Abstract
Green buildings (GB) have been globally adopted for sustainable development by enhancing the resource efficiency, reducing the operation cost, and improving the building environment for users. However, little research has systematically explored the key issues of GB in developing countries. This study has revealed the green technical capabilities and barriers to GB in Thailand from the perspectives of consultants, architects, and engineers, using a questionnaire survey and a case study. The results show experience in meeting the combined requirements of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and the green building rating system that Thailand developed in 2010, Thailand’s Rating of Energy and Environmental Sustainability (TREES), and “skilled in energy systems” to be the top two most important green technical capabilities. Barriers to GB mainly arise from financial pressure, technical limitations, and inadequate promotion. “Lack of motivations from owners” and “high initial cost” are ranked as the top two barriers to green building. The results collectively reveal that market demand and technological advancement are fundamental drivers for the GB industry, and the government, economic conditions, education, and corporate social responsibility are the other stimuli for the industry. The findings can help project participants adopt appropriate strategies to boost GB in emerging markets in developing countries. Future policies should focus on increasing market demand, encouraging green technology innovation, and reducing the cost of development and construction of GB.
Highlights
Green buildings (GB) have been globally adopted for sustainable development by enhancing resource efficiency, reducing operation cost, and improving the building environment for users [1]
Before the questionnaire survey was constructed, phone interviews were conducted with two professionals who were familiar with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and Thailand’s Rating of Energy and Environmental Sustainability (TREES) certified projects in Thailand, who both had more than 15 years of experience in the design and construction industry and had participated in more than three green building projects in Thailand
21 projects applied for an LEED certificate, which accounted for 55.3% of the total amount of projects
Summary
Green buildings (GB) have been globally adopted for sustainable development by enhancing resource efficiency, reducing operation cost, and improving the building environment for users [1]. Green building in developing countries in Asia is especially noteworthy, which is an emerging market with fast development [3]. One of the rating systems that is widely used to systematically evaluate the performance of GB in Thailand is the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), which is one of the leading green building rating systems in the world [5]. In addition to LEED, Thailand developed its own green building rating system in 2010, called Thailand’s Rating of Energy and Environmental Sustainability (TREES), which is based on LEED but tailored to the features of Thailand [7]. The number of green buildings applying for TREES is rising fast, demonstrating TREES’ significant role in Thailand’s GB industry [8,9,10]
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