A REVIEW OF LEAN CONCEPT AND ITS APPLICATION TO SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION IN THE UK

Abstract

The UK Government has recognised the importance of the construction industry in achieving the overall
goals of sustainable development. Therefore the Government has put several policies and strategies in place
to achieve a more sustainable construction. Sustainable construction is considered as the application of
sustainable practices and sustainable development principles to the activities of the construction sector.
Lean construction is a new production philosophy which has the potential of bringing innovative changes in
the construction industry. The Lean principles focus on the minimisation of both material and process
wastes which in turn contribute to sustainable construction in terms of energy consumption and
improvement in health and safety etc. This study aims at exploring the concept of sustainable construction
and examines how the lean approach can impact on the sustainability practices within the construction
industry. The study uses literature review to achieve the stated aim. The findings revealed that the
application of lean construction principle, tools and methods have direct contributions to the attainment of
sustainable practices within the construction industry. However, the study postulates that the better
understanding of lean concept, proper implementation and integration of lean and sustainability concepts
are required for lean construction to contribute to sustainable construction.
Keywords: Lean construction, Sustainable Construction, Sustainability