Analytical taxonomy of challenges to the implementation of green building projects in South Africa

Abstract

In an effort to promote green building and reduce the consumption of resources for the attainment of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12, there is limited attention to the challenges related to green building in developing nations. This study investigates the challenges of implementing green building in four provinces of South Africa to categorise the key challenges. Drawing from a literature review and a quantitative inquiry approach, primary data were collected from 106 construction professionals with green building experience. This was complemented by descriptive and inferential statistics, namely exploratory factor analysis (EFA). The descriptive analysis using the mean score (MS) ranking technique revealed that higher up-front costs for green building and costs associated with green technologies and materials, and certification for green buildings were identified as key challenges to implementing green building projects. Furthermore, the EFA based on Monte Carlo parallel analysis revealed that the underlying grouped factors for the challenges were: ‘data and motivation management system’; ‘regulatory and steering factors’; ‘inadequate skilled professionals’; ‘behavioural barriers’ and ‘the cost of green building’. The results provide a valuable reference for construction professionals to institute a mechanism for evaluating performance periodically to identify challenges relating to green building projects. It is proposed that early identification of challenges and taking proactive steps to rectify problems is essential for green building to gain a competitive advantage over the traditional construction methods and may subsequently help ensure continual survival in the industry.