Sustainable Construction in Remote Cold Regions: Gathering and Transferring Practical Knowledge

Abstract

This research identifies the sustainable construction techniques appropriate for remote and cold regions; some of the techniques also apply to operations and maintenance. This research developed a method to extract practical knowledge from industry experts with field construction experience in remote cold regions and to categorize and present the knowledge to the contractors and designers who might find it useful. First, the vast body of literature regarding green construction in warm regions was reviewed, and the information was identified that might be applicable to cold and remote regions. A hierarchal taxonomy was developed to categorize the information and reduce it to a form useful for presentation to engineering and construction managers. Then, 22 engineering and construction managers, all familiar with cold regions and remote projects, were interviewed, and the information and the taxonomy were reviewed with them. This process resulted in a set of preliminary guidelines, which was presented at two meetings of construction experts, after which the preliminary guidelines were revised slightly. The final set of guidelines, approximately 16 suggestions and notes, was used to develop a module for university construction management classes, in which knowledge gathered from the practical experts is transferred to the students.