Sustainable Building Construction Practices and Occupants' Level of Satisfaction

The construction industry consumes enormous energy and emits greenhouse gases (GHG) dueto the intensity of its activities. This study assesses the level of incorporation of sustainability inthe design and construction of buildings and the extent to which sustainable constructionpractices influence occupants’ level of satisfaction. Through a cross-sectional research design,a survey of one hundred (100) construction professionals was conducted. A structuredquestionnaire was developed and used as an instrument for primary data collection. A total ofeighty (80) questionnaires were successfully retrieved and the data were used for the study. Thedata were processed and analysed with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences(SPSS) version 26.0 and R programming language. Frequency tables and relativeimplementation index (RII) were used for the descriptive statistic while the ggpairs plot andSpearman correlation analysis were utilised to analyse the study’s hypothesis. The results showthat the ease of access in and out of building construction sites and downsizing on the use ofincandescent bulbs and replacing them with energy-saving bulbs are the most oftenimplemented sustainability practices in building design and construction phases respectively.There is a significant positive correlation between sustainable practices and the satisfaction ofbuilding occupants. The study concludes that the current sustainability practices onconstruction projects are economically driven. The study recommends the advocacy andenlightenment of construction stakeholders on the need to sustain efforts at incorporating sustainability features in the design and construction of buildings.