The construction industry is a significant contributor to the economy of the United States. By most estimates it generates about $879 billion dollars in annual revenue (NIST 1998, US Census Bureau 2000) and directly employs approximately 7 million people (US Census Bureau 2002, US Department of Labor 2002). The construction industry creates the physical infrastructure for the nation that forms the foundation of the economic activity and other essential activities in our lives. By some estimates, the structures produced by the construction industry represent over 62% of the nation's wealth (NIST 1999, NIBS 1996). Therefore, continuing improvements in the efficiency and productivity of the United States construction industry can have significant impact on the national economy. However, the deleterious impact construction has on the surrounding environment is well documented (e.g., Tan and Thirumurthi 1978; Shields and Sanders 1986; Barrett, et al. 1995 and Hendrickson and Horvath 2000). Research must be conducted to develop new means to minimize these impacts. This workshop will unite construction and environmental groups in academia and connect them with industrial and regulatory input to develop a 'construction and the environment' research plan for the future. The two-day workshop will allow for the interaction of concerned professionals over the key topics facing the construction industry as it focuses on environmental protection and future sustainability issues. The workshop will produce clear recommendations for future research in the area to include suggested timelines and prioritization of these research efforts. The report generated by this workshop will not only aid the National Science Foundation in its research agenda, it will also serve as a tool for other organizations interested in promoting new research in these areas. INTELLECTUAL MERIT: The workshop lays the foundation for a new research agenda focused on construction and the environment that can be implemented by the National Science Foundation. The shaping of the research priorities for the future is critical to advance the current state of practice in environmentally sensitive construction. The workshop will provide the basis for further research and education into such areas as the study of innovative on-site storm water management and construction utilizing improved eco-materials that are currently unavailable. The workshop committee is composed of a diverse set of academics uniquely qualified for this particular research. All of the committee members have a civil engineering background with extensive experience in either the environmental disciplines or construction related practices. Additionally, workshop participants will encompass a wide range of intellectual expertise including the regulatory and implementation viewpoint of the issue. BROADER IMPACT: In addition to direct benefits to both the environment and the construction industry, the workshop will aid in developing an understanding of barriers to realizing the benefits of such collaborations and the diffusion of the ideas generated into diverse industry sectors. Also valuable insights in balancing research and educational activities will be developed. The workshop will result in providing direct benefits to approximately 20 industry professionals from across the country, graduate and undergraduate students. The research plan produced by this workshop will also have profound effects on the research community for the next decade. One of the thrusts of the worship will be to synthesize the research agenda with an education effort. This will assure the availability of a workforce ready to embrace environmental issues in the construction industry and become "champions" of environmentally sound construction. As the field matures, information disseminated from these research programs will work its way into classrooms and texts, leading to an engineering workforce educated in this field and more sensitive to issues related to construction and the environment.
