Barriers to the adoption of green certification of buildings

This paper aims to identify the key barriers to the adoption of green certification of buildings in Ghana.,The study adopts face-to-face and telephonic interviews with ten built environment professionals, using a semi-structured interview guide. Qualitative responses to the interview were thematically analysed using NVivo 11 Pro analysis application software.,The findings suggest that “lack of information on existing green buildings”, “lack of incentives”, “conservative nature of Ghanaians”, “lack of active government participation”, “inadequate human resource”, “lack of awareness of the benefits”, “cost and financing” and “lack of legal backing” are the eight key barriers that hinder the adoption of green certification of buildings.,The research is limited to built environment professionals registered with their appropriate professional bodies. The findings cannot be generalized and extended to other developing countries that do not share similar characteristics and context with Ghana.,Practically, this study highlights, for the benefit of the construction industry and the government, the critical barriers to the adoption of green certification of buildings in Ghana. Identification of these barriers provides a pathway for the provision of pragmatic solutions towards the adoption of green buildings in Ghana.,Findings of the research make significant contribution to the debate on the barriers to the adoption of green certification of buildings. Four out of the eight barriers (inadequate awareness of the benefits of green certification of buildings, inadequate human resource, conservative nature of Ghanaian and lack of information on existing green buildings) identified are unique in the context of other related studies and advanced knowledge on the subject matter.

[1]  Baabak Ashuri,et al.  An Overview of the Benefits and Risk Factors of Going Green in Existing Buildings , 2010 .

[2]  Habib M. Alshuwaikhat,et al.  An integrated approach to achieving campus sustainability: Assessment of the current campus environmental management practices , 2008 .

[3]  Xiaoling Zhang,et al.  Green property development practice in China: Costs and barriers , 2011 .

[4]  Carrie B. Webster,et al.  CREATING A MODEL OF SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH THE DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION, AND OPERATIONS OF A NEW HIGH SCHOOL , 2011 .

[5]  Aya Hagishima,et al.  Willingness to pay for improvements in environmental performance of residential buildings , 2013 .

[6]  B. Hwang,et al.  Green building project management: obstacles and solutions for sustainable development , 2012 .

[7]  A. Chan,et al.  Strategies for Promoting Green Building Technologies Adoption in the Construction Industry—An International Study , 2017 .

[8]  Pawel Wargocki,et al.  Ten questions concerning green buildings and indoor air quality , 2017 .

[9]  A. Price,et al.  Achieving sustainability in the construction supply chain , 2008 .

[10]  Annie R. Pearce,et al.  Analysis of State-Wide Green Building Policies , 2007 .

[11]  Albert P.C. Chan,et al.  Critical analysis of green building research trend in construction journals , 2016 .

[12]  R. Parse.  Parse's Research Methodology with an Illustration of the Lived Experience of Hope , 1990 .

[13]  Philip Shapira,et al.  Probing "green" industry enterprises in the UK: A new identification approach , 2014 .

[14]  Jing Huang,et al.  Identifying the critical factors for green construction - An empirical study in China , 2013 .

[15]  Rebecca L. Henn,et al.  Overcoming the Social and Psychological Barriers to Green Building , 2008 .

[16]  Nils Larsson,et al.  Incremental costs within the design process for energy efficient buildings , 2000 .

[17]  Thomas Lützkendorf,et al.  Using an integrated performance approach in building assessment tools , 2006 .

[18]  W. Chigona,et al.  Using diffusion of innovations framework to explain communal computing facilities adoption among the urban poor , 2008 .

[19]  Li Yang,et al.  Green building in China: Needs great promotion , 2014 .

[20]  Patrick X.W. Zou,et al.  Managing risks in green building supply chain , 2012 .

[21]  Cathy Turner,et al.  Green Building Performance Evaluation: Measured Results from LEED-New Construction Buildings , 2008 .

[22]  Abimbola Windapo,et al.  Examination of Green Building Drivers in the South African Construction Industry: Economics versus Ecology , 2014 .

[23]  Wasim Saman,et al.  The impact of niche green developments in transforming the building sector: The case study of Lochiel Park , 2013 .

[24]  J. Elliott,et al.  Introduction to sustainable development , 2021, Sustainable Development Strategies.

[25]  Nazirah Zainul Abidin,et al.  The Challenges of Green Construction in Oman , 2014 .

[26]  U. Flick.  An Introduction to Qualitative Research , 1998 .

[27]  V. Braun,et al.  Using thematic analysis in psychology , 2006 .

[28]  M. Irfan,et al.  Preliminary Study: Explaining the Ten-fold Increase in Remittances to Pakistan 2001-2012 , 2012 .

[29]  N. Denzin,et al.  The Sage handbook of qualitative research, 3rd ed. , 2005 .

[30]  Xiaoling Zhang,et al.  Green strategy for gaining competitive advantage in housing development: a China study , 2011 .

[31]  D. O'Neill.  Environment and development : myth and fact , 2002 .

[32]  Jian Zuo,et al.  Green building research–current status and future agenda: A review , 2014 .

[33]  G. Aliagha,et al.  Perceptions of Malaysian Office Workers on the Adoption of the Japanese Cool Biz Concept of Energy Conservation , 2013 .

[34]  Seoung-Wook Whang,et al.  Balanced sustainable implementation in the construction industry: The perspective of Korean contractors , 2015 .

[35]  Peter Charles Ozolins,et al.  Assessing Sustainability in Developing Country Contexts: The Applicability of Green Building Rating Systems to Building Design and Construction in Madagascar and Tanzania , 2010 .

[36]  Chi Sun Poon,et al.  Quantifying the Impact of Construction Waste Charging Scheme on Construction Waste Management in Hong Kong , 2013 .

[37]  S. Geertman,et al.  The willingness to pay for green apartments: The case of Nanjing, China , 2014 .

[38]  Julie Cidell,et al.  Building Green: The Emerging Geography of LEED-Certified Buildings and Professionals , 2009 .

[39]  Qian Shi.  Strategies of Implementing a Green Building Assessment System in Mainland China , 2009 .

[40]  Ismail Rahmat,et al.  An Investigation of Factors Influencing Design Team Attributes in Green Buildings , 2010 .

[41]  J. Iwaro,et al.  A review of building energy regulation and policy for energy conservation in developing countries , 2010 .

[42]  Patrick T.I. Lam,et al.  The market for green building in developed Asian cities—the perspectives of building designers , 2009 .

[43]  Zhonghua Gou,et al.  Are green buildings more satisfactory and comfortable , 2013 .

[44]  Tarja Häkkinen,et al.  Barriers and drivers for sustainable building , 2011 .

[45]  George Ang,et al.  Dutch performance-based approach to building regulations and public procurement , 2005 .

[46]  John S. Edwards,et al.  Examining the strategy development process through the lens of complex adaptive systems theory , 2012, J. Oper. Res. Soc..

[47]  Policy by Doing: Formulation and Adoption of Policy through Government Leadership , 2014 .

[48]  Wenjuan Wei,et al.  Indoor air quality requirements in green building certifications , 2015 .

[49]  Charles J. Kibert,et al.  Sustainable Construction : Green Building Design and Delivery , 2005 .

[50]  John L. Wilson,et al.  Green Buildings in Australia: Drivers and Barriers , 2006 .

[51]  Albert P.C. Chan,et al.  Critical barriers to green building technologies adoption in developing countries : the case of Ghana , 2018 .

[52]  Michael Deane.  The builder's role in delivering sustainable tall buildings , 2008 .

[53]  Xiaoling Zhang,et al.  Green real estate development in China: State of art and prospect agenda—A review , 2015 .

[54]  Warren L. Paul,et al.  A comparison of occupant comfort and satisfaction between a green building and a conventional building , 2008 .

[55]  I. Mosly.  Barriers to the Diffusion and Adoption of Green Buildings in Saudi Arabia , 2015 .

[56]  Sui Pheng Low,et al.  Green practices in the Chinese building industry: drivers and impediments , 2012 .

[57]  Weerakorn Ongsakul,et al.  ASEAN towards clean and sustainable energy: potentials, utilization and barriers. , 2007 .

[58]  Gregory R. A. Richardson,et al.  Institutional Motivations and Barriers to the Construction of Green Buildings on Campus: A Case Study of the University of Waterloo, Ontario. , 2007 .

[59]  Christina M. Scott-Young,et al.  Project success and project team management: Evidence from capital projects in the process industries , 2008 .

[60]  Yurong Zhang,et al.  Barriers' and policies' analysis of China's building energy efficiency , 2013 .

[61]  Alabi Afees Abolore.  Comparative study of environmental sustainability in building construction in Nigeria and Malaysia , 2012 .

[62]  Kevin R. Hydes,et al.  Reducing mechanical equipment cost: the economics of green design , 2000 .

[63]  Fanie Buys,et al.  Green buildings: A Mauritian built environment stakeholders’ perspective , 2011 .

[64]  Bon-Gang Hwang,et al.  Green business park project management: Barriers and solutions for sustainable development , 2017 .

[65]  Harald Rohracher,et al.  Managing the Technological Transition to Sustainable Construction of Buildings: A Socio-Technical Perspective , 2001, Technol. Anal. Strateg. Manag..

[66]  Buick Davison,et al.  Developing an LCA methodology to account for the environmental benefits of design for deconstruction , 2012 .

[67]  Douglas S. Noonan,et al.  Overcoming Barriers to Efficiency , 2005 .

[68]  Chandra Shekhar Singh,et al.  Green Construction: Analysis on Green and Sustainable Building Techniques , 2018 .

[69]  K. Ali,et al.  Review of Green Building Demand Factors for Malaysia , 2013 .

[70]  Willy Sher,et al.  An integrated approach to BIM competency assessment, acquisition and application , 2013 .

[71]  K. Charmaz,et al.  Constructing Grounded Theory: A practical guide through qualitative analysis Kathy Charmaz Constructing Grounded Theory: A practical guide through qualitative analysis Sage 224 £19.99 0761973532 0761973532 [Formula: see text]. , 2006, Nurse researcher.

[72]  Yupeng Luo,et al.  Delivering green buildings: Process improvements for sustainable construction , 2006 .

[73]  Yu-Ting Tang,et al.  Barriers and policy recommendations for developing green buildings from local government perspective: a case study of Ningbo China , 2018 .

[74]  Bryan Marshall,et al.  Does Sample Size Matter in Qualitative Research?: A Review of Qualitative Interviews in is Research , 2013, J. Comput. Inf. Syst..