PROJECT MANAGEMENT OF GREEN BUILDING CONSTRUCTION : OBSTACLES IN ITS PLANNING AND CONSTRUCTION

Abstract

Green building construction is slowly earning a place in Singapore’s construction industry. With augmenting cognizance of environmental issues and growing concern over climate change, sustainable construction is gradually put forth globally. However, local construction of green buildings still encounter impediments as there is a lack of proper project management framework for such projects. Therefore, this study aims to examine the differences between conventional and green building projects and identify the common obstacles encountered during management of green construction projects. Ultimately, building on the research findings, solutions are proposed to overcome these barriers. It is hypothesized that high cost premium of green buildings and the lack of adequate knowledge in green technologies and construction practices are the predominant obstacles. The research was developed through pervasive literature review, survey questionnaires and interview carried out with certified Green Mark Managers and Professionals. The findings revealed that although project cost is the paramount barrier in green building construction management, there is no paucity in sustainable knowledge in local construction industry. To deal with cost related problem, the coverage of government incentives should be widened to include the usage of green products and technologies. Other obstacles such as poor demand in green building can be resolved through public education on green building benefits. A project management framework is specifically developed for green building construction to overcome communication problems amongst project teams and can possibly promote adoption of sustainable construction in future projects. Higher survey response can help improve the accuracy of research findings and the proposed procedural framework can be further developed in detail to ensure its feasibility.