*Corresponding Author ([email protected])
Perceptions and Barriers to the Construction of Green Buildings (GB) in Bangladesh
Fariha Ishrar Khan1, Mashura Shammi2*
1Graduate Student, Department of Environmental Sciences, Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
2Professor, Department of Environmental Sciences, Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
(Received: 4 March 2022, Revised: 24 April 2022, Accepted: 28 June 2022, Online: 30 June 2022)
Abstract
As the sustainable building construction concept is at its peak right now, Bangladesh is attempting to keep up with the world's pace by pursuing green building to combine environmental and health safety policies with the construction sector. This study aims to identify the general perceptions of green building among construction professionals and focus on their awareness of the obstacles to its growth while determining policy gaps with their recommended measures. A questionnaire survey was prepared based on the Liekart scale, and key informant interviews were conducted among the building construction professionals. Relative Importance Index (RII), as well as the qualitative analysis, was done respectively. RII calculation on the general perceptions, constraints, and measures to erase the difficulties found that aesthetics increase, air quality improvement, and energy efficiency were the highest-ranked perceptions; lack of government incentives, building owners' unwillingness, and dearth of sustainable environment awareness were the key constraints against green building development in Bangladesh which could be obviated by growing awareness about sustainability in the construction sector, incorporating green building construction topic at the academic level, providing government incentives and funds and strict enforcement of green building policies by the authorities, among many more. While critical steps for the construction industry, such as sustainability, are already included in policies, this perception study indicates that they are not being implemented correctly due to a lack of stringent enforcement rules. As Bangladesh progresses in creating an eco-friendly, sustainable construction industry by overcoming present hurdles, perceptions of green building popularisation and barrier identification may be helpful for further research.
Keywords: Environmental sustainability, LEED certification, Green building technologies, Energy efficiency, Relative Importance Index (RII).
Introduction
Environmental sustainability in today's world is a crucial issue. As per NASA's report, the growth in CO2 alone is anticipated to raise the world average temperature by around 4.5 degrees Fahrenheit by 2050. CO2 emitted from energy-related usage, which in 2012 was 32.3 billion metric tons, is expected to rise to 43.4 billion metric tons by 2040 (Zhang et al., 2019). Buildings absorb the most natural resources (Neill, 2020). Building materials play a crucial part in ensuring that a structure is long-lasting. These materials include cement, concrete, and brick, all of which have a considerable carbon footprint during production (Assure Group, 2022). CO2 emitted from manufacturing
building supplies such as tiles, glass, and concrete is higher than in any other sector. On a global scale, the building construction sector consumes a disproportionate share of primary energy and natural resources, making it the culprit for generating 38% of total energy-related CO2 emissions globally (Neill, 2020). It is liable for 30% of the world's resources, 15% of freshwater withdrawals, one-fourth of all forest consumption, and 40–50% of all water pollution. Furthermore, it accounts for 40% of the total solid waste generated (Zhang et al., 2019). International Energy Agency (IEA) believes that CO2 emissions from direct construction must be cut by half by 2030 at a 6% rate each year (Neill, 2020).
Bangladesh's building industry is responsible for a substantial amount of the country's total greenhouse gas emissions. As a result, if we truly would like to accomplish the 5% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, we must not neglect this industry (Bhattacharjee, 2021). A variety of research on energy-saving solutions has been conducted worldwide to lessen reliance on primary energy for buildings. In the present day, there is a greater demand for sustainable building construction (Jamal et al., 2018). The global green industry movement is a principal contributor to sustainable industrial growth (Reza et al., 2017). The typical building style has a detrimental influence on the local environment, natural balance, and public health, but the green building is aimed to reduce that adverse influence (Chowdhury & Hossain, 2021). The purpose of green building is energy and water efficiency, temperature control, the air quality of the indoor environment, and waste reduction. Green buildings consider the user's health and comfort as well (Aktas & Ozorhon, 2015). The notion of sustainable design is a method of bridging the gap between construction and the environment in terms of making our structures eco-friendlier and energy- efficient (Chowdhury & Hossain, 2021). It focuses on reducing natural wastage and optimizing substance use. Green building construction is the process of developing structures and employing eco-friendly and resource-efficient ways during the whole life cycle of a project. It consists of building planning, construction, demolition, management, advancement, and rebuilding (Kaizer, 2020).
Green building improvement research can be followed back to the vitality emergency during 1960s, which impelled vital research and exercises to move forward vitality productivity and diminish environmental degradation (MacNaughton et al., 2018). As environmentally concerned professionals and individuals are driven to create green buildings to avert global ecological deterioration, the idea of becoming green comes to mind (Chowdhury & Islam, 2022). Buildings that are green certified must fulfil requirements to minimize their environmental impact by reducing energy, waste, and water use (MacNaughton et al., 2018). The Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Technique (BREEAM) was the first GB rating system. It was created in 1990 by the Building Research Establishment (BRE), United Kingdom. It provided a structured framework for analysing the installation and effectiveness of GBs. Following this, government or third-party organizations in several nations created detailed GB assessment methods to improve building quality (Zhang et al., 2019). Some of the rating systems are Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM), Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), WELL, Fitwel, Green Globes, Green Star, BEAM PLUS, Energy Star, Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) (Dunne, 2020). At present, there are about six hundred green rating systems globally. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standard is the most frequently utilised green building certification globally. It was
created by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). In 2000, USGBC issued the first edition of LEED (MacNaughton et al., 2018). Figure 1(a) shows One Angel Square, the first building to get a BREEAM 'outstanding' rating in the UK. Its environmentally friendly features contribute to an 80% decrease in carbon emissions and a 50% significant decline in energy use (Duddilla, 2013).
The existing building construction strategies currently used in Bangladesh are inefficient regarding water and energy. In Bangladesh, only 62% of the population has access to power, which is insufficient (approximately 7000-8000MW) for such a densely packed country. Furthermore, between 46 and 50 percent of this energy is spent in residential structures, putting significant strain on meeting the power demand. The country's power output and consumption have nearly tripled in the last decade. Consequently, companies are using gas, coal, oil, and other fossil fuels to generate energy, releasing greenhouse gases and polluting the environment. Numerous industries, such as rod factories, cement factories, stone, and brick industry, still mills, etc., are intertwined with the building construction sector (Hassan et al., 2016). Bangladesh has had a significant requirement for building development to satisfy the needs of its growing population. To meet this problem, the government must examine its techniques for planning and constructing buildings, as buildings can inevitably account for most global energy use (Chowdhury & Islam, 2022).
Following the 2013 Rana Plaza catastrophe, when a multi-story garment manufacturing building collapsed, and 1130 people were killed, the sector has seen some substantial adjustments.
Consequently, worldwide garment companies compelled this industry to meet environmental and Occupational Health and Safety standards. As a result of this development, the rating system for green buildings has been widely implemented to meet the demands of overseas purchasers (Saba et al., 2019). Green building construction in Bangladesh may significantly reduce a building's reliance on electric energy and minimize the environmental degradation by focusing on siting and structure design efficiency, energy efficiency, water efficiency, materials efficiency, indoor environmental quality enhancement, operations, and maintenance optimization, waste reduction (Hassan et al., 2016). Also, green buildings designed are created with the health and safety of their residents in mind. Figure 1(b) shows Saiham Tower, a building in Gulshan 1 with LEED platinum certification, a true 'green' building in the country. The facility can cut roughly 40% of the energy required for the structure. The building produces very little heat because of its architecture and the materials utilized. The glass is silver coated on both sides, allowing natural light to pass through, but the coating absorbs the heat. As a result, it's cool indoors. So, the air conditioning is set at 27 degrees Celsius, saving bills on power usage. The structure also collects rainwater, which is collected through separate chambers. For instance, hand-washing water may be repurposed for plants by first purifying it and then releasing it in a manner that is not damaging to the environment.
Bangladesh Green Building Council was created in 2008. They brought together all of the key players on one platform to unite toward a shared target of turning the country "greener." A unified council for green buildings that could grant LEED certification to any firm or project that applied for it was proposed. This accreditation has established the ideal standard for green building rating systems worldwide throughout the years. With the help of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Housing and Building Research Institute (HBRI) published a "Recommendation for Green Building Code" in 2012. Its goals include energy efficiency and minimizing the negative
influence on the environment. As per Green Building Code Recommendation, Dhaka's annual average energy usage is around 277MW. As per this analysis, upcoming buildings with a Green Building Rating would preserve 300MW of energy each year, equivalent to the construction of a single power plant annually. A new section on Energy Efficiency and Sustainability was added to the Bangladesh National Building Code (BNBC) in 2012 (Akther, 2021). The first government project was 'The eco-housing Project', while in the private sector, EPIC group established the first green building in Bangladesh in 2011. Green building construction is progressively becoming the standard for long-term sustainability.
Although the green building was formerly unpopular in Bangladesh, it is becoming increasingly popular (Chowdhury & Hossain, 2021). The green building activities until 2014 were very slow and grew rapidly from 2015. According to Green Building Information Gateway, currently, there are about 748 LEED activities, including certifications and registrations, in Bangladesh, while 164 buildings have already obtained LEED certification. 58% of the certified projects have achieved gold certificates; 31% of activities have platinum certificates which is the highest level of certification; silver and general certifications are 8% and 2%, respectively (The Green Building Information Gateway, 2022). The vast number of them are industrial factories responsible for a significant amount of pollution. At the same time, a growing number of commercial buildings are seeking accreditation. So, the transition to green building construction will likely become widespread with adequate management and guidance in the next few years (Bhattacharjee, 2021).
In Bangladesh, there is currently no recognized green building rating system. LEED has been identified as the only rating system for formal certification recognized by Bangladesh Bank (Saba et al., 2019). LEED accreditation is growing popular for high-end commercial and textile industries since most builders and industrialists want to design "green" and energy-efficient structures.
Karupannya Rangpur Ltd, shown in figure 1(c), is an addition to the thriving green building industry, which got LEED platinum certification in 2020 with 84 points (The Green Building Information Gateway, 2022).
Figure 1: (a) One Angel Square, Manchester, UK (Source: 3DReid, 2013); (b) : Saiham Tower, Gulshan-1, Dhaka (Source: Saiham Tower, 2016); (c) Karupannya Rangpur Ltd (Photographer:
Junaid Hasan Pranto) (Source: Context, 2020)
As the need for sustainable building construction has increased significantly in the present era, green building is becoming an important research topic in academia. Industrialized nations are attempting to become GB-based countries. As a developing nation, Bangladesh is raising awareness in GB, although implementation of green buildings is still limited. Furthermore, despite having numerous rules and regulations and guidelines included in the national policies of Bangladesh, it is rarely considered by the construction professionals. Very few research on green building has been undertaken in Bangladesh so far. This study aims to identify the general perceptions of green building among the construction professionals and focus on their awareness of the obstacles to green building growth and recognize motivational factors for green building development in the future. The study further focuses on identifying the gaps between the existing policies on green building and why they are not being implemented accordingly in Bangladesh.
Materials and Method
Data and region
This study required qualitative as well as quantitative data collecting. Primary data was assembled mainly from personnel related to the construction industry. Observing contents in research papers and articles about green buildings, among other things, appeared to be beneficial in creating a questionnaire survey. A set of questionnaires was developed to get general perception, constraints, and barriers, the feasibility of implementing green building techniques in existing buildings, and measures to increase sustainability in the construction sector. A five-degree Likert scale was included in the questionnaire, and the options were "Strongly disagree", "Disagree", "Somewhat Agree", "Agree", and "Strongly agree" (Box 1). Apart from the Likert scales survey, some professionals were interviewed to provide their own opinion and suggestions through a descriptive questionnaire on green building implementation. The survey was only conducted on professionals familiar with green building, such as architects, civil engineers, and developers, as they are leaders in introducing sustainable technologies in the construction sector. Most of the respondents were based in Dhaka city Bangladesh. They are the leaders in introducing sustainable technologies in the construction sector. The questionnaire was prepared using Google Forms. The form was sent to the professionals by email. 12 responses were recorded. In addition, six professionals were interviewed for further in-depth information. The interviewee remained anonymous, and their consent was taken before the survey. Their feedback is essential to predicting the future of green buildings in Bangladesh.
Data analysis
The data, collected from the survey, was analysed using the Relative Importance Index (RII) method. The research involved rating numerous factors using RII. Several statements on general perceptions, constraints and barriers, the viability of green building implementation, and measures to increase sustainability in the construction sector were ranked depending on the RII during the analysis since it helped recognize and prioritize relevant aspects as per respondents' responses sector (Ayarkwa et al., 2002; Aghili et al., 2019; Rooshdi et al., 2018).
The equation to calculate Relative Importance Index (RII) is given in equation (i).
RII = Σ W / (N * A) = (5N5 + 4N4 + 3N3 + 2N2 + 1N1) / 5N…….(i)
Where, W= weighting given to each factor by the respondents ranging from 1 to 5 N1 = number of respondents for strongly disagree
N2 = number of respondents for disagree
N3 = number of respondents for somewhat agree N4 = number of respondents for agree
N5 = number of respondents for strongly agree A = highest weight (in this study, A = 5) N = total number of respondents
The RII ranges from 0 to 1.
Results and Discussion
The questionnaire survey using the Likert scale determined the professionals' familiarity with the construction sector with the green building. The general perception of green building, its constraints, the feasibility of implementation, and necessary measures to follow for a sustainable construction sector in Bangladesh were identified from the participants' responses. Furthermore, some professionals provided detailed scenarios and steps to be taken for the green building construction sector to bloom. The existing policies about green building in Bangladesh were analyzed, and a comparison between the policies, procedures, and the results were identified.
Familiarity with green building
Figure 4 shows the respondents' acquaintance with green buildings. As shown in Figure 2, an understanding was analysed based on percentage. Most participants were moderately familiar with green buildings, while about one-third of the participants were very familiar with the concept.
Despite being construction experts, a significant number of the participants (58%) were somewhat familiar with green buildings. This reflects a moderate level of green building knowledge among experts.
Figure 2: Familiarity of respondents with green building.
33.3%
58.3%
8.3%
Percentage of familiarity
Very familiar
Moderately familiar
Somewhat familiar
The participants were also asked how often they see green buildings in Dhaka city, Bangladesh.
From the percentage of their responses in Figure 3(a), it can be understood that green building in Dhaka is rarely seen. Among the participants, some were involved in green building projects. The percentage of participants, engaged in such projects is shown in Figure 3(b) below. Although some are getting a chance to work on such projects, the majority are not working in green building construction.
Figure 3: (a) Observed green building in Dhaka city by the professionals; (b) involvement of respondents in the green building projects.
The general perception of green buildings
The survey results in Table 1 show respondents' general perception of green buildings. Nine significant statements on the public perception of green buildings are sorted below using the Relative Importance Index (RII). The RII values were used to rate the signs of gain or loss in green building implementation. Most of the respondents felt that green buildings could provide benefits.
Aesthetical enhancement improved air quality, and the energy efficiency of buildings was ranked top with an RII value of 0.87. The respondents also agreed with all the other perceptions. In contrast,
75%
25%
a) Green building in Dhaka city
Rarely seen Sometimes seen
25%
75%
b) Percentage of involved respondents in green building
project
Yes No
negative perception about the green building is that it increases the expense without providing significant benefit.
Table 1: General perception of green buildings
Statements RII Overall Perception Rank
Enhances the aesthetics 0.87 Strongly agree 1
Improves air quality 0.87 Strongly agree 2
Improves energy efficiency of the building 0.87 Strongly agree 3
Reduces water usage 0.78 Agree 4
Minimizes the effect of urban heat island 0.78 Agree 5
Improves public health in the city 0.77 Agree 6
Increases absorption of noise 0.77 Agree 7
Increases the property's value and marketability 0.77 Agree 8 Increases the expense without providing significant
benefit
0.5 Disagree 9
Difficulties or constraints in executing green building projects
The survey's following section looked at the challenges or obstacles to adopting green buildings in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Nine barriers to green buildings implementation in Bangladesh were identified.
Table 2 shows the ranking of the elements that influence the installation of green buildings. Lack of incentive from the government was one of the significant constraints, ranked 1st with an RII value of 0.97. The owner/client's unwillingness to lack sustainable environment awareness and knowledge was also ranked among the top constraints. According to the survey result, although most participants agreed upon the increase in maintenance cost, the participants may have been misinformed. It's worth noting that design and construction difficulties were placed last out of all the limitations. As a result, other constraints should be given more attention.
Table 2: Difficulties or constraints in executing green buildings
Constraints RII Level of agreement Rank Lack of incentives from the government 0.97 Strongly agree 1 Owner/client's unwillingness 0.93 Strongly agree 2 Absence of sustainable environment awareness 0.92 Strongly agree 3
Dearth of knowledge 0.87 Strongly agree 4
Requirement of regular maintenance 0.75 Agree 5
Increases maintenance cost 0.72 Agree 6
Added design and construction expense 0.70 Agree 7
Lack of trained man power 0.60 Agree 8
Complicated design and construction 0.58 Somewhat Agree 9
Feasibility of green buildings in Dhaka
The feasibility of implementing green building techniques was also analysed through the survey.
Table 3 suggests that after understanding the benefits of green buildings and receiving government
support, their implementation is highly possible. Traditional construction practices use precious natural resources and energy (Saba, 2019). The buildings construction sector was responsible for 36% of energy consumption and 39% of energy and process-related CO2 emissions worldwide in 2018 (UN Environment Programme, 2019). In Bangladesh, commercial and residential buildings account for approximately 40% of waste generation and about 32% of primary energy use (Saba, 2019) (Jamal et al., 2018). In their design, construction, or operation, green buildings can minimize energy consumption and GHG emissions through various energy-efficiency measures and contribute to economic and social welfare (Lipu et al., 2013).
Bangladesh has a population density of 1265 people per square kilometre (Worldometers, 2022).
In the scenario of Bangladesh, making the old buildings go green is only possible to a certain extent.
The limited spaces for individual buildings in Dhaka city may not ensure the benefits of green buildings as they are exceptionally highly congested, making it only slightly possible to apply green strategies. Buildings are being constructed without any proper planning and maintaining building codes. Thus, the distance between each structure is generally non-existent. Most facilities don't have enough space for passing sunlight and circulating natural air. They are getting higher and higher, but their distance is getting narrower. The primary requirement of a green building is to use the natural air and daylight, which is hindered due to the congestion. Also, these buildings do not have space for rainwater harvesting. This is one of the significant challenges for Bangladesh to implement green buildings techniques in existing buildings. The majority of the people are ignorant of the benefits of green building construction, but they are well aware of the problems that green construction can tackle. We may begin with structures such as schools and hospitals as industries are already trying to become green. Then eventually, residential buildings will follow the trend.
Moreover, the newly planned or expanded cities such as Purbachal have vast opportunities to become sustainable. They can benefit from becoming green cities by incorporating green techniques at the beginning of the construction plan.
Table 3: Feasibility of green buildings in Dhaka
Statements RII Level of agreement Rank
Should government endorse green buildings in Bangladesh?
0.98 Strongly agree 1
Do you favour the use of green buildings technologies in an existing building?
0.90 Strongly agree 2
Would you approve of adjusting your residential building to make it a green building?
0.90 Strongly agree 3
Do you believe green building technologies can be used in existing buildings?
0.80 Strongly agree 4
Measures for comprehensive implementation of green building challenges
Some measures were suggested and evaluated depending on survey data to improve the deployment of green buildings. The efficacy of each measure is represented in Table 4 with their RII values and
level of agreement. As shown in Table 4, increasing public understanding of environmental sustainability and the inclusion of green building chapters in the construction education curricula were top-ranked measures. Other practical measures were incentives from the government, regulations to improve rainwater harvesting, mandatory green space for property development projects, new building codes supporting the green building, and bonuses for green developers.
Table 4: Measures to improve the adoption of green building systems in new and existing structures
Measures RII Level of
agreement Rank Increase public understanding of the importance of
environmental sustainability
0.97 Strongly agree 1 Inclusion of the green building chapter in the construction
education curricula
0.97 Strongly agree 2
Incentives from government 0.95 Strongly agree 3
Green building regulations to improve rainwater harvesting 0.95 Strongly agree 4 Mandated green space for property development projects 0.92 Strongly agree 5 New building codes for developers/contractors 0.92 Strongly agree 6 Bonus/ tax reduction for developers who construct certain
green buildings
0.85 Strongly agree 7
While most designers and planners want to include green technology in their processes, they are restricted by project budget limitations and project owner reluctance. The joint venture of developers and landowners tries to utilize the maximum space of the total land while following the rules and regulations of construction given by RAJUK. If they opt for green building strategies, the maximum land for the building is reduced. Thus, providing smaller space to owners and lesser profit to the developers is another critical reason people are not interested in green buildings. When it comes to construction and building upkeep, people prioritize money. The additional expense of retrofitting older buildings and the ongoing maintenance costs of green installations deter building owners from going green. They prioritize short-term benefits rather than the long-term. Solar panels and rooftop gardens are eligible for government incentives, yet many individuals neglect them.
Only law enforcement can compel individuals to make their structures green without incentives.
The most challenging task is establishing a green market, where customers can find inexpensive green tech experts, employees, designers, architects, and engineers. Unfortunately, green technology companies charge significantly more for a green project because of reduced market share. Green building must be distinguished from the luxury construction industry by legislation, education, and incentives, among other things.
Development of Green building Rating system in Bangladesh
LEED is the only rating system currently used in Bangladesh. It is helpful for industries because it is rigorous. As it is well recognized, it is excellent for commercial structures. However, due to the complexity of the procedure, LEED implementation in regular residential constructions is unlikely to succeed. We need more immediate and straightforward standards for assessing typical households. This will ensure that the number of urban green households increases. We can implement an energy-saving policy like the United Kingdom's household policy.
Under Bangladesh Bank's refinancing strategy promotes energy efficiency through soft credit opportunities. For LEED-certified industries, single-digit financing loan facilities (maximum 9%) are provided (Akther, 2021). For the additional expense associated with green technologies implemented to light industry buildings, the Bangladesh Bank has ordered that all commercial banks give a reduced financing rate of 9%. Furthermore, in 2016, the Bangladesh Bank introduced a mandated green finance credit limit of 5% of total loans disbursed to banks and other financial organizations (Bhattacharjee, 2021). This type of support for green building using sustainable banking principles is laudable (Akther, 2021).
Bangladesh National Building Code (BNBC) aims to accelerate the adoption of green building concepts in Bangladesh. The BNBC has a special section dedicated to improving building design and construction. By supporting sustainable construction techniques, saving energy, water, and building materials, and increasing resource efficiency, the objective is to have a beneficial environmental effect (Akther, 2021). The new code places a premium on safety and resource efficiency, permitting green building construction to become a viable design approach in the long term.
Analysis of local Governmental policies of Green Building in Bangladesh
Green building techniques can prove advantageous if a diversified plan can be developed to gain the benefits. Various joint initiatives, such as promoting awareness of pay-back durations, developing technical competence in green building, and making inexpensive finance more accessible, should all be represented in the subsequent laws (Akther, 2021). In addition, owing to the Bangladesh government's support policies, the RMG sector of Bangladesh includes the highest number of green factories in the world. Table 5 lists the policy document examples taken by GOB.
Table 5: GoB policy document in supporting green building and technology
Special measures Document
✓ Exempt 15% VAT on instruments and supplies used for renewable energy production and to provide funds for buying renewable energy.
7th five-year plan (General Economic Division, 2015)
✓ The activity of adopting and implementing a green building rating system and construction materials with low carbon.
✓ The government is thinking of taking a national initiative for developing a green building rating system in public or private capacity to assess the environmental performance of buildings.
✓ These rating systems give recommendations for architectural design, construction, and maintenance, aiming to minimize the ecological effect of structures drastically.
✓ The Ministry of Housing and Public Works is to develop both sustainable and safe infrastructure by assuring appropriate planning, enough research, and the most efficient utilization of land space for cost-effective habitation and carefully designed urbanization.
8th five-year plan (General Economic Division, 2020)
Special measures Document
✓ The urban management strategies taken in the 8th five-year plan include introducing and promoting various initiatives for environmental development such as green building, sustainable building, energy-efficient structures, zero- emission building, green city, etc.
✓ The government will continue to promote business programs that attempt to
"go green" in Bangladesh by using low-cost financing tools and favorable tax incentives to minimize carbon emissions and environmental degradation.
✓ Bangladesh Bank's refinance scheme to encourage environmentally friendly technology.
✓ The scheme now focuses on fifty products under various categories such as renewable energy, energy efficiency, solid and liquid waste management, alternative energy, fire burnt brick, non-fire block brick, recycling, and recyclable product, guaranteeing workplace safety at factories, etc.
✓ To expand this support, 39 banks and 19 financial institutions have come forward to participate with Bangladesh Bank.
(Hossain 2018)
According to the policy analysis, Bangladesh's policies and facilities are available for green buildings. However, the absence of government incentives was the top-ranked barrier to the progress of the green construction industry, according to the result of our questionnaire survey.
While reducing taxes, availability of funds and new building codes should be taken to mainstream the green building sector. Furthermore, there are inadequate information, expense, subsidies, and desire and a lack of Green Building standards and laws for the use of green and sustainable approaches. In addition, one critical drawback of mainstreaming green building in Bangladesh is corruption. No policy can save us unless complete openness in government sectors is established.
That is why, in Bangladesh, only the private sector has succeeded in becoming green.
Overcoming the barriers
The challenges to mainstream green buildings must be overcome in three parallel processes. One is increasing opportunities for green professionals at the academic level. Two, ensuring environmental responsibility through legislation in metropolitan areas. Three, providing financial incentives to all stakeholders in the green building sector. Making people aware of the importance of sustainable building construction is the need of the hour. Construction engineers, architects, workers, and project managers should be trained to have better-skilled professionals in the green building sector. Studying environmental sustainability for the construction sector must be mandatory. Workshops and seminars can be arranged to educate landowners and motivate them to green with their buildings. Extra facilities or fewer taxes should be allowed on green buildings as an encouragement. Both government and private funds should be available. Both developers and landowners must follow the green building code by strict enforcement of the law. Green spaces for buildings must be mandatory. Penalties should be imposed for breaking the rules and regulations of green building. Government can levy higher taxes on facilities that do not satisfy specified green requirements, such as rainwater harvesting, solar rooftops, and energy-efficient appliances.
DoE should be granted magistracy powers. A conceptual model is shown on the green building challenges identified for the Bangladesh context and possible way forward (Figure 4).
Figure 4: The conceptual model for Green building challenges identified for Bangladesh and suggested measures.
Conclusion and Recommendation
Proper application of green building construction practices is a significant issue for developing countries like Bangladesh, plagued by environmental degradation and challenges. As a response, this research was undertaken to investigate the most popular perceptions of the green or sustainable building trend in Bangladesh and the significant obstacles it faces and identified measures for sustainable construction industry growth recommended by professionals. The existing policies and facilities for green building construction in Bangladesh were analyzed to recognize the gaps between policy and implementation. Relative Importance Index (RII) analysis found an increase in aesthetics, air quality improvement, and energy efficiency of buildings as peak perception of green buildings. Also, the growth of green infrastructure was hampered by the lack of incentive from the government, owner/client's unwillingness, and the absence of sustainable environment awareness among the construction personnel. Depending on the RII of recommended measures, awareness building about the sustainable environment, the inclusion of a green building curriculum, providing incentives and financial facilities from the government, and regulation for rainwater harvesting were among the top measures. Furthermore, suggestions were given from the professional in case the absence of minimum space between each existing building and the prioritization of money over health and environmental benefits were recognized as additional challenges.
Acknowledgment
We are grateful to all professionals who responded to the questionnaires and provided their valuable feedback and recommendations for this study.
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