Perspectives on Sustainable Construction in the Middle East: A Comparative Analysis of Industry and Academia

Existing research has primarily focused on investigating barriers in developed countries, emphasising economic, technical, and governmental factors which impede the diffusion of green building practices. However, developing regions, including the Middle East, often must be represented in green building research. Understanding these region-specific barriers is important for developing tailored solutions. In addition, existing identified green building barriers have primarily been obtained from the industry sector, while perspectives from other stakeholders, such as academia, have less attention. Hence, this study compares the perspectives of academic and industry professionals regarding the possible barriers which may impede the adoption of green buildings, with a particular focus on cultural, educational, and social factors. A mixed-method approach was employed, including a large-scale survey (n = 1112) with 54% of the participants being from the industrial sector and 46% being from the academic sector, as well as 17 semi-structured interviews to triangulate the data obtained from the survey. The study was conducted in Saudi Arabia as a representative case of the Middle East. Participants reported 23 barriers, which were themed into six groups: economic, technical, governmental, market demand, educational, and cultural barriers. Notably, seven of these barriers were reported for the first time in this study, including a lack of integrating green building concepts into university curricula, cultural preferences for traditional construction practices, resistance to change, prioritisation of economic factors over environmental and social considerations, a limited number of completed green building projects, delays in the permit and approval processes, and a lack of leadership and coordination. The statistical analysis revealed significant differences between the industry and academic perspectives (p < 0.05, d = 0.61) regarding the barriers to adopting green buildings, with academics over-reporting the educational, cultural, and technical barriers compared with the industry sector. Based on the identified barriers, five strategies were suggested which could help promote the widespread adoption and long-term sustainability of green buildings in the Middle East.