Analysis of Success Factors in Construction Projects under Consideration of Sustainability: A Literature and Legal Approach

Success of construction projects will be affected by changing law and policy. In construction, where much money is at stake, risks must be calculated very carefully to finish the construction project with success. Nowadays, social impact of buildings, engineering ethics, and, in particular, environmental sustainability become increasingly important topics in construction, driven by current law and policy, especially in the European Union. The aim of the recently started research project is to find out if and how risks resulting from current changes in law and policy, with focus on sustainability, will be considered in construction project management. In the first step, the authors reviewed legal regulations as well as political considerations, and analyzed relevant research literature. The results are summarized in this paper. They can be a basis for a deeper risk analysis and the elaboration of solutions for how to deal with these challenges in construction contract design and project management. During their research, the authors studied relevant current European and German law and policy as well as scientific articles from the databases Web of Sciences and Scopus. The conclusion from the detailed literature analysis is that there is a need for more and deeper research to identify risks for sustainable construction projects resulting from law and policy and for developing strategies to manage them.