The perception of construction professionals on sustainable building issues in Mexico and Chile

Population growth is directly linked to construction, for this reason it is essential to be efficient with resources, all within a framework of sustainable development, and its adoption within construction processes is an important research topic. While research based on Post-Occupancy Surveys (POE) is a common way to address the issue, little is known about the way in which construction stakeholders perceive and incorporate efficient resource use practices into their activities. This paper shows the results of a Pre-Occupancy Survey (EPO) designed based on the LEED and BREEAM certifications, the Mexican standard NMX-AA-164-SCFI-2013, the Sustainable Building Construction Program (PCES), the Certification of Sustainable Buildings (CES) and Sustainable Construction Standards in Chile (ECSC). The survey was aimed at construction professionals in Mexico and Chile, finding that there is low knowledge and use of sustainable building tactics and it is concluded that the techniques they use are oriented to cost optimization.