Applicability of smart building concept to enhance sustainable building practice in Sri Lanka

Abstract

With the expansion of economic activities, sustainable development in construction industry got more attention worldwide. Hence, industry practitioners are more concerned on achieving sustainable construction goals to make more effective and efficient services. The Smart Building concept can be implemented with advanced building technologies to achieve clients' requirements with in the economic, environmental and social parameters while enhancing building performances efficiently. To explore the applicability of Smart Building concept to enhance sustainable building practices in Sri Lanka, the qualitative research approach was used in this research. The opinions of the smart and sustainable construction experts were obtained through semi-structured interviews. Smart Building concept is novel to the Sri Lankan construction industry and the implementation is still in the initial stage. However, the perception of the construction industry on the Smart Building concept is focused on a strong and positive direction. The recognised sustainable benefits of Smart Building concept implementation can be used as a promoting tool to make interest on Smart Buildings. Most of these benefits are long term and most of the clients do not recognise the value of Smart Buildings in terms of sustainability. Therefore, improving the knowledge and awareness of the developers is vital during the implementation process within the local context. Lack of financial resources, complex technology requirement, reluctant to commence new technologies and lack of knowledge of developers and owners are the main barriers that are existing within the local context. Mitigating these barriers will expedite the implementation process of Smart Building concept and will upgrade the performance of the local construction industry dramatically.

Assessment of construction professionals' awareness of the smart building concepts in the Nigerian construction industry

“…Furthermore, Ghansah et al (2021) suggested that education informs engaging the professionals in training, conferences and workshops seminars, as it will help to improve the awareness and its adoption among the professionals. This corroborates the study of Bandara et al (2019), who mentioned that education and training could be used to enhance the awareness and total adoption of SBCs. The study of Agirbas (2020) emphasises the importance of SBCs on the simple effectiveness and attitude on education such as BIM.…”

“…In Ghana, for example, Ghansah et al (2020) revealed that the level of awareness of SBC in construction firms among construction professionals is moderate and also noticed that there is a need for enlightenment on adopting SBC to improve energy efficiency, occupant comfort and sustainability. Also, in Sri Lanka, Bandara et al (2019) revealed that the benefits that can be derived from SBCs are long term, although most of the clients in the study area do not recognise the value of SBCs in terms of sustainability. Given this, the authors suggested improving the knowledge and awareness of professionals.…”

“…Several advantages have been associated with the integration of smart technologies in building sectors. For instance, Bandara et al (2019) and Oyewole et al (2019) indicated that energy conservation, increased system functionality, life and property security and occupant health and productivity are considered as most significant advantages of using smart building technologies. However, there are significant impediments to smart building development and investment, particularly in Nigeria and other developing countries.…”

Benefits of adopting smart building technologies in building construction of developing countries: review of literature

“…Therefore, it is vital to consider looking at the benefits of SBT for successful adoption. Bandara, Abeynayake, and Pandithawatta [27] identify the benefit of SBT for project delivery in three sustainability goals: economic, social, and environmental. Sovacool and Furszyfer Del Rio [40] discovered that smart building's environmental benefits involve reducing greenhouse gas emissions, which is achieved through better monitoring of energy usage and control over carbon emission of CO 2 related materials in buildings.…”

“…Accomplishing smart buildings requires promoting efficient technologies and the practice of smart buildings in the built environment [26]. Sustainable construction practices are crucial for achieving the three pillars of sustainable development namely economic, social, and environmental goals [27]. According to Vattano [28], sustainable building technology aims to provide a living and working environment that consumes fewer resources, produces less waste, and retrofits existing buildings to be innovative, energy-saving, and water-efficient.…”