Green building in China: Identifying and overcoming barriers to sustainable construction

The construction industry in China is a major contributor to the nations negative environmental impact as it consumes a significant amount of natural resources and generates substantial greenhouse gas emissions and waste. In response, green building, aimed at designing and operating structures in an environmentally responsible way, has been more and more emphasised. Numerous studies have demonstrated the potential benefits of green buildings but green building practices still face several barriers, including high initial investment, lack of knowledge, incomplete regulations and codes and insufficient professional expertise. This research investigates some of the obstacles for green building practices in China, focusing on stakeholders perceptions. It finds that government barriers are the most dominant, followed by human-related and knowledge and operation-related barriers. Lastly, some recommendations regarding government incentives, public awareness initiatives and collaboration between government and construction professionals are proposed to promote the wider practice of green building. By addressing these challenges, the research aims to contribute to the advancement of sustainable construction in the country.