Key barriers to green building implementation in South Africa

Date
2024-07
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
WABER SuDBE Conference 2024
Abstract
Due to climate change, South Africa is faced with economic and health challenges. Adopting green building technologies reduces the amount of energy usage, however the implementation of green building in South Africa has been slow. This research aimed to identify the barriers on the implementation of green building and the methods that can be adopted to enhance the growth of green building in South Africa. A qualitative research method was be adopted. The open-ended interviews were conducted with built environment professionals. The main barriers of green building implementation are: initial high cost, lack of awareness, lack of incentives, and resistance to change. Recommendations to enhance the growth of green building practices in South Africa include: updating building codes, expanding training programs, fostering collaboration between the public and private sectors, offering financial incentives, promoting the re-purposing of existing structures, and using performance-based contracts. The paper has highlighted the key barriers of green building implementation in South Africa and developed a database of the relevant studies which can further guide future researchers, stakeholders and policymakers in this area.
Description
This paper was presented at the Proceedings of the WABER SuDBE 2024 Conference, 30th – 31st July 2024, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Keywords
Green building, Qualitative research, Sustainability, South Africa
Citation
Mompati, et al. (2024). Key barriers to green building implementation in South Africa In: Laryea, S. et al. (Eds) Proceedings of the WABER SuDBE Conference, 30 to 31 July 2024, Johannesburg, South Africa 1125-1135.