From Lean to Green Construction: A Natural Extension

One of the focuses of Lean construction is waste elimination from the construction processes, while creating a culture within the company of continuous improvement. Similarly the focus of Green construction is on the removal of waste from the construction process and in addition it adds an environmental dimension to lean construction. Lean and green construction share a common goal, to eliminate as much waste as possible. Therefore, not producing waste is both the most efficient and cost effective approach to sustainability. Current industry practice shows that lean construction is already the dominant paradigm in factory built home manufacturing, yet its impact on the environment is less understood. This paper uses a case study approach which demonstrates that a natural byproduct of applying lean techniques is the reduction of waste which overlaps with one of the key objective of green building. This case study presents the application of lean production in the wall/partition department of a HUD-code home plant which resulted in a 10% reduction of raw material- reducing wallboard damaged during the construction stage. This paper compares material wastes before and after a Kaizen event performed in the wall/partition department. Lessons learned from this case study are discussed and used to proposed guidelines to integrate lean methodology and green building. Findings from this research will contribute to a better understanding of the applicability of lean strategies in the housing industry and its impact on the environment.