MMK226175- SUSTAINABLE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION

CW2

STUDENT NAME: FAYYAZ AHMAD

STUDENT ID: S2227002

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3

Overview of the Country.................................................................................................................3

Amplification of Sustainable Construction.....................................................................................4

Barriers to Sustainable Construction...............................................................................................5

SWOT Analysis...............................................................................................................................5

Strengths.......................................................................................................................................5

Weaknesses..................................................................................................................................6

Opportunities................................................................................................................................6

Threats..........................................................................................................................................6

References........................................................................................................................................7

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Introduction
The fast rise of Oman's people and economy has demanded the construction of residential
structures as they are assessed as having significant significance for growth. Besides, the
building segment has benefited from the expanding infrastructural projects. Sustainable
structures boost the value of life and overall productivity and produce a healthy setting. Building
sustainable structures must be energy-adequate, and choosing materials is crucial (Hang MYLP,
2016). In conjunction with the expanding consciousness of sustainable development, several
practical initiatives from the administrators and specialists attempt to introduce sustainability to
the sector. Despite attempts to encourage sustainable construction, the idea has not been
extensively applied in Oman.

Figure 01: (BURCZYK, 2018)

Overview of the Country

Oman is a nation in southwest Asia, a country in the Middle East with a middle-income economy
that looks to thrive due to the blooming of oil and gas production. Besides, swift growth in the
building industry has been extensively witnessed in the nation. While the nation is deemed to
produce massive levels of carbon dioxide, developing sustainable homes might react the

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construction industry to the problem of sustainable buildings. Sustainable building development
combines green materials, lowers energy consumption, saves water, and preserves the internal
quality of the air (Olefir, 2016). Between 2012 and 2016, manufacturing developments are
estimated to have increased by 9.4% yearly. The government has extensively implemented
sustainable building practices to minimize environmental consequences and decrease energy and
water consumption.

Amplification of Sustainable Construction

Using eco-friendly materials may significantly reduce construction's negative impact on the
natural world. Even more so than just using green materials, sustainable construction practises
may have a significant positive effect on the natural world. As the need for new homes in Oman
grows, many building projects are embracing environmentally responsible construction methods.
As reported, several Omani infrastructure projects have used sustainable building principles
(Kennedy CA, 2015). Oman, a treasury development, investment, and corporate finance
organization focused on the tourist industry, was responsible for establishing the projects.

Figure 02: (Griffin, 2020)

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Moreover, Oman has set up several institutions to facilitate the growth of eco-friendly building
methods. The Research Council (TRC) is a municipal policymaking body and financing
organization established in 2005. The body's mandate includes bolstering Oman's already robust
innovation ecosystem, which has resulted in developing green construction studies. Additionally,
Oman has a Green Building Council and a National Integrated Environmental Policy to advance
environmentally friendly construction practices. To keep up with the soaring demand for homes,
the government has begun investing in renewable energy sources like wind and solar (Lee J,
2021).

Barriers to Sustainable Construction

However, there are still several obstacles to overcome before green buildings can be fully
implemented in Oman. To begin, there is limited availability for environmentally friendly
building practices in both the private and government sectors. The low demand for
environmentally friendly structures is partly caused by the lack of understanding among
construction consultants. Second, the government does not exert enough pressure to encourage
the construction of environmentally friendly structures. The government seems to have a
lackadaisical attitude toward supporting environmentally responsible building practices, resulting
in a sluggish growth pace. Third, a significant financial investment is required to build
sustainably (Piemontese L, 2020). In particular, most stakeholders and judgment calls are put off
by the initial expenses associated with acquiring recycled resources. A further contributor to
increased costs is the rise in labour, designs, and implementation prices.

The fourth issue is that people don't know enough about eco-friendly building materials.
Stakeholders' struggles may be summed up in one word: sustainability. Furthermore, negative
prior experiences cast a shadow on sustainable building practices. Fifth, an ongoing problem in
eco-friendly buildings is the ineffective application of green regulations. Investors are
discouraged from selecting sustainable choices during development when regulations are
ineffective. As a final point, the contractors lack experience with environmentally friendly tools.
This is due to an absence of technical understanding and a lack of experience with goods,
systems, components, and designs.

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SWOT Analysis
The SWOT analysis considers internal and external elements that may affect the company. The
possibilities and risks that come from outside the organization are external forces.

Strengths
 With a rising population and thriving economy, Oman has a fantastic chance to increase
the number of green structures in the country.
 New consumption trends and market shifts are examples of outside influences shaping
opportunities (Lee J, 2021).
 The country's building sector is sustained by its oil resources, political stability, extensive
diversification plans, and position between Europe and Asia's massive consumer markets.

Weaknesses
 The first problem is that the distances imports must travel sometimes too great, forcing
designers to settle for lower-quality locally available materials.
 Second, Oman lacks the infrastructure required to meet the LEED/BREEAM project's
criterion, like recycling centres.
 Lastly, the cost-benefit analysis of achieving a higher quality without the possibility of
the more approachable criterion becoming expensive leads to a decline in the attainable
standard.

Opportunities
 Green Environment which supports the sustainable construction in Oman.
 Materials and other requirements are easily available for the processing of construction
designs.

Threats
 Along with a shortage of contracts, problems with cash flow cause payments to be late,
and a scarcity of financial services all plague Oman's construction sector.

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 REFERENCES
 Hang MYLP, M.-H.E.L.M.Y.A., 2016. We are designing integrated local production
systems: a study on the food-energy-water Nexus. J Clean Prod, p.1065–1084.

 Kennedy CA, SIFA, 2015. Energy and material flow of megacities. Proc Natl Acad Sci U
A, 112(19), p.5985–5990.

 Lee J, T.O.K.K., 2021. The scale and drivers of carbon footprints in households, cities,
and regions across India. Glob Environ Change, 66(102205), pp.0959-3780.

 Olefir, 2016. Assessment of import dependence of the Ukrainian food market. Econ
Forecast, 4(9), p.1–105.

 Piemontese L, C.G.F.I.B.J.L.H.H.N.B.E.J.F., 2020. Estimating the global potential of

water harvesting from successful case studies. Glob Environ Change, 63(102121).