Alex Copping, Noorullah Kuchai, Laura Hattam, Natalia Paszkiewicz, Dima Albadra, Paul Shepherd, Esra Sahin Burat and David Coley
Understanding the supply network of construction materials used to construct shelters in refugee camps, or during the reconstruction of communities, is important as it can reveal…
Abstract
Purpose
Understanding the supply network of construction materials used to construct shelters in refugee camps, or during the reconstruction of communities, is important as it can reveal the intricate links between different stakeholders and the volumes and speeds of material flows to the end-user. Using social network analysis (SNA) enables another dimension to be analysed – the role of commonalities. This is likely to be particularly important when attempting to replace vernacular materials with higher-performing alternatives or when encouraging the use of non-vernacular methods. This paper aims to analyse the supply networks of four different disaster-relief situations.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from interviews with 272 displaced (or formally displaced) families in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Turkey, often in difficult conditions.
Findings
The results show that the form of the supply networks was highly influenced by the nature/cause of the initial displacement, the geographical location, the local availability of materials and the degree of support/advice given by aid agencies and or governments. In addition, it was found that SNA could be used to indicate which strategies might work in a particular context and which might not, thereby potentially speeding up the delivery of novel solutions.
Research limitations/implications
This study represents the first attempt in theorising and empirically investigating supply networks using SNA in a post-disaster reconstruction context. It is suggested that future studies might map the up-stream supply chain to include manufacturers and higher-order, out of country, suppliers. This would provide a complete picture of the origins of all materials and components in the supply network.
Originality/value
This is original research, and it aims to produce new knowledge.
Details
Keywords
Elif Keser Kurşun, Dima Albadra and Stephen Emmitt
Social sustainability (SS) is one of the key pillars of sustainability along with environmental and economic sustainability. Several impact assessment frameworks (IAF) exist to…
Abstract
Purpose
Social sustainability (SS) is one of the key pillars of sustainability along with environmental and economic sustainability. Several impact assessment frameworks (IAF) exist to evaluate sustainability in the built environment, yet SS is often neglected. This paper is the first to investigate the effectiveness of the B-Corp certification scheme as an IAF to promote SS in architectural practice. With almost 3.5 folds increase in the number of B-Corp-certified UK-based architectural offices, in the last two years, and the neglect of the social dimension of sustainability in IAF application; the key question of this research is “What roles does B-Corp play in architectural practice to promote SS in the UK?”
Design/methodology/approach
This research is based on qualitative data collection and thematic analysis. Eight semi-structured online interviews were conducted with B-Corp-certified architectural offices in the UK. The interview questions focused on understanding the offices' B-Corp experiences around three categories: motivations, challenges and changes. Through a coding process, the interviews were analysed to find the similarities and differences between the offices' approaches to SS and their experiences as B-Corps. Keywords were identified and themes with an inductive approach, applying the research question as a lens.
Findings
Data was analysed to understand how B-Corp and its IAF relate to the architectural offices. The study concluded that B-Corp can make it easier to establish inter-actor relationships and B-Corp’s IAF can provide a holistic approach in which architectural offices can better measure their sustainable values by switching the evaluation scale from “building” to “business” unlike common IFAs in the built environment; with these two roles, it can effectively contribute to social sustainability.
Originality/value
It is the first research to introduce the B-Corp certification to the architectural literature. Even though over 90 publications are covering B-Corp in other domains, there has yet to be any research looking at B-Corp-certified architectural offices, its merits as an IAF and limitations. This paper presents novel contributions to the knowledge concerning the assessment of social sustainability in architecture.