Affordable and Sustainable Housing in London Challenges

The construction industry poses both negative and positive impacts on society; making it a principle sector in the advancement of the sustainable built environment. The need to incorporate sustainability has put too much pressure on the construction industry as they strive to improve on what is deemed unsustainable patterns. The UK government has made it a requirement to all stakeholders to deliver projects that address social, economic, and environmental components of sustainability. This paper would be keen to interrogate the key challenges that the UK construction industry faces as they attempt to incorporate affordable and sustainable construction practices (Baloi 290). The need to employ sustainable practices such as re-use, recycling, reduced energy use in the construction industry goes unsaid; however, the rate at which the sector responds to this trend has been slow.

Without despising the gains that the construction industry in the UK has realized so far, it is fashionable to argue that the sector has a long way to go. Different players in the construction industry agree that sustainable housing should remain affordable, and facilitation of affordable housing should not come to existence without consideration of social adaptability, environmental and economic viability (Dowson, Poole and Harrison 296). The objective of this research is to identify the challenges that the UK construction industry faces as it strives to achieve a balance between social progress, current, and future economic sustainability, as well as environmental resource protection against the backdrop of increasing need to maintain affordability. Research question The increasing adoption of sustainable advances in the UK construction industry gains traction through the argument that, such an approach would boost economic viability, adopt socially desirable practices and advance environmental balance in the long.

Therefore, and to this end, this research paper endeavors to answer the following question: What challenges does the construction industry in the UK face in the attempt to integrate sustainable practices in its operations and process, while at the same time maintaining affordability? Chapter II Literature Review The global goal to achieve sustainable development has seen different countries develop an interest in advancing the concept of sustainable housing (Pullen, Arman and Zillante 49). According to National Summit on Housing Affordability, (2013), affordable housing is deemed as housing that assumes adequacy concerning the standard and location for the low-income and middle-income household and whose prices are reasonable enough that such households do not have to struggle to meet other costs associated with cost of living.

Further Stone (2015), asserts that affordability takes shape through tracing the link between housing and the occupants, and it is depended on three questions, that is, who are the reference group when discussing affordability, what level of affordability and for what duration (Stone 153). Sustainable housing encompasses meeting the housing needs of the current generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs (Bakar, Razak, and Abdullah). The implication is that sustainable housing approach would strive to attain the intricate balance between human activities and nature, while at the same time respecting the social and economic system for tomorrow's generation. To this end, the sustainability in housing can only be attained in a context of economic and social viability as well as environmental and technical feasibility.

The house must also promote environmental preservation (through energy efficiency, conservation of water, sun shading, and optimal waste management. Challenges to affordable and sustainable housing Costs of addressing sustainability The financial aspect associated with the implementation of sustainable construction has always stood on the way since players in the sector have to abandon their traditional way of doing things and assimilate new models that are responsive to the tenets of sustainability (Higham 24). The industry players incur high initial costs in an attempt to achieve sustainable building objectives. The cost increase of sustainable development is deemed to range between 2-7 percent compared to the traditional approach of building (Rehm and Ade 201). As much as project developers in the construction sector feel compelled to adopt sustainable procedures and process, often customers procuring the sustainable building are of the opinion that the cost was way too high compared to the standard schemes, and still they found it difficult to buy the idea citing the possibility of lack of demand for such housing models.

This calls for the need to design wide-ranging techniques and tools to guide the process of sustainability. The success of this approach would gain traction through investment in education, training and other strategies that would facilitate publicity. Lack of adequate regulations by the government The government has put forth regulations, policies, and incentives to boost the uptake of sustainable practices in the UK construction industry, however, they are not comprehensive to achieve comprehensive sustainable development. For instance, the enactment of value added tax on refurbishments and not on the new buildings was lacking in the sense that, refurbishment is better placed to achieve environmental sustainability, and this highlights gaps in policy framework (Williams and Dair 136). This calls for refinement in the existing policies and regulations to seal eminent gaps.

The government should have a code captured through well-structured tools that would facilitate economic, social and environmental aspects associated with sustainable housing. (UK Green Buildinng Council 3) The code would cultivate grounds for pursuing outcomes, at key decision points in the entire building lifecycle Resistance to change Embracing the concept of sustainability calls for a shift in attitude, thinking, and practices. This change comes with a lot of sacrifices, which most stakeholders may find a tall order to contextualize. The traditional approaches to construction have been around for long, and contractors have invested heavily with the zeal, therefore, changing them to adopt the new practices induces resistance to change (Sourani and Sohail 233). Factors contributing to such resistance to change include lack of leadership, financing, and guidance to name a few.

A building has a financial implication, and as such, the aspect of cost-effectiveness is of interest to the end-user, owner and the community as a whole (Horton 18). As much as the concept of sustainability is deemed to afford these parties some financial benefits in the long run, contractors executing building project lack a clear path to demonstrating how incorporation of the sustainability would transit from high initial cost to high return on investment in the long run. Project managers, both in private and public sectors, tend to use estimates to make decisions on how much a building will cost over the project its life-time. However, such an approach cannot determine operational and maintenance costs as well as how the investment would continue to live to the occupier’s expectations (Stubbs).

Any design decision cannot be complete without taking into consideration the building materials, choice of construction structure, and other installations. This poses a challenge to the government and other advocates for sustainable housing in the sense that, contractors and project managers are at liberty to employ the technologies of their choice, and the would translate into attainment of different levels of sustainability. The implication is that it would be a tall order to achieve an equitable level of sustainability across the board. A case in point is where contractors apply the concept of prefabricated houses, which cultivates grounds for maximization of energy efficiency, controlling of cost and minimizing cost, and yet not many stakeholders are comfortable with this method (Bakar, Razak, and Abdullah).

Thus, the choice and availability of technology are cited as a challenge for attaining affordable and sustainable housing. Poor leadership The lack of coordinated leadership and management in the area of affordability and sustainable housing has seen the UK industry face slow growth. Funding restrictions to public clients The UK government has been reducing its budgetary allocation on public sector organization, and this impacts negatively on their capabilities to deliver sustainable and affordable outcomes. Further, public organizations face restrictions on their expenditures. A case in point id where the local authorities must seek the advice of financial auditors before implementing any decisions (Department for Communities and Local Government 8). This poses a challenge since most of these auditors are not accustomed to the execution of building projects and their expertise is only limited to managing budgets.

The indication is that the coordination of sustainable development is a couple with leadership and management gaps that hinder the optimal realization of sustainable outcomes. The industry also operates in an environment poised by lack of adequate information, which hinders the extent to which industry players can select sustainable building materials and products. Lack of long-term perspective Some stakeholders in the construction industry fail to see at the bigger picture, and thus, they focus on the substantial initial cost associated with sustainability as opposed to long-term benefits. The implication if that they would lack interest in committing resources towards achieving the objectives of this good course. Private investors tend to go for the lowest cost investment, with an aim to achieve short-term interests, while, on the other hand, the public clients are faced with financial constraints due to small budgets coupled with expenditure restrictions associated with government red tape (Sourani and Sohail 234).

Subcontractors make a significant number of the construction industry, and they operate under limited resources which, impacts on their ability to adopt sustainability practices. The GreenFile was instrumental since it ensures diversity by capturing general sources, scholarly articles, and governmental publications. The database covered parameters ranging from 2011-2018, and this was deemed critical towards narrowing the search to materials that were published after the concept of sustainability was conventionalized and adopted in the constructing industry. It is imperative to note that only journal articles that were published in the English language. The same search terms were applied over the Google general search engine to facilitate the accumulation of grey literature. Further, several practitioner-based assessment protocols were also employed in the study, and they included BREEM communities, LEED-ND, BEST, BSA, ESUCO, EF, DFD, CCM, and CEN/TC 350 among others.

This review would not include any redundant studies. For instance, Mori and Yamashita offer a methodological framework that is applicable to the development of sustainability Index in urban areas. The same framework was employed by Mori et al in an empirical study. Despite the two studies being different they use a framework from the same author, therefore, this review excluded Mori et al to avoid the possibility of double counting of the indicator categories. The review included other studies by different authors using common rating systems such, BREEAM and LEED-ND as a framework, and this was deemed necessary to offer a platform for counting how many authors applied the framing. This was done by use of more general terms such as categories, dimensions, and principles.

Each of these designations was later aligned to research results. The systematic literature made every effort to employ a vast set of studies. However, this review has limitations which include; it only used journal articles traced from the selected databases. Secondly, this review cannot control the incompleteness of the studies and the selective bias associated with its authors since the content analysis was based on the authors reporting. Twenty-five of the articles identified fragmentation if the industry as an impairment to the realization of affordable and sustainability practices within the social, economic and environmental dimensions. Further, thirteen of these articles compounded this issue with the negative perception that sustainability and affordable practices come at a high initial cost. Due to the lack of consistency in the definition of terms, data collected was organized and cataloged by category.

Two of the articles under review indicated a common theme of stakeholders failing to focus on the long-term perspective in the industry. According to the materials the stakeholders tend to focus on short-term gains as opposed to long-term term benefits that come with affordable and sustainable practice. A significant number of authors also were clear of the issue of lack of adequate regulatory framework, and others identified lack of commitment from agencies required to oversee activities around sustainability and affordability practices. All stakeholders should come together to identify any gaps in the policy framework and design solutions that would resonate well with different players in the industry. A policy framework that induces initiatives as opposed to minimum mandatory requirement would go a long way towards ensuring different parties in the industry remain accountable.

Although, the government has some indicator tools in place, how these tools are employed across the board is dependent on the contractors and project owner’s choice. This limits the extent to which they can be deemed effective in achieving a common goal. The literature review and the systematic review process are indicative of a common theme in challenges facing the UK construction industry in pursuit of affordable and sustainable practices. The literature review made it clear that the UK industry could have achieved much in the integration of sustainable practices. However, the many challenges posed by lack of commitment by industry players due to factors such as substantial initial investment cost and inadequate information slow down the process. The government policy and regulatory framework have its limitations since it fails to comprehensively capture the needs and expectations of all stakeholders and link the same to benefits associated with sustainability.

The policy frameworks lean more on the aspect of requiring players in the construction industry to implement minimum and mandatory practices, as opposed to cultivating an environment that advances initiatives by rewarding stakeholders who show commitment on sustainability practices. This is mostly attributable to the perception that sustainable practices require huge capital investment. The affordable and sustainable housing is a long process that cannot be attained with a short-term focus, and thus, it is imperative for the government and other stakeholders to work together to design strategies that help to change perceptions and focus on the long-term benefits. Such strategies include but not limited to incentives and reward schemes that encourage contractors and consultants in the UK building industry to integrate sustainable approaches in affordable schemes.

The lack of commitment from agencies tasked with implementation process in affordable and sustainable housing has seen the industry bend more on the environmental sustainability in the expense of the other two dimensions. Client interests appear to dictate the direction construction company’s take in the implementation of affordable and sustainable approaches, and this cannot be deemed as the best practice since it only captures the interests of a single stakeholder. • The research identifies the use of client interests which focus on environmental sustainability as the measure of incorporating sustainable practices. However, the study recommends that the project managers and contractors must undergo thorough training to enable them to play the advisory role in the market. This would help them to advise clients on the best options in the market, leading to a scenario where affordability and sustainable approaches become commonplace in the building and construction industry.

• The policy gaps identified in the literature and interview process can be tackled through a benchmarking process coupled with research and development in the field. This would offer the government and other stakeholders an opportunity to design comprehensive policy framework that accommodates the best practices across the globe, while at the same time factoring in the needs and expectations of all players in the construction industry. Bakar, Abu, et al. Project Management Success Factors for Sustainable Housing: A Framework. <https://core. ac. uk/download/pdf/11965245. 509&rep=rep1&type=pdf>. Cabinet Office. "Government Construction Strategy. PDF. Davidson, Kathryn and Jackie Venning. org. uk/resources/rethinking-construction-the-egan-report/>. Gunatilake, Sachie. "The Uptake and Implementation of Sustainable Construction: Transforming Policy into Practice. PDF. PDF. Horton, B.

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