Conversion of Existing Buildings to Green in Developing Economies: A Preliminary Study for Sri Lanka Focusing on Challenges and Policies

Current society is interested in incorporating green technologies into existing buildings with aiming economic, social, and environmental sustainability. This is green retrofitting. However, limited attention has been given to green retrofitting adoption in particular regions, for example, Sri Lanka. Recently, several green retrofitting technologies have been adopted globally, contingent upon policy frameworks. In this light, the current paper intends to identify the obstacles hindering green retrofitting adoption in Sri Lanka and how policies might effectively address these challenges. The study's qualitative research methodology included semi-structured interviews with twelve professionals working in Sri Lanka's green construction industry. Accordingly, 25 possible obstacles that prevented Sri Lanka from adopting green retrofitting were identified. The findings of the investigation showed that policies pertaining to knowledge and information are adequately followed in Sri Lanka and are crucial in reducing obstacles. Furthermore, consistency, timeliness, and diversity of requirements must be taken into account when improving the current “direction-based” and “regulation-based” policies. Finally, certain policies that are not already in place in the country have been identified and recommended for implementation in order to improve retrofitting in the Sri Lankan developing economy. The research findings would be useful for industry practitioners as well as local government in decision-making for implementing green retrofitting strategies and useful reference to other developing economies. This study has prompted further research studies on green retrofitting technologies adoption in developed and developing economies’ perspective in the future.