Assessing the Capabilities of Saudi Arabia to Implement Sustainability Principles from the Vision 2030 in their Construction Industry

Abstract

Within the contemporary world, there are growing concerns surrounding the implications of human activity on the environment. This stems from the notion that human behaviour and activity has increase the rate of greenhouse gas emissions around the world. Saudi Arabia’s growth and development over the years has been underpinned by the use of non-renewable resources in practice, such as the use of oil. The expected growth in Saudi Arabia of the population and the spatial area further instils these concerns of detrimental human activity. The creation of the Saudi 2030 Vision has developed the idea of sustainability within the country and the construction industry. The latter is globally regarded as the largest contributor of greenhouse gas emission in comparison to other industries. As such, now the Saudi government has placed significant focus in ensuring that the industry becomes more sustainable. The study uses semi-structure interviews, in which the participants were project managers that currently work in Saudi Arabia. The research found that this would largely impact the role of project management in the field, however, it is stated that the project managers within Saudi Arabia are not equipped with the skills and knowledge to conduct this. Moreover, the proposed notion of using green building principles within construction was met with positive feedback, as it adheres to the sustainable principles within the country. Nevertheless, because of the limited nature of awareness and acceptance of green buildings there are a number of barriers that limit the potential rise of this type of building in the country.