An investigation of the benefits and challenges of adopting alternative building materials (ABM) in the construction industry

The current methods of sourcing materials deplete environmental natural resources, causes climate change, carbon emission and poses health risks to human. The objective of this chapter is to investigate the benefits and challenges of alternative building materials (ABM) in the construction industry. The survey research design was adopted for the study which is quantitative in nature. The study was conducted in Gauteng province of South Africa due to its peculiarity among other provinces. Fifty (50) questionnaires were retrieved out the 98 that were distributed through the convenience sampling technique. The findings of the study revealed that professionals are neutral about the benefits of ABM to the construction industry. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) confirmed that there is no significant difference in the responses of professionals on the benefits of ABM to the construction industry. Moreover, the study indicates that all the challenges investigated in the study were barriers to the adoption of ABM except low profit margin and poor environmental friendliness. The result of ANOVA indicates that there is no significant difference in the responses of professionals on the challenges hindering the adoption of ABM. The chapter concludes that stakeholders are not convinced of the benefits of adopting ABM and this may contribute to its reluctant adoption for construction projects. The chapter also concludes that there are many challenges posing threat to the adoption of ABM in the South African construction industry. The chapter recommends that adequate awareness should be done by professional organizations on the benefits of adopting ABM. Government should also enact strict policies towards adopting ABM for construction purposes. Furthermore, government and professional organizations need to devise ways of overcoming the challenges of ABM identified in this study so that housing backlogs can be substantially improved and the living standards of citizens can be raised.