Abstract

The ministry of housing recently developed a new initiative to support the housing sector in Saudi Arabia, which is the building technology stimulus initiative (BTSI). The needs of this initiative arose due to the high demands of housing units. The importance of the BTSI appears on its ability to reduce the construction period time and to provide a better life cycle with reasonable prices. This paper aims to assess the positive and negative aspects of this initiative in social, economic, and environmental sides. It explains how this initiative can fulfillment the kingdom’s vision of 2030. The paper adopts a descriptive analysis of BTSI based on the reports of the Ministry of Housing and the National Vision 2030. The survey was designed to evaluate the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of the BTSI from the perspective of (72) specialists and academics in the scope of housing and building technology. The survey has been analyzed using the SPSS software and the Google Drive charts. The results show that BTSI can help to reduce the period time for housing construction, the use of skilled labor, and increase the high-level professional career opportunities. More, over, The BTSI can provide a healthy environment and reduce visual pollution and waste. In case of mass production, The BTSI contributes to reducing the cost of housing provided by the Ministry of Housing for low-income people. Finally, the paper proposes a gradual transition toward construction technology in the Ministry of Housing projects and the development of policies to motivate the private sector to invest in building technology in partnership with international construction firms.

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