Development of a sustainability index for determining sustainable building construction practices in developing countries: A case study of Uganda

Abstract

The systematic evaluation of sustainable construction practices remains limited by the absence of adaptive, context-specific indices that integrate multidimensional stakeholder perspectives. This study developed a sustainability Index to quantify the relative contributions of environmental, economic, and social variables to sustainable construction practices in developing countries. A quantitative research design was employed, with data collected from 270 construction stakeholders, including contractors, consultants, academics, policymakers, and community representatives, through a structured questionnaire, in Uganda as the case study. The data were analyzed using the Relative Importance Index (RII) to rank sustainability attributes and construct the sustainability index, using the Variable Attribute Factor (VAF) approach based on the top-ranked factors. Environmental factors, notably energy efficiency, waste minimization, and resource conservation, exert the greatest influence, followed by economic factors such as sustainable procurement, cost management, and access to financing. Social factors, including stakeholder participation, health and safety, and equitable design, ranked third. The highest VAF Index values were recorded for Life Cycle Costing (7.4890), Stakeholder Identification and Participation (7.4514), and Material Selection (7.1477). The predominance of environmental factors reflects the increasing material and energy intensity of construction activities, particularly in developing economies. Meanwhile, the secondary role of economic factors indicates that financial feasibility acts as an enabler rather than the primary driver of sustainability adoption. Overall, the study demonstrates that sustainable construction practices are shaped by the interaction of multidimensional variables, highlighting the need for strengthened regulatory frameworks, professional capacity building, and life-cycle-oriented decision-making to support sustainable engineering practices in developing economies.