TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION: ASCERTAINING AWARENESS LEVEL OF BUILT ENVIRONMENT PRACTITIONERS ON PROPERTIES OF GEOMEMBRANES

Awareness of the properties of sustainable materials by built environment practitioners is a key driver of sustainable construction, as it informs the selection of sustainable materials for sustainable construction. However, little is known about country-specific studies that have investigated the awareness level of built environment practitioners, who are key actors in sustainable construction, on the properties of geomembranes, a sustainable material. Thus, this study sought to establish the awareness level of built environment practitioners in Ghana on the properties of geomembranes for sustainable construction using civil engineers and construction technologists as an example. Structured questionnaire aided data collection. Data were analyzed using frequency, percentage, standard deviation, and relative significance index based on the responses of 185 civil engineers and construction technologists. The respondents generally demonstrated a low level of awareness of the properties of geomembranes, recording a group RSI score of 0.589. This has implications for the realization of Sustainable Development Goal 12(8) by 2030 within the construction industry. The findings of this study contribute to country-specific literature on the awareness level of the properties of geomembranes for sustainable construction. Specifically, it informs policymakers and industry stakeholders in policy enactment geared toward the realization of sustainable construction.