The Imperative Need for Sustainable Development Strategies in Iraq’s Construction Industry

Iraq’s economy was devastated by years of war, and so was the case for its industries, including the construction sector. However, the developments in the last few years indicate positive growth, and the construction sector will be instrumental in the country’s economic growth. However, as the construction sector continues to rely on traditional construction methods, the existence of Iraq’s future generation hangs in question, as does the quality of life they would have. This research explores the imperative need for sustainable development strategies in Iraq’s construction industry. Due to its geographical positioning, the country faces a hot and dry climate with a prevalent water shortage. In this context, adopting sustainable construction practices becomes a need of the hour. This research explores the current challenges Iraq’s construction industry faces and various sustainable construction practices from the existing literature. It uses semi-structured interviews as a data collection method from qualitative research to interview 16 participants; nine of them are senior managers, while six are CEOs in Iraq's construction companies. Their responses on issues such as challenges faced in implementing sustainable construction practices, benefits of sustainable construction practices for Iraq, suggested design features for sustainable housing projects, local community and stakeholder engagement, impact measurement for sustainable construction projects, and potential benefits for community from sustainable housing projects have been analysed and discussed in this research.