**1. Introduction**

Sixty percent of the most important goods and services that sustain life in the world's ecosystems have been degraded or consumed in an unsustainable manner [1]. As developing countries progress and the population increases, the demand for goods and services will continue to grow [2]. Additionally, humans need a large number of buildings and infrastructure to sustain life and develop civilization. The construction, operation, maintenance and demolition of this infrastructure causes many environmental problems [3]. The construction industry generates negative impacts related to the processes of raw material extraction, material manufacturing, and infrastructure construction, operation and demolition. These impacts can be summarized as the consumption of non-renewable resources, the decline of biological diversity, the destruction of forest zones, the loss of agricultural areas, the destruction of natural spaces, global warming, and water, air and soil contamination [4]. To mitigate this situation, sustainable construction can promote sustainable development that eliminates or mitigates these negative impacts. Essentially, sustainable development is a transformation process

in which the exploitation of resources, the course of investments, the direction of technological development and institutional change are harmonized to improve current and future potential so that human needs and aspirations can be fulfilled [5].

The introduction of sustainable development in construction is a new challenge that seeks to meet people's needs while considering the limited resources of the planet. Through the implementation of sustainable construction strategies, it is possible to contribute to the sustainable development of society and companies alike. To anticipate and adapt to change, the construction industry needs to devote more attention to developing new managemen<sup>t</sup> strategies, techniques and managemen<sup>t</sup> methods by incorporating new practices required by the market, organization, projects and processes. In recent years, authors such as Robichaud and Anantatmula [6] have noted the crucial role of sustainable construction and the need for modern methods to support decision-making processes. Construction firms' late adaptation to new environmental requirements [7] and stakeholders' demands [8] could entail reduced responsiveness and increased decision-making time, potentially resulting in increased costs.

According to the traditional view [9], delays in decision-making entail high costs. In the short run, costs become exponential and prices rise, thus encouraging competition. In the same way, decisions involve more variables that must be considered; associations and interactions among them are necessary to understand the relationship of a sustainable business model, in which the economic value is subject to social and environmental dimensions [10]. This vision of the construction business facilitates a long-term business strategy definition that favors the company's position and business sustainability. For example, Sfakianaki [11] pointed out that long-term recurrent cost reduction and potential increase in asset valuations will be driven by incorporating environmental and social aspects into the business model. Simultaneously, it reverses the cost curve by increasing brand value and conferring competitive advantages while generating business differentiation and mitigating risks.

Sustainable construction is an emerging field that aims both to apply general concepts of sustainable development to conventional construction practices and to propose models and strategies that include new social, environmental and cultural considerations [12]. Although knowledge in this field is continuously expanding, the sustainable model of the construction industry is not ye<sup>t</sup> a standard industry practice.
