Challenges for implementing biophilic strategies in Australian building design

Abstract

Although biophilic design, particularly, direct nature integration (DNI) strategies like green roofs and green walls are associated with multiple benefits including building occupants’ well-being and carbon sequestration, their adoption in building design is limited in some developed countries like Australia. Architects and building sustainability consultants significantly influence design decisions; however, research focused on exploring DNI adoption barriers from their perspective is limited. Therefore, this research aimed to investigate the challenges limiting adoption of DNI strategies in Australia through the lens of innovation adoption theories. Semi-structured interviews with 24 architects and sustainability consultants focused on identifying barriers stemming from “organisation”, “building client”, “designer”, “innovation”, and “socio-political influencers”. Like in previous studies, “budget constraints” and “maintenance burden” were identified as key barriers in this research, thus, affirming their persisting negative impact on DNI adoption. However, the innovation adoption framework led to identifying new barriers like “builder influence” (socio-political influencers), “employment circumstances” (designer), and “business constraints” (organisation). The new barriers discovered in this research may be relevant to other countries; however, further studies are needed to identify dimensions relevant to other contexts. These studies will benefit from the research framework developed in this research.