Stakeholder perspectives on waste in construction: global change, contextual issues and industry culture

Abstract

This paper explores stakeholder perspectives on waste in construction with a particular focus on issues of ‘global change’, ‘contextual issues’ and ‘industry culture’ in non-residential building projects. The paper reports on the first of a series of charrettes run as part of the project ‘Reconsidering Sustainable Building and Design: A Cultural Change Approach’ funded by the Australian Research Council. This first charrette involved the recruitment of key stakeholders from a case study building in Adelaide, to discuss issues relating to waste and building life-cycles. The charrette found that the meanings attached to ‘waste’ shift throughout the different stages of building projects and that issues relating to ‘global change’ and other contextual issues were of greater relevance to building stakeholders than might be imagined.