Iraq’s Construction Industry and the Crucial Need for Development Strategies Which are Sustainable

Abstract

The industries of Iraq have been greatly affected by the prolonged armed conflicts that took place there. These industries including the construction industry have been negatively impacted by the war. Notably through lack of funding, resources and destruction. However, the country is starting to show a positive growth and this in time will enable the construction industry to once again develop and grow with the enormous task ahead of rebuilding the country. One of the many issues that they face is their continuing reliability on the traditional construction methods. These methods are outdated and will not meet the requirements that are needed for the next generation. This research investigates the challenges that lie ahead for the construction industry of Iraq. Whilst also exploring the current challenges that Iraq’s construction industry faces and various sustainable construction practices from the existing literature. The evaluation was carried out through identifying the strengths, challenges and recommendations of the process. The research employs semi-structured interviews as a qualitative data collection method, engaging 16 people from construction companies in Iraq. The analysis and discussion focus on their insights regarding various critical topics, including the challenges encountered in the implementation of sustainable construction practices, the advantages of such practices for Iraq, proposed design features for sustainable housing projects, community and stakeholder engagement, impact measurement strategies for sustainable construction initiatives, and the prospective benefits for the community derived from sustainable housing projects. The study has also linked the challenges that the process is facing in post-conflict Iraq to the political, economic, social and cultural factors that play the greatest role in making this process what it is. The study also shows the complexities that the construction industry faces. This is due partially to its geographical positioning, the country faces an extremely hot land, dry climate and with a prevalent water shortage. In this context, adopting sustainable construction practices becomes. When a war-torn society begins to make changes in   construction and rebuilding, it can bring about changes in the entire society.