Barriers to the Adoption of Smart Building Technology in Developing Countries: An Empirical Survey

Abstract

Smart building technology (SBT) has been a prominent practical and academic topic in the built environment due to the adoption of sustainable development and digitization to maximize energy efficiency, reduce CO2 emissions, and maximize thermal comfort. While the construction industry is currently adopting SBT, numerous obstacles have prevented its widespread use. Thus, this study aims to examine the significant barriers underlying the adoption of SBT from the perspective of construction professionals. A systematic literature review of 30 articles was conducted and a well-structured questionnaire providing quantitative research was adopted to collect pertinent information from 244 construction professionals. The collected data were analyzed using the Kruskal–Wallis’s test, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and partial least-squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The study found that all 22 identified barrier factors significantly affect the adoption of SBT. Furthermore, the high material and equipment costs for smart buildings, inadequate power supply, poor maintenance culture, and lack of well-trained staff are the five topmost barriers affecting the adoption of SBT. The factor analysis categorized the industry-relevant barriers into four groups: awareness, economics, human, and management. Finally, the structural equation modeling revealed that human-related and management-related barriers are the most significant, with path coefficients of β 0.395 and 0.309, respectively. Therefore, it is imperative that the authorities of various professional organizations actively participate in the crucial implementation of SBT. The analysis highlighted smart building adoption opportunities and practical strategies for overcoming barriers. These findings provide evidence that building professionals can use to develop strategies to prevent the identified barriers from hindering the adoption and deployment of SBTs. The current research has pinpointed the most significant barriers in the way of developing countries like Nigeria embracing smart building technology (SBT) practices. Additionally, the research presented the categories of barriers and factors based on the responses of construction industry professionals’ points of view. The results of previous research by Ogunde et al. (2018) and Oyewole et al. (2019) in integrating SBT into the building industry serve as the impetus for this study. Therefore, this study’s results have uncovered the barriers affecting the integration of SBTs in construction projects particularly in developing countries like Nigeria.