Achieving sustainability has received great attention from the researchers in the construction industry. Numerous studies have explored the interactions between the triple bottom line (economy, society, and environment) of sustainability to achieve it. Nevertheless, most studies exist a given assumption that the three subsystems in interactions model are mutually symmetrical and equal. In this research, from the perspective of material reality in the three separate sectors, it is to explore the cause-effect relationships between the triple bottom line of sustainability in the construction industry. First, the hypotheses that represent the relationships between the triple bottom line of sustainability in construction were proposed. Then structural equation modeling approach was adopted to test the proposed hypotheses. The results show that: first, economic development has directly negative effects on environmental performance; second, economic development has positive effects on social progress; third, social progress plays a mediating role between economic development and environmental performance in construction. The research reported in this paper contributes to the improved understanding of the triple-bottom line in construction in terms of environment protection.
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