Transitioning of existing buildings to green in developing economies: A case of Sri Lanka

Abstract

Transitioning existing buildings to green is a proactive measure to mitigate the adverse effects of excessive energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. However, it seems that the contribution of developing economies to upgrade the existing buildings has not yet been focused significantly. In this sense, this paper aims to address the three knowledge gaps based on the Sri Lankan developing economy; 1) Identify the adoption barriers in developing economies, 2) Examine the interrelationship between the barriers, and 3) Propose the strategies and link respective stakeholders with each barrier. Semi-structured interviews and focused group discussions were conducted with experienced professionals and collected data were analysed using the Interpretive Structural Modelling (ISM) approach. Analysis results identified that the social barriers are the most easily surmountable due to having the highest reliance on nature. Hence, mitigation strategies on other barriers obviously help to combat the social barriers. However, a significant effort must be made to address the independent barriers; regulatory, technological, and informational. This study advances the knowledge of green retrofitting in terms of the causality among each barrier and driving strategies that may assist both academics and practitioners towards the realisation of more green retrofitting adoption.