Development of indicators for social sustainability attributes across the construction project life cycle

Sustainability in construction refers to the adherence to the three primary pillars of sustainability, which are environmental, economic, and social practices that influence projects' performance. However, the social pillar is still being side-lined and inadequately defined, owing to its subjective nature, which highly depends on the uniqueness of a site and the surrounding culture and community. Consequently, the question that remains unanswered is, what are the social sustainability indicators that should be considered in construction projects, accounting for the different stakeholders across the construction project life cycle? This study aims to establish the indicators of social sustainability in construction projects, further relating those indicators to the various stages of the construction project life cycle. The methods for this study included literature reviews, focus group discussions, and structured interviews. The findings would enable objective assessment of the social sustainability dimension across the construction project life cycle, subsequently assisting industry practitioners to continuously monitor and improve the social aspect of their project towards achieving sustainable construction.