Investigating Causes Of Disputes In Green And Sustainable Construction Projects
Abstract
Green and sustainable building practices have increasingly been adopted to address environmental issues associated with traditional construction, such as resource depletion, waste generation, and greenhouse gas emissions. However, incorporating these sustainable practices introduces novel risks, potentially resulting in claims and disputes. While previous research has extensively explored general dispute causation, limited attention has been given to disputes arising specifically from green and sustainable construction and engineering projects. This paper addresses this gap through a multi-step methodology. First, 46 US litigation cases involving disputes in green and sustainable projects were collected and analyzed. Second, network analysis was conducted to identify central factors triggering disputes and to explore the underlying dispute-causation network within green construction and engineering projects. The findings indicate that common causes of disputes in green construction include: (1) design errors and inadequacies; (2) negligence and contractual compliance; and (3) transparency and qualification issues. The dispute causation network analysis highlighted the central role of design errors in triggering disputes related to green construction and illustrated how this factor frequently co-occurs with other dispute causes. Ultimately, the findings assist construction stakeholders in effectively managing the unique risks associated with green construction, thereby facilitating broader adoption of sustainable practices.
Recommended Citation
B. Chammout and I. H. El-adaway, "Investigating Causes Of Disputes In Green And Sustainable Construction Projects," Construction Research Congress 2026 Advanced Technologies Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics in Construction Selected Papers from Construction Research Congress 2026, vol. 3, pp. 266 - 274, American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Jan 2026.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.1061/9780784486986.026
Department(s)
Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering
International Standard Book Number (ISBN)
978-078448698-6
Document Type
Article - Conference proceedings
Document Version
Citation
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2026 American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), All rights reserved.
Publication Date
01 Jan 2026
Comments
Missouri University of Science and Technology, Grant None