To read this content please select one of the options below:

Assessing the level of awareness of smart building technologies (SBTs) in the developing countries

Frank Ato Ghansah (Department of Construction Technology and Management, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana)
De-Graft Owusu-Manu (Department of Construction Technology and Management, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana)
Joshua Ayarkwa (Department of Construction Technology and Management, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana)
David John Edwards (School of Engineering and the Built Environment, Birmingham City University, Birmingham, UK and University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa, and)
M. Reza Hosseini (Faculty of Science Engineering and Built Environment, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia)

Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology

ISSN: 1726-0531

Article publication date: 11 October 2021

Issue publication date: 12 April 2022

635

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the awareness level of smart building technologies (SBTs) among construction professionals in developing countries such as Ghana, and identify the key factors that have the significant capability of influencing the awareness level significantly.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected through questionnaire survey from 227 construction design team and project managers in the Ghanaian construction industry. Descriptive analysis and multivariate analysis using multiple regression were used to analyze the data.

Findings

Averagely low level of SBTs awareness was observed to exist among professionals in the construction industry of Ghana. The study further revealed “training programs” by organizations and “individual knowledge” as the key factors capable of significantly influencing the level of SBTs awareness in the construction industry of developing countries, particularly Ghana.

Practical implications

This paper identified training programs by organizations and individual knowledge as the two key factors having significant capability of influencing the SBTs awareness in the construction industry of developing countries such Ghana. The two factors can be incorporated in policymaking process via considerations to help create SBTs awareness, such as encouragement of continuous professional development toward smart building concept in relation to construction sustainability.

Originality/value

This study conceptualizes from a systematic professional perspective and provides empirical evidence on the key significant factors capable of influencing the awareness of SBTs in the developing countries such as Ghana.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

This paper forms part of a large MPhil research project aimed at developing Technology Adoption Framework for Smart Building Technologies in Ghana. The authors would like to thank the Department of Construction Technology and Management of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology for organizing research seminars to help improve the research project. Finally, we are extremely grateful to the editors and anonymous reviewers whose invaluable comments and suggestions substantially helped in improving the quality of this paper.

Citation

Ghansah, F.A., Owusu-Manu, D.-G., Ayarkwa, J., Edwards, D.J. and Hosseini, M.R. (2022), "Assessing the level of awareness of smart building technologies (SBTs) in the developing countries", Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology, Vol. 20 No. 3, pp. 696-711. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEDT-11-2020-0465

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited

Related articles