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Green Buildings Success Factors to Reduce Cost

in Pakistan

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Contents
1.1 Topic Description .................................................................................................................................... 3

1.2 Problem Statement ................................................................................................................................. 3

1.3 Aim of the study ...................................................................................................................................... 4

1.4 Research Questions ................................................................................................................................ 4

1.5 Research objectives ................................................................................................................................ 4

1.6 The significance of the study .................................................................................................................. 4

1.7 Research work structure ......................................................................................................................... 5

2.1 Green Buildings ....................................................................................................................................... 6

2.2 Internal and external factors hamper Green building adoption in Pakistan .......................................... 6

2.3 Obstacles towards the adoption of OSC ................................................................................................. 7

3.1 Research method; Qualitative Vs Quantitative ...................................................................................... 9

3.1.1 The justification for the selected research strategy in the study .................................................... 9

3.2 Data Collection Tool .............................................................................................................................. 10

3.3 Population Sample ................................................................................................................................ 10

sampling is a broad term; it indicated the specific method to select a part of the population for data
collection process in research work. Whereas, by .................................................................................... 10

3.4 Research Ethics ..................................................................................................................................... 11

References ..................................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

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Chapter 1

Introduction

1.1 Topic Description

The harsh effects of global warming, pollution of air and water, resource exhaustion, and
faster population growth required Pakistan to address the need for ecological
responsibility. Global warming is one of the hottest topics in western countries;
unfortunately, this crucial area is mostly neglected in developing countries like Pakistan.
Construction industry consists of several stakeholders and this industry causes nearly
thirty-five percent of pollution in the world (Kumar, 2014). Unlimited supply chain
activities in the construction sector and extensive use of materials (energy, water, and
resources) not only reducing the world resources but also generating a huge volume of
waste. All these actions not only damaged the atmosphere, but also increased the cost of
construction. This situation made the world to discover new ways of construction with
fewer resources along with the highest degree of energy efficiency. Hence the concept of
“Green Building” (GB) emerged and started getting fame at a faster pace in western
countries, though this concept will need more time to be as popular in developing countries
as it is in developed countries. In fact, green buildings are designed with the aim of
reducing the general impact of the built environment on human health and the natural
environment by efficiently using energy, water, and additional resources.
1.2 Problem Statement
Pakistan falls in the list of countries which are facing progressive housing deficit, the
country has a population of nearly 200 million people, and the country has housing deficit
of nearly 7.3 million units in the urban areas (Ramioul & Peteghem, 2016). As a result, with
the intention of addressing these issues quite a lot of alleviation steps have been taken by
the stakeholders of the construction industry especially the government in Pakistan , for
instance, promotion of locally manufactured building materials; pushing the construction
sector in the direction of enhanced execution of the Pakistan National Housing Policy, etc.

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a major part of the construction sector is of the unorganized type and consist of small and
medium-sized companies (Uttam & Balfors , 2013). Most large Pakistan n construction
organizations managed to adopt contemporary construction techniques, tools and
frameworks, such as off-Site Construction (OSC), the main purpose is to execute offsite
construction is to get a higher level of sustainability. Unfortunately, small and medium-
sized Pakistan n construction organizations could not perform well in terms of designing
and implementing green construction practices. In fact, less attention of the Pakistan n
government in terms of tax exemption, technical support, and finance provision towards
the area of green buildings hampering the growth of this industry. And also internal factors
of the companies prevent them to work on sustainable construction, such as their limited
knowledge about the use of modern green construction practices to get a variety of
benefits, including cost reduction and environmental safety, etc.
1.3 Aim of the study
The aim of the research work is to find factors and obstacles hampering the growth of off-
site construction (OSC) in Pakistan.
1.4 Research Questions
 What are the crucial factors and obstacles hindering the development of the off Off-
Site Construction (OSC) building industry in Pakistan ?
 How Off-Site construction can benefit all stakeholders of the Pakistan n construction
industry to construct more and more green buildings?
 Which precise actions/steps must be taken by small and medium-sized Pakistan n
construction organization in order to achieve a greater level of sustainability?
1.5 Research objectives
 To evaluate precise practices and frameworks being used in construction SMEs
pushing them in the direction of the off Off-Site Construction (OSC)?
 To suggest specific steps that can help Pakistan n construction SMEs to be more
sustainable.
1.6 The significance of the study
The Pakistan n real estate industry is expected to nearly US$ 1 trillion by 2027 and
expected to contribute 13 percent of the country’s GDP by 2025 (Ramioul & Peteghem,

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2016). Faster urbanization and increment in the earnings of the middle class in Pakistan
are considered the main drivers of growth in residential, commercial and retail buildings.
The outcomes of the study would prove beneficial for a variety of stakeholders of the
construction industry, such as the outcomes of the study would reveal exact external and
internal factors hampering the growth of off-site construction (OSC) buildings in Pakistan,
the study would also suggest what actions should be taken by small and medium-sized
construction companies to be more sustainable. Pakistan is one of the most populated
countries around the globe, and traditional building construction processes not only cost
companies a lot in the form of material and resources, but also damage the environment
badly, and also the generation of huge waste due to traditional construction methods
causing pollution-related issues. This study would also reveal how green buildings can
prove useful for construction SMEs and other stakeholders, also what specific building
rating tools, frameworks, and practices should be used by the construction SMEs to attain a
higher degree of innovation in their operations and methods.
1.7 Research work structure
This study would include the following five chapters in the final draft.
Picture 1

Chapter 1: • Introduction

Chapter 2: • Literature Review

Chapter 3: • Research Methodology

Chapter 4: • Findings and Analysis

Chapter 5: • Conclusions and Recommendations

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Chapter 2

Literature Review
This section contains a significant number of areas related to the theme of green
construction and off-site construction, some relevant models, theories, and frameworks are
also discussed in this crucial part of the study.
2.1 Green Buildings
The term of green building is defined by several authors in different manners, such as by
Uttam & Balfors ( 2013) green building are specific kind of construction in which
buildings throughout their lifecycle, make the most of the resource savings (such as energy,
land, water, and materials saving), care for the environment, decrease levels of pollution,
give consumers with healthy, comfortable and high well-organized space, and exist
melodiously with nature. a building can said to be “green” if it has the capability of using
the energy in the most proficient style. Swiss & Tarawneh (2013) are of opinion that
process to construct green building consists of following crucial areas, (e.g,, decrement
energy consumption, conserving water, recycling waste efficiently, and decreasing impacts
on health and productivity, etc.
2.2 Internal and external factors hamper Green building adoption in
Pakistan
This section reveals some internal and external factors hammering green building practices
adoption in Pakistan . By Umar & Khamidi (2012) constructing of green buildings is very
common in developed countries, while situations are not like that in the case of developing
countries like Pakistan. Lack of government interest, unfavorable macro factors and limited
awareness of owners/managers in small and medium-sized companies are major causes of
the slow adoption rate of the green buildings in Pakistan . According to Uttam & Balfors (
2013), some crucial hazards to green building implementation for SMEs are lack of
financial resources for covering initial project costs and their limited experience. Weak
financial conditions of SMEs can said to the major hurdle in adopting GB practices, because
GB projects demand relatively higher cost in beginning, though offer long-term benefits.

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Social factors are also very closely linked to the development of “green” building in a
market; for instance, the attitude of limited demand of the public for green buildings is the
main factor. Economic, political and technology related macro factors also influence green
building industry, list of political factors includes numerous specific sub-factors which
influenced SMEs directly and indirectly, for example, specific rules and regulations
associated with customs duties and tax percentage on the import of specific product and
machines, etc (Mathew, 2015).
2.3 Obstacles towards the adoption of OSC
The term of off-site manufacturing is also known as a significant area of Modern Methods
of Construction (MMC) , off-site construction is known as both a process and as a system,
it is a mixture of procedures that slot in prefabrication and pre-assembly for forming a
specific unit that then brought to the final destination for forming a permanent work
(Uttam & Balfors, 2013).

Levels of off-site - descriptions and examples -

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Managers in construction sector need to have a thorough understanding of a variety of

hazards and obstacles that prevent companies from adopting OSC techniques, that is why
a variety of studies for revealing OSC challenges are carried out by famous scholars and
authors around the globe, such as by Uttam & Balfors (2013) the list of OSC hazards in
Pakistan includes hazards related to different building code, regulations related
concerns,( for example, permit, fee, and zoning), complex legislation requirements and a
variety of lawful barriers set by the Pakistan n government . Mathew (2015) stated that
copious aspects, for example, economic factors, environmental aspects, and peoples’
standpoints have the full capability of influencing the OSC adoption in construction
companies. the need for relatively handsome initial finance is to the crucial economic
obstacle in the direction of implementing OSC practice.

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Chapter 3

Methodology
Methodology is one of the most crucial chapters in the study, this chapter provides a
detailed snapshot of the research approach, research strategy and data collection tool
which were used by the researcher of the study with the aim of collecting required data
from participants of selected companies, the researcher also tried to include as much
reasons and justifications which are considered before selecting the specific data collection
strategy and data collection tool in the study, whereas the last paragraph of the study shed
light on a variety of ethical aspects which were be considered by the researcher in the
study .
3.1 Research method; Qualitative Vs Quantitative
In most research works, a researcher often has to select qualitative or quantitative
research methods for the collection of required data. In the view of Varoglu & Eser (2006)
both qualitative and quantitative research methods have different characteristics and
features that is why researchers use them in different situations. For instance, qualitative
research methods are used when it is required to investigate a difficult theme or
phenomenon in details, for instance, the topic of the study (green building success factors
in Pakistan). Whereas the quantitative research method is used when it is required to
collect numeric data to find out the exact link among variables (Larsson, 1993).
3.1.1 The justification for the selected research strategy in the study
According to Cardy & Lengnick (2011) qualitative research strategy is an ideal approach
when it is required to answer questions regarding experiences, meanings and point of
views of the specific population on a particular theme, such as the views and thoughts of
managers in the construction companies about the green building adoption factors
especially form, off-site construction perspectives in Pakistan . Qualitative research
strategy is famous for taking on ‘small-group discussions’ with the aim of looking into
faiths, attitudes, and perceptions of individuals on a specific theme as the area of off-site
construction in the study; in such situations, interviews are considered an important tool
to collect data from specific populations Usually, in-depth interviews are considered a

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major tool to collect detailed data on a specific theme, such as the area of offset
construction.
In fact the current topic (green construction success factors especially from perspective of
off-site construction )can be explored in the presence of the rich data on the theme of green
building practices in Pakistan n construction SMEs, because in the current seedy the
researcher needs to identify main internal and external factors hampering growth of
green building in small and medium-sized companies and this kind of data can be gathered
owners, managers, civil engineers, and architects, etc in construction SMEs. That is why the
researcher used a qualitative research strategy in the study. Quantitative methods support
the collection of numeric data. That is why rich text data on this theme is not possible to
collect by quantitative methods .

3.2 Data Collection Tool

As it is mentioned in the above paragraph the researcher would use qualitative research
strategy, in this section the researcher needs to identify the most suitable data collection
tool. Qualitative research methods offer quite a few data collection tools, for instance, diary
investigation, observation, interviews, and case study, etc. (Feagin & Sjoberg, 2006). It is
essential to consider that these entire data collection tools have a variety of drawbacks and
advantages which should be considered by the researcher before selecting the most
suitable tool for the data collection purpose. All these tools, collect text type data, but in the
current study, the researcher needs to have rich and detailed data from civil engineers,
architects, owner and managers of small and medium-sized companies. And rich and
detailed data can be gathered through having a direct conversation with the participants of
Pakistan n construction SMEs, and the interview is known as an ideal tool to collect with
depth data by asking direct questions from a selected population. Hence the interview tool
would be use by the researcher with the purpose of collecting depth data in the theme of
the main environmental factors hampering the growth of green buildings in Pakistan.

3.3 Population Sample

Sampling is a broad term; it indicated the specific method to select a part of the population
for data collection process in research work. a population can be said a mixture of

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participants in a study. This section provides details about the total number of
construction companies and their participants who took part in the data collection process
in the study. The researcher would collect data from owners, managers, civil engineers,
project managers and architects working in small construction companies in Lahore.
3.4 Research Ethics
This area contains a variety of ethical obligations which were considered by the researcher
throughout the research work. In the view of Cardy & Lengnick (2011) in fact the area of
research this includes a variety of aspects which should be cautiously taken into account by
a researcher, and unfortunately, most researchers consider the area of the research ethics
as a scale to distinguish between right and wrong.
This research work would include participants from construction companies; hence the
researcher would need to make sure that his actions should not damage the interest of
selected companies and their participants (Feagin & Sjoberg, 2006). Some of the main areas
of the research ethics which would be paid special attention in the study are mentioned in
this section. First of all the researcher would adopt professional way to access the small
and medium sized Pakistani construction companies in the data collection process, the
researcher would try to adopt as much professional way to convince the managerial level
employees from selected companies to take part in the data collection purpose as possible,
the researcher would also make sure that he shows a higher degree of honesty and
integrity in the study, honesty means to present results and other related aspects
associated with the study with the highest level of honest , proper referencing system will
be used in the study in order to recognize/appreciate the value of other authors and
scholars whose work cited in the study, the participants of the study encouraged by saying
that this report would not be accessible to any unauthorized entity, this will support the
researcher to get as much depth data on the theme of offsite construction in Pakistan as
possible.

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References

 Cardy R & Lengnick L. (2011). Will They Stay or Will They Go? Exploring a
Customer-Oriented Approach to Employee Retention. Journal of Business and
Psychology, 26,
 Feagin J& Sjoberg G. (Eds.). (2006). A case for case study. Chapel Hill, NC: University
of North Carolina Press
 Mao C & Pan K. (2015). Major Barriers to Off-Site Construction: The Developer’s
Perspective in China. J. Manag. Eng. 31, 4014043
 Mathew S (2015)., “Driving factors of Collaboration in Supply Chain: A Review”.,
Interdisciplinary Journal of Contemporary Research in Business , Vol. 6, No. 9,
 Ramioul M & Peteghem J. (2016) ‘Green construction and team design: low road
and high road teams to build energy-friendly houses’, World Review of
Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development, Vol. 12, No. 1,
 Umar A & Khamidi M. (2012) ‘Determined the level of green building public
awareness: application and strategies’, International Conference on Civil, Offshore
and Environmental Engineering, pp.1–6, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
 Uttam K & Balfors B ( 2013). Perspectives on Inter-linking Impact Assessment and
Green Procurement: The Case of Green Energy. Journal of Environmental
Assessment Policy and Management 15 (2): 1340004–1 – 1340004–25

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