Environmental management in construction: A quantitative approach

by Zhen Chen and Heng Li

The interconnectedness between resources consumption and the activities of individuals in environmental management is often appreciated in qualitative regulations, but sometimes it is not sufficiently recognized in quantitative studies.

Too frequently the implications of how the interaction between all elements of an environmental management system influence the enterprise, project, or process is left only to descriptive prose.

It is only recently that technologies have been developed which enable practitioners to assess potential environmental risks in construction management.

These technologies now allow practitioners to conduct environmentally oriented management with information systems which have knowledge bases embedded within them.

Environmental management in construction presents a quantitative approach to environmental management based on an integration of an effective decision-making model with a knowledge re-use framework and a system for quantifying environmental impacts of construction activities for complex environmental management of construction projects.

Case studies have been provided to illustrate to practical uses of the quantitative methods presented in the book.

The integrated approach to environmental management presented in Environmental management in construction is a very useful contribution to the development of environmental management systems.

It suggests a helpful tool for both academics and practitioners to make progress in avoiding the mistakes of the past and to encourage the promotion of sustainable resource utilization in future construction project management.