Table 1 Summary of advantages and... | Emerald Publishing

Table 1

Summary of advantages and disadvantages of existing main sustainability assessment methods

Method (technique)	Application	Advantages	Disadvantages
LCA	All civil infrastructure and buildings	Applicable throughout the life cycle of projects Applicable for environmental risk management and strategic decision-making	Large data input requirement Very time-consuming process Lack of social impacts consideration
WLC	All civil infrastructure and buildings	Applicable throughout the life cycle of projects Useful for appraisal of future financial needs of projects	Requires considerable knowledge and expertise to use Lack of standardised methodology
BRSs	Mainly applicable to buildings	Multi-dimensional assessment often verified by a third party Normally includes a green building certification scheme	Can be applied only to building construction sector Does not consider the economic (financial) aspects of projects
Ceequal	All civil infrastructure and buildings	Evidence-based assessment Assessment by trained assessor as well as review and validation by an external verifier	Award-focused Lack of a balanced holistic approach (emphasis on environmental considerations)
Halstar	All civil infrastructure and buildings	Based on systems thinking approach A comprehensive database of criteria and indicators	Complicated, time-consuming process Potential for tool fatigue
SPeAR^®	All civil infrastructure and buildings	Flexibility and ability to be modified Not reward-driven No weighting for indicators/criteria	Oversimplified scoring system Very broad and generic indicator sets

Method (technique)	Application	Advantages	Disadvantages
LCA	All civil infrastructure and buildings	Applicable throughout the life cycle of projects Applicable for environmental risk management and strategic decision-making	Large data input requirement Very time-consuming process Lack of social impacts consideration
WLC	All civil infrastructure and buildings	Applicable throughout the life cycle of projects Useful for appraisal of future financial needs of projects	Requires considerable knowledge and expertise to use Lack of standardised methodology
BRSs	Mainly applicable to buildings	Multi-dimensional assessment often verified by a third party Normally includes a green building certification scheme	Can be applied only to building construction sector Does not consider the economic (financial) aspects of projects
Ceequal	All civil infrastructure and buildings	Evidence-based assessment Assessment by trained assessor as well as review and validation by an external verifier	Award-focused Lack of a balanced holistic approach (emphasis on environmental considerations)
Halstar	All civil infrastructure and buildings	Based on systems thinking approach A comprehensive database of criteria and indicators	Complicated, time-consuming process Potential for tool fatigue
SPeAR^®	All civil infrastructure and buildings	Flexibility and ability to be modified Not reward-driven No weighting for indicators/criteria	Oversimplified scoring system Very broad and generic indicator sets