Exploring Barriers to the Adoption of Green Walls in Saudi Arabia Building Industry

Green walls (GWs), which involve breathing walls and natural facades, are commonly promoted as ecologically beneficial architectural design elements. GWs may be practical in all aspects of sustainability; they offer various economic, social, and environmental advantages to inhabitants of buildings. Although this is true, the popularity rate of GW remains in its early stages, and the extant research on the barriers to GW adoption is minimal. Accordingly, 17 barriers were determined through a comprehensive review of the available literature, followed by semi-structured interviews with 13 experts. With the help of 72 field practitioners, the factor analysis approach (EFA) is used to refine and analyse the correlation among the barriers. A mean and standard deviation scatter plot analysis followed to prioritize the identified impediments. The most notable obstacles to the implementation of GW are conservation expenses, high cost of installation, difficulty in maintenance, technical implementation, and the potential danger of fire. The findings encourage researchers to examine ways to enhance GW installation techniques and methodologies to eliminate barriers and give lessons to policymakers, therefore promoting the larger-scale implementation of GW. Given the scarcity of research on barriers to using GWs, this study presents a complete overview of the topic, offering knowledge that may be utilized as a foundation for future academics.