Integrating energy efficiency, water efficiency and indoor environmental quality towards advancing sustainable building designs and practices in New Zealand: stakeholders’ perspectives

"How can the integration of Internet of Things (IoT) technology enhance the sustainability and efficiency of green building (G.B.) design?" is the central research question that this study attempts to answer. This investigation is important because it examines how green building and IoT technology can work together. It also provides important information about how to use contemporary technologies for environmental sustainability in the building sector. The paper examines a range of IoT applications in green buildings, focusing on this intersection. These applications include energy monitoring, occupant engagement, smart building automation, predictive maintenance, renewable energy integration, and data analytics for energy efficiency enhancements. The objective is to create a thorough and sustainable model for designing green building spaces that successfully incorporates IoT, offering industry professionals cutting-edge solutions and practical advice. The study uses a mixed-methods approach, integrating quantitative data analysis with qualitative case studies and literature reviews. It evaluates how IoT can improve energy management, indoor environmental quality, and resource optimization in diverse geographic contexts. The findings show that there has been a noticeable improvement in waste reduction, energy and water efficiency, and the upkeep of high-quality indoor environments after IoT integration. This study fills a major gap in the literature by offering a comprehensive model for IoT integration in green building design, which indicates its impact. This model positions IoT as a critical element in advancing sustainable urban development and offers a ground-breaking framework for the practical application of IoT in sustainable building practices. It also emphasizes the need for customized IoT solutions in green buildings. The paper identifies future research directions, including the investigation of advanced IoT applications in renewable energy and the evaluation of IoT’s impact on occupant behavior and well-being, along with addressing cybersecurity concerns. It acknowledges the challenges associated with IoT implementation, such as the initial costs and specialized skills needed.

Green buildings play a crucial role in sustainable development by reducing energy consumption, minimizing environmental impact, and enhancing occupant health and well-being. This review explores the role of policy and regulation in promoting green buildings, highlighting the importance of government intervention in driving sustainable building practices. Government policies and regulations play a pivotal role in shaping the adoption of green building practices. Through a combination of mandates, incentives, and standards, governments can encourage the construction and renovation of buildings that prioritize energy efficiency, water conservation, and environmental sustainability. Mandatory building codes and standards are among the most effective tools governments use to promote green buildings. These codes set minimum requirements for energy performance, water efficiency, and indoor environmental quality, ensuring that new constructions and major renovations meet established sustainability criteria. In addition to mandatory standards, governments also use financial incentives to encourage green building practices. These incentives may include tax credits, grants, or subsidies for building owners and developers who incorporate sustainable design features or achieve green building certifications. Furthermore, governments can influence the market through procurement policies that prioritize green buildings for public projects. By leading by example, governments can create a ripple effect in the private sector, encouraging more developers and building owners to embrace sustainable building practices. Overall, the role of policy and regulation in promoting green buildings is essential for advancing sustainable development goals. By setting clear standards, providing incentives, and leading by example, governments can create an environment where green buildings are the norm rather than the exception, leading to a more sustainable built environment for future generations.

The level of sustainable green practices (energy efficiency, indoor environmental quality, sustainable site planning & management, materials & resources, water efficiency and innovation) among developers is indeed an aspect that needs immediate attention in the non-residential projects in the Klang Valley, Malaysia. Sustainable green practices promotes positive activities that will ensure energy efficiency, water efficiency, fairness, effectiveness, divergence, less disparity, less discrimination, inexpensive, reasonable priced, pleasant design, serenity, mutual comfort and many other characteristics to the future for the construction industry. The developer must converge at a point where no one is short changed due to limitation in the implementation mechanism of sustainable green practices in the non-residential projects. The aim of this research is investigate the extent of sustainable green practices in the Pantai 2 Sewage Treatment Plant. In order to achieve the research aims, the specific objectives of this research is divided into the following sequential steps: identification of the existing sustainable practices implemented in Pantai 2 STP ; Model, assess and compare against common benchmarks the Energy Efficiency for the administrative building; Model, assess and compare against common benchmarks the Water Efficiency for the administrative building; and assessment of the replicability of the sustainable practices for other STP plants. Quantitative and qualitative design were used, in which a total of 381 public respondents with systematic random sampling were employed and a total of eight organizational sampling were used. Briefly the result shows evidence of existing level of energy efficiency, solar power panels for the parking bays, water efficiency from rain water harvest and the utilization of eco-park for public activities. Surprisingly, 87 percent of the respondents reported of not knowing the existence of underground sewage treatment plant at Pantai 2.Keywords: sustainable green practices, non-residential projects, developer, energy efficiency, water efficiency

Sustainable building designs and practices are gaining traction as a blueprint for constructing eco-friendly and economically viable buildings that can enhance the quality of life for occupants. This study presents a comprehensive analysis of the characteristics, drivers and barriers of existing sustainable building designs and practices using the Systematic Literature Review (SLR) process.Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) protocol, 40 characteristics, 63 drivers, and 48 barriers of sustainable building designs and practices were identified, categorised and analysed from peer-reviewed articles (n = 130) published in the Scopus database between 2013 and 2023. Accordingly, the categorised characteristics (i.e., energy efficiency, indoor environmental quality, sustainable sites, water efficiency, economic aspects, material and resources, waste management and social equity), drivers (i.e., financial and economic, environmental protection, policy and government-related, technological, educational awareness, health and socio-cultural, and organisational and marketing) and barriers (i.e., financial and economic, policy and government-related, technological, organisational and marketing, educational and awareness, and socio-cultural) were discussed, and recommendations provided.This study's findings will serve as a crucial benchmark for relevant stakeholders, including governments, investors, building professionals, and researchers, to foster progress in the built environment field and encourage more sustainable approaches to building design and practices.

Despite the numerous benefits of sustainable construction to the climate, it also presents several problems to the professional practice of sustainable building, including awareness, actions, and barriers, particularly in the Jordan construction industry. Accordingly, a study was carried out to examine the level of implementation of sustainable building practices into professional practice, on the other hand, to identify the stage of actions and difficulties of applying sustainable building practices. Methodologically, qualitative and quantitative methods were employed to analyze the proposed objective of the study to ensure the most effective results. Based on survey analysis for the quantitative approach, the study set a descriptive analysis. The findings revealed that there appears to be a decent level of awareness and knowledge across stakeholders. Although, it does not adequately represent the used design and construction processes at present. The findings of this study might fill a critical gap in our knowledge base about the advantages of green building practice, which is lacking in practical research in emerging countries. Encouraging the Jordanian construction industry to incorporate green building specifications into the design and construction of buildings and projects, as well as increasing public awareness of the positive environmental effects of green building, are among several recommendations made in the study. As a result of these findings, it is determined that government must take action to ensure that sustainable green design and building practices are utilized in Jordan.

B&W Y-12 is committed to modernizing the Y-12 complex to meet future needs with a sustainable and responsive infrastructure and to integrating sustainability principles and practices into Y-12 work (Y72-001, B&W Y-12 Environmental, Safety and Health Policy). This commitment to sustainability and specifically sustainable design of buildings is also incorporated into Presidential Executive Orders (EO), DOE Orders (DOE O), and goals. Sustainable building design is an approach to design, construct, and operate facilities in an efficient and environmentally sound manner that will produce a healthful, resource-efficient and productive working environment that is inherently protective of the environment. The DOE has established the following 5 Guiding Principles for High Performance Sustainable Building (HPSB), and has issued directives that require Y-12 to incorporate the principles and a number of supporting specific practices and techniques into building design, construction and renovation projects: (1) Employ Integrated Design Principles; (2) Optimize Energy Performance; (3) Protect and Conserve Water; (4) Enhance Indoor Environmental Quality; and (5) Reduce Environmental Impact of Materials. The purpose of this document is to present the required sustainable building principles, practices and techniques, summarize the key drivers for incorporating them into Y-12 projects, and present additional recommendations and resources that can be used to support sustainable buildings to enhance the environmental and economic performance of the Y-12 Complex.

Critical components of Environmentally Sustainable Buildings Design Practices of office buildings in Ghana

Sustainable or green building design and construction is a technique of rationally using resources to createhealthier, high quality and more energy efficient buildings. Green building technique is about searching forequilibrium between high quality construction and low environment impact. A lighter footprint means the structure is long lasting which is beneficial today, tomorrow and in the long run. We view green building as a goal and process, which means it, combines both materials and processes to maximize efficiencies, resilience and savings. Green building when looked from outside might look the same as conventional building, but it differs in the operational savings including concerns for human comfort, indoor environment and pleasant stay. Green building saves 40-50% energy by reducing C02 emission into the atmosphere. Grey water reuse and harvesting of rain water can save up to20-30% water. We have explored numerous themes and problems in the expanse of sustainable building construction. We collected data on different types of buildings and their importance. Based on the investigations we decided to design a museum, particularly, children’s science museum as a green and sustainable building which has educational, social, environmental benefits. In the present investigation it is explored to find solutions for efficient water management, energy conservation, alternative green materials and resources and improved indoor environment quality in buildings. The project envisions preparing a layout of preliminary theme-museum building. This uses all the site details obtained. So the layout of museum is prepared by listing various spaces, their standing, area calculation, zoning and connectivity. As the future of the nation is shaped by today’s children, it is highly necessary to educate them for sustainable development. Hence the concept of green and sustainable building practices will serve for the upcoming generation.

Sustainable or green building practices have been adopted recently by many higher education institutions for their new campus buildings and major renovations. To date, no formal study has been conducted to determine if policy is essential for sustainable building practices and the implementation of LEED®for these institutional green buildings in North America. A mixed-methods approach consisting of a quantitative survey and qualitative interviews was undertaken with senior facility professionals at higher education institutions in North America. The survey evaluated the institution's use of a policy, guideline, standard, law or goal related to sustainable building practices and the interview identified specific practices as well as issues such as leadership, policy compliance and barriers to adopting sustainable building policies. This paper provides a framework for an institutional sustainable building policy that is suitable to use as a template for senior facility professionals and their specific policy development. This work contributes to a foundation for future research related to sustainable/green building policy development and its application to the higher education sector.

The indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in buildings is vital for health, work efficiency, productivity, and the overall sustainability of buildings. IEQ is governed by four parameters: indoor air quality and thermal, acoustic, and visual comfort. The recent pandemic has compelled people to think beyond energy efficiency and refocus on the health, well-being, and productivity of building occupants. Despite numerous IEQ guidelines and standards, there remains a paucity of systematic research that critically examines the relationship between IEQ and building energy efficiency. This systematic review explores the existing equilibrium and identifies gaps between IEQ standards and building energy codes. Firstly, this review examined the status of the IEQ standards and identified that most of the North American IEQ guidelines cannot achieve energy efficiency targets. Secondly, existing building energy codes were reviewed to determine how well these codes fare with IEQ requirements. It was revealed that the expensive energy certification documents are more focused on IEQ than traditional energy codes. The identified factors indicate that most building energy codes can meet only indoor air quality thresholds (a subset of IEQ), while other parameters are inadequately addressed. This review revealed 19 relationships between IEQs and energy efficiency. Building energy code/IEQ guidelines developers could consider the identified 19 relationships to develop a combined set of guidelines/standards for future building stock. An integration model between IEQ and energy efficiency is proposed as a future research direction to contribute to the better design and construction of modern buildings. The findings will facilitate the construction of healthy and sustainable buildings, and they aim to generate new residential communities that achieve an optimal health–energy–carbon nexus.

The European construction sector plays a critical role in achieving climate neutrality, accounting for nearly 40% of global energy consumption and over one-third of greenhouse gas emissions. EU policy developments – such as the Green Deal, the Climate Law, the Renovation Wave, the EU Taxonomy, and the revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) – increasingly embed sustainability, life-cycle performance, and Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) into mandatory requirements for both new construction and renovation. This paper contextualizes these European trends and presents insights from two national surveys conducted in Croatia: (1) a 2023 survey assessing sustainability awareness among 199 professionals, and (2) a 2025 survey assessing the level of knowledge and implementation readiness regarding Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) and Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) among 62 experts. While the EU has established a comprehensive regulatory and financial framework for decarbonizing the built environment, findings reveal significant knowledge gaps in key areas, including sustainability assessment, regulatory familiarity, IAQ provisions, and life-cycle evaluation – challenges that mirror those reported across Europe. The paper discusses how these gaps may hinder alignment with EU sustainability goals, and it identifies priority areas for professional capacity-building, regulatory uptake, and integration of IAQ into sustainable building design. In this context, the identified regulatory and knowledge gaps, together with emerging EU sustainability requirements, also point to new opportunities for a stronger involvement of environmental engineers in the planning, assessment, and implementation of sustainable building practices across the European construction sector.

The proliferation of sustainable design approaches and assessment methods has resulted in a vast array of indicators. However, this abundance often leads to confusion during interpretation and application. Additionally, rapid urbanization and environmental concerns sometimes overshadow social and economic considerations, emphasizing environmental impact reduction. This study addresses these challenges through an integrated approach that combines a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) with a Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) analysis to provide a holistic model for sustainable building design. The SLR was carried out individually through a relative Structural Query Language (SQL) regarding sustainable building design and vernacular principle. The output of SLR was subjected to DEMATEL model to recognize the holistic indicators interconnection and validate the proposed model. The research identified 23 global indicators for building sustainability worldwide, with five—Energy, Materials & Resources, Sites & Ecology, Indoor Environmental Quality, and Water—emerging as the most prevalent. Additionally, 22 consistently applied indicators in vernacular design practices exhibited significant overlap with those in sustainable design. This model integrated two novel indicators—Vernacular Principles and Social—Culture—with common sustainable building indicators. These primary indicators complement the common and applicable sustainable building indicators, ensuring a balanced approach that considers global contexts. DEMATEL analysis confirmed the validity and interconnection of these indicators, emphasizing the critical role of vernacular principles in achieving true sustainability.

Converting green into good: Pathways from green building practices to social well-being.

The advent of Smart Ventilation, Air Conditioning, and Heating (VACH) systems has markedly transformed sustainable architecture by improving energy efficiency, indoor environmental quality (IAQ), and occupant comfort. This paper underscores the critical role of Smart VACH systems as foundational elements in sustainable building design, promoting energy conservation and environmental stewardship within the built environment. Methodologically, a comprehensive literature review is adopted to examine how Smart VACH systems contribute to sustainability objectives in architectural design. Through a detailed analysis of performance metrics and environmental impacts, the study compares intelligent VACH systems to conventional alternatives, highlighting their superior contributions to energy conservation, reduced carbon emissions, and overall sustainability. Findings indicate that Smart VACH systems not only enhance indoor air quality but also substantially reduce operational costs and extend equipment lifespan, thus lowering maintenance requirements. Moreover, these systems improve occupant health and productivity by maintaining consistent indoor air quality and thermal comfort, factors shown to enhance well-being in built environments. This paper concludes by discussing the limitations of current research and suggests potential areas for further exploration, advocating for wider adoption of Smart VACH systems across diverse architectural settings to strengthen sustainable building practices.

Green building concept is already well established internationally after introduced in 1960s and has gradually spread throughout the world and emphasized more on to energy conserving for office building in 1970s. In Malaysia, the green building concept has been accepted after announcement of 9th Malaysian Plan (2006-2010) in 2006 with focusing more on Renewable Energy (RE) and Energy Efficiency (EE). Furthermore, Malaysia has launched its own Green building Index (GBI) in year 2009. However this GBI is concentrated only on the measurement of green building but not for other aspects of green building such as indoor environmental quality, sustainable site planning and management, and so on. Moreover, the development of green building concept has occurred with limited understanding and guidance, and some cases have added a cost to the development. Therefore, this paper aims to identify factor influencing green building practice in Malaysia as well as to evaluate the behaviour amongst construction industry practitioner towards green building practice. The findings of this research were based on the questionnaires mailed and e-mailed to 75 construction industry companies; Property development company, Contractor company, Architect firm and Property management company within Klang Valley area. The findings have identified independent/government rating system as the main factor influencing construction industry player to undertaking green building practice. The results also revealed that the level of behavior amongst the construction players towards sustainable green building concept is moderate, and property development companies contributed to the highest mean score (mean = 5.06). These results show the willingness of the respondents to participate and committed with the green building development. This will allow recommendations to help ensure more sustainable green building development in Malaysia in the future.