The evaluation of the barrier factors of adopting the use of green buildings and green building practices by construction expert users

With the increasing environmental problems, today's people have undertaken the responsibility of leaving a clean environment for future generations to lead a healthy life. It has become a necessary to develop new approaches for the development of sustainable solutions in the construction sector, as it has a significant share in the use of resources and environmental problems. Green buildings, which are the products of the green transformation movement in the construction sector, are structures that use natural resources efficiently and have the potential to reduce the negative effects of the built environment on the natural environment and human health. To ensure sustainability in the construction sector, it is necessary to adopt and spread green buildings. While green buildings have become a wide application area in developed countries, the literature research reveals that green buildings have a very limited practices area in Turkey and have not yet reached the desired level. The main reason for this situation is the existence of barriers regarding the production and use of green buildings in Turkey. Since the production of green buildings is a process related to the supply-demand balance, the most important actors in this balance are construction experts and users. Although there are studies on the barriers to green building practices in Turkey, there are not enough studies on the barriers to the adoption of green building use. However, no study has been found that evaluates these issues in terms of building expert users, who are the main actors of the process. The aim of this study is to identify the factors that prevent the adoption of green building practices and use. The study covers the barriers in front of green buildings in two different processes, namely the practices of green buildings and their adoption by the user, and evaluating the perspectives of the construction experts, who are the main actors of the process, as well as the green building user, regarding the barriers. In this context, the perspectives of construction experts who work in Istanbul Küçükçekmece Municipality, which is an important green building practices example built in Turkey, and who are therefore also green building users, are evaluated. Within the scope of the research, the survey method, one of the quantitative research methods, was used. A questionnaire was applied to the construction experts, which included the factors that hinder green building practices, classified under four groups as economic and financial barriers, awareness and education barriers, sectoral barriers and political barriers determined as a result of the literature review. The questionnaire also included questions about the factors that hinder the adoption of green building use, which are grouped under administrative and individual barriers. Survey data were analyzed by using Relative Important Index (RII), One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), Independent Sample T-Test in SPSS statistical program. Comparison and evaluation of the findings obtained as a result of the analysis were made. Factors that hinder the adoption of green building practices and use have been identified and suggestions have been made to overcome these barriers. The results of the study show that there are differences in the perspectives of the construction experts on the barriers to green building practices due to their professional experience and green building project experience, but there is no difference in their perspectives on the barriers to adopting the use of green buildings. The results show that the most important barriers to green building practices in Turkey are grouped awareness and education barriers and political barriers. In addition to these barriers, it has been determined that the factor of the high initial investment cost in the economic and financial barrier group is among the most important barriers. When the barriers to the adoption of green building use are evaluated, it has been determined that the individual barriers group has a higher degree of importance than the administrative barriers group. The results of this study are essential for policy makers, construction professionals, users, building management, and other relevant stakeholders to develop appropriate strategies to accelerate the adoption of green building practices and use. The results of the study reveal that the barriers identified in both the practices and adoption of green buildings focus on the lack of support for green buildings policy practitioners and building management, and the lack of knowledge and education in the public. It is envisaged that many of these barriers can be eliminated through education, government support, and green building research. The results of this study provide key information for policy makers, construction professionals, users, building management, and other relevant stakeholders to develop appropriate strategies to accelerate the adoption of green building practices and use. In the light of this information, it is thought that green building practices can be improved and the market demand increase for green buildings in Turkey can be encouraged. Since the data obtained in the study are revealed as a result of a comprehensive literature review, it is expected that the results will also form a basis for other scientific researches to be conducted in this field in the future and contribute to the field of science.