Deterrents to the adoption of green walls: a hybrid fuzzy-based approach
Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management
ISSN: 0969-9988
Article publication date: 17 September 2021
Issue publication date: 24 November 2022
Abstract
Purpose
Green walls (GWs), comprising living walls and green facades, have been touted as environmentally friendly products in architectural design. GWs can be viable in every aspect of sustainability; they provide residents of buildings with a wide range of economic, social and environmental benefits. Despite this, the adoption rate of GW is still in its infancy stage, and the existing literature concerning the hindrances inhibiting GW adoption is very limited. To address these gaps, the aim of this paper is to identify and prioritize the hindrances to GW adoption in Hong Kong.
Design/methodology/approach
After identifying 17 hindrances through an in-depth review of literature, the fuzzy Delphi method (FDM) is employed to refine the hindrances based on the local context with the help of 21 qualified experts in the field. Subsequently, Fuzzy Parsimonious Analytic Hierarchy Process (FPAHP) is exploited as a recently developed technique to prioritize the identified hindrances.
Findings
Results reveal that the most significant hindrances to the adoption of GW are maintenance cost, high installation cost, difficulties in maintenance, sophisticated implementation and inducement to fire. Findings call for scholars to address ways to improve GW installation practices and methods in order to eradicate the hindrances and provide lessons for policymakers, assisting them in facilitating the larger-scale adoption of GW.
Originality/value
Considering the dearth of studies on hindrances to the adoption of GWs, this paper provides a comprehensive outlook of the issue, providing knowledge that can be used as a building block for future scholars within the field. It also provides valuable insights for stakeholders within the construction industry about the hindrances to the adoption of GWs which could direct their efforts toward better implementation of it.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The first author is a researcher of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia under the Post-Doctoral Fellowship Scheme. Moreover, this paper is a significantly revised and expanded version of a manuscript entitled “hindrances to the adoption of green walls: a hybrid fuzzy-based Approach” in which some parts of findings were partially presented at the 54th International Conference of the Architectural Science Association (ANZAScA) – 2020.
Citation
Tabatabaee, S., Ashour, M., Mohandes, S.R., Sadeghi, H., Mahdiyar, A., Hosseini, M.R. and Ismail, S. (2022), "Deterrents to the adoption of green walls: a hybrid fuzzy-based approach", Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, Vol. 29 No. 9, pp. 3460-3479. https://doi.org/10.1108/ECAM-04-2021-0286
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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