Green certified shopping malls undertaken by foreign contractors in Russia: A comparative qualitative study

Abstract

In recent years, environmental issues have become one of the main concerns of the construction sector. Green buildings are recognized as an important step towards these issues by construction professionals. However, this situation creates new challenges for companies providing contracting services in foreign countries. Today, designing and constructing projects that comply with the requirements of green building certification systems increase the prestige and profit of both the project owner and the contractor. In this study, the green building certification process of two shopping mall projects, which were certified with the Ecostandard green certification system in the Moscow city held by foreign contractors, is investigated. A comparative qualitative case study methodology has been employed to gain a better understanding of the critical success factors of the certification process. A novel SWOT analysis framework is used to comprehensively understand the differences between these two shopping mall projects. The lack of systems for ecological management, outdoor lighting and minimize light pollution, renewable energy sources, material and waste management have been found as the major weaknesses of these projects. On the other hand, architectural planning and design solutions, site selection, infrastructure, and landscaping have been found as strengths. Also, semi-structured interviews were conducted to put forward opportunities and threats. The outcomes of this study are expected to guide construction professionals in the new construction certification process of mall projects. Moreover, the proposed outcomes can be employed to investigate residential or commercial buildings with green certification built by foreign contractors in the future.