Sustainable Infrastructure Construction and Management

Due to the adverse impacts that conventional construction has on the environment, it is essential that the construction industry transitions to green building practices to achieve national and global sustainability targets. This unit will provide students with a critical understanding of the barriers to sustainable construction practices in the infrastructure sector and the management and communication skills necessary to work towards addressing them. Students will learn to analyse resource consumption and environmental impacts of construction processes and materials, and gain industry-standard knowledge on modern and innovative technologies. Additionally, methods of maximising social outcomes and sustainable procurement models are considered.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:

1. Critically reflect on the role of infrastructure construction and operation on climate change, planetary health, and contribution towards global sustainable development goals;
2. Advocate for sustainability in the construction industry and persuade professionals to strive towards sustainable and innovative practices using advanced communication skills;
3. Assess resource consumption and environmental impacts of different materials used in infrastructure projects through formulation of life cycle assessments;
4. Challenge traditional construction methodologies to adopt modern technology, green materials and optimise resource efficiency; and
5. Evaluate sustainable procurement models for risk minimisation during contractor selection and management to maximise environmental and social outcomes.