Green-Lean conceptual integration in the project design, planning and construction

Abstract

Current competitiveness scenario in which engineering companies act, demands new production approaches, where the environmental variables play a key role. In such a way, the sustainability concept should begin to be managed by all the agents involved: engineers, architects, owners, among others. Sustainability concept, being of general character, has remained in a conceptual context, becoming difficult the development of tools that facilitate its consideration through the entire project life cycle. This study had as purpose to integrate the philosophies of Sustainable Construction, or Green Building, and Lean Construction, the latter employee as the necessary complement to give an analysis baseline focused on the production management. The design, planning and construction stages were defined as the enclosed life cycle, being determined integration vectors by means of the morphological analysis and cross-impact matrix. The vectors with direct relationship for the implementation of the Green-Lean integration were determined. As implementation tool of the Green-Lean integration, Constructability was used which allowed sequencing the construction processes. This conceptual exercise was only applied at design level. As a result, at conceptual level was stated that the tools applied in the project management (Lean Construction and Constructability), give a sound support for the implementation, and future application, of Sustainability criteria in the processes and stages involving the whole project  life cycle.