selection

The construction site is using environmentally friendly materials that do not harm the
environment. Materials are considered to be sustainable if they are reused or salvaged
materials, have high recycled content, biodegradable, locally manufactured and rapidly
renewable (The International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2012). These
material are to be avoided
a. CFC’s and HCFC’s – these are ozone depleting chemicals in mechanical equipment and
insulation.
b. VOC’s – Volatile Organic Compounds found in paints, coatings, adhesives and sealants
c. Wood treated with Copper Chromium Arsenate (CCA)

The following practices are being implemented on the site;

a. Using geotextiles products manufactured from recycled plastic

b. Using recycled aggregates in concrete
c. Utility poles used are recycled and have safer preservatives
d. The Portland cement concrete used has 25% fly ash substitute

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 e. The contractor is also capitalizing by utilizing high recycled steel from scrap metal
f. Only none- ozone depleting refrigerants are used
g. Fluorescent lighting is used as it consumes less power and lasts longer that incandescent
fixtures.

5. Waste Prevention & Recycling Practices

This prevents or eliminates waste produced on the site during construction. The objects of waste
prevention for the site is to reduce expenditures for materials, lower labour costs when less
material it to be handled or cut, and also decrease in disposal costs. Recycling on the other hand
reduces waste for the landfill, reduced disposal costs. The key actions that are taken for
prevention of waste are;

Material Handling and Purchase

a. Handling and storing material is done a properly recommended by manufacturer to avoid

damage
b. Quantities estimate are to be accurate to reduce waste with an accuracy of -5% to +5%
c. Purchase of pre-cut or prefabricated components is done to reduce cuts to waste

Material Selection

a. The contractor has reduced the use of non-recyclable materials when viable
b. The contractor has also reused jobsite materials such as concrete form work, fencing and
site office cabins
c. He has also salvaged materials from other jobs

6. Sustainable Construction Methods

The use of sustainable construction methods is promoted and being implemented on the site. The
contractor is using methods of construction of temporary structures that allow reuse, such as
screws rather than nails. The contractor has also requested the subcontractors and suppliers to
develop procedures for waste minimization, including supply, delivery, handling, storage,
efficiencies, packaging, protection, pre-cutting and recycling.

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Concrete -Concrete chunks are being used as backfill along foundation walls where
permitted by the Engineer.

Asphalt - Excess asphalt paving is used to fix surrounding roads and drives.

Landscaping - the soils from excavations are used for landscaping.

-the shred vegetation is piled and to be used for composting when

landscaping.

Formwork - the accuracy of formwork is double checked to help reduce amount of

rework/ re-pouring.

Steel - Steel framing is delivered to the site in a precise measure, any site cut-
offs should be recycled.

-the excess rebar is to be used for another job or sold to scrap.

Roofing coverings - the contractor is employing accurate cutting procedures and quantity take
offs to reduce roofing waste (shingles, flashing, sheet metal roofing).

Dry Wall - the drywalls are being ordered to optimal dimensions to minimize cut-off
waste.

-the drywalls are stored flat and level as storing them upright may damage
the edges thus creating waste.

7. Efficient use of Energy

The aim is to reduced consumption of energy during construction period. The benefits of reducing
energy consumption is that it lowers the preliminary and generals costs, saves utility bills and
reduces air pollution. These practices are being implemented on the site for sustainable energy
use;

a. Carpooling and public transport for construction workers is encouraged to the site to
reduce vehicle emissions and fuel use.
b. Equipment and vehicles are not left running when not in use.
c. The contractor is making use of reflective signage rather than lit signage
d. Temporary lighting systems are shut off when on in use

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 e. Natural lighting is used during the day in the site offices, the site offices is designed as to
allow for sufficient natural light during the day.
f. The site makes use of fluorescent bulbs rather than incandescent bulbs for temporary
lighting. Compact florescent bulbs use 75% less energy and last 10 times longer than
incandescent bulbs (City of Santa Monica, 2004).
g. The site office uses a solar system for power.
h. HVAC system in the site offices is turned on when absolutely necessary

8. Sustainable Construction Technologies

The sustainable actions on construction technologies reduce time and waste on various project
administration and construction processes. The following practises are happening on the site;

Documentation

a. E- Paper is encouraged to make multiple copies of drawings and construction documents.

This is most suitable when a lot of changes in the drawings may occur and designs have
not been finalised.
b. Document Management System – Using cloud storage for all project related information
eliminates the need for duplicate copies for the office and the site office and reduces paper
filling requirements. The whole project team also have access to this central repository).

Communication

a. E-mails - Sending letters, minutes and reports through emails reduces the use of paper
on the project.
b. Collaboration Tools – The site uses BIM tools, Microsoft teams and Zoom for meetings
and collaboration. These reduces the need for paper and use of energy needed to travel
to site offices and / meeting offices.

9. Health and Safety Practices

The aims of health and safety practices on site is to improve the life for construction workers,
increase awareness of harmful products and ingredients in order to protect the workers and have
a mandatory use of personal safety equipment.

The following practices are being carried out or have been carried out on the project site;

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a. Health & Safety Plans:
i. A fire control plan has been developed by the contractor and approved by the
Project Manager at the recommendation of a fire specialist.
ii. The jobsite safety & health survey and plan, has been requested from the main
contractor and subcontractors. The contractor and subcontractors have submitted
this plan before implementation of works.

b. Fire Hazards:
i. A fire protection system, emergency exit signage, fire walls have been installed
very early into the project.

c. Hazardous Materials
i. All hazardous material are being used as per manufacturer’s instructions and extra
care is taken on storage and avoidance of spillage of these materials.

d. Safety Compliancy and Safety Risks Management

i. All workers, protect team members and visitors must wear PPE and go through a
safety induction process before being allowed access into the site.
ii. A first aid kit is available always on the site
iii. Tool box meetings and Works Safety Checklists are carried before carrying out
each work package to identify all the possible safety and health risks
iv. A Safety Health Environment and Quality (SHEQ) officer is available all the time
on site to monitor compliancy to the Safety & Health Practices and manage safety
risks.

e. Unprotected Sides, Openings and Other Hazards:

i. Use of guardrail systems – guardrails or fence has been installed on all open areas.
ii. Safety Net – when working on an open joist system, safety nets are installed to
guard against falling debris and other objects.
iii. Fall arrest system – the contractor is utilizing body harnesses and appropriate
devices when workers are working at high elevations. Workers are to be rigged to
prevent free fall when working at heights of more than 4 meters.

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 f. Scaffolding Safety:
i. Scaffolding design must be done by Specialist.
ii. Construction of all scaffolding is being done according to manufacturer’s
guidelines.
iii. Works on scaffolding to be done with fall arrest systems and guard rails.

g. Permanent Works
i. Loads are not to be placed on concrete structure until tested for sturdiness and
certified by the Engineer.
ii. Appropriate shoring and bracing is being used until permanent support is tested
for strength.

h. Lifting Devices.
i. Extra care must be carried by the Contractor not to load a lifting device beyond
capacity.
ii. Loading devices or equipment must be operated by trained and certified operators.

10. Conclusion

Construction activities even though they have shorter timelines than other stages of a building, it
has diverse significant impacts on the project (Ansah & Ametepey, 2015). The construction
practices that are being implemented on this project are meant to reduce the adverse effects of
these activities making the project more sustainable.

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11. References
Ansah, S. K., & Ametepey, S. O. (2015). Impacts of Construction Activities on the Environment:
The Case of Ghana. Journal of Environment and Earth Science, 5(3), 18.
City of Santa Monica. (2004, September 18). Green Building Design & Construction Guidelines .
Retrieved from City of Santa Monica Green Building Program:
http://greenbuildings.santa-monica.org/introduction/introduction.html
Riley, D., & Pexton, K. (2003). Defining the Role of Contractors on Green Buildings .
Construction Research Congress. Hawaii.
The International Institute for Sustainable Development. (2012). The International Institute for
Sustainable Development. Retrieved 07 07, 2020, from http://www.iisd.org/
United Nations. (2015). Transforming our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Developement. Transforming our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Developement. New York: United Nations.
World Commission on Environment and Development. (1987). Our Common Future. Oxford:
Oxford University Press.
Zhou, H. (2009). The simple thought of sustainable development and practice in ancient China.
Li Lun Dao Bao (12), 39-44.

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