Project Owners’ Motivation for Delivering Green Building Projects

Abstract

Project owners play a vital role in delivering green building projects in the building sector. However, their motivation for effective delivery of green building projects is currently unknown due to limited studies on the subject. Therefore, this study investigated project owners’ motivation for delivering green building projects by surveying 150 Green Star Accredited Professionals (GSAPs), who are the representatives of project owners’ interests in delivering green building projects in the Australian building sector. Using exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and thereafter confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), findings revealed that project owners’ drivers of motivation for delivering green building projects can be classified into internal (INT) and external (EXT) motivation factors. The internal ones comprise improved quality of life, pro-environmental altruism, enhanced reputation, and persuasive influence, while the external ones comprise market appeal and financial and nonfinancial incentives provided by the government. The INT is more important than the EXT, but both are complementary of one another in driving the delivery of green building projects. The hypotheses that significant differences exist between public and private owners’ motivation, and commercial and noncommercial owners’ motivation for delivering green building projects are rejected. Thus, the theoretical position that INT and EXT complement rather than undermine one another is supported in this study. Furthermore, the comparison of this study with related studies in the United States indicates that the motivations for delivering green building projects are geographically different. In summary, this study has derived the factors of project owners’ motivation for delivering green building projects. Project owners can rely on either or both of the factors combined for successful delivery of their own projects. The government can use the factors to identify appropriate policies to enact and implement to increase project owners’ motivation for delivering green building projects in the building sector.