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The aim of this paper is to investigate the major differences between the government's role in building energy efficiency (BEE) in China and three developed countries, and to further the understanding of market expectations of the most effective government measures to encourage BEE development in China.

The approach taken was: establish a framework for a critical comparative study; compare and assess the BEE promotion measures available to governments in the USA, Canada, the UK and China; survey the BEE market expectations of building design professionals to better understand the favourable measures the Chinese Government could take to further promote BEE; and triangulate the findings of the comparative study and questionnaire survey to develop recommendations for BEE promotion in mainland China.

Economic incentives are important for BEE promotion at the current stage, but they are lacking in China. Active government interventions, such as adjusting energy pricing and implementing BEE legislation, are needed in China if BEE is to become economically viable and efficient.

Owing to limited resources, the questionnaire survey did not reach every part of China. A further study should be carried out to extend the investigation to more areas of China and to obtain wider stakeholder coverage.

The originality of this paper lies in its development of a theoretical framework to further understanding of the government's role in BEE promotion and its use of first‐hand data collected from industry to verify market expectations of that role in China.

Future energy consumption in China's building sector will have a considerable influence on both China and the world's energy markets. Although the Chinese government has set out a series of policies to promote building energy efficiency (BEE), the BEE market share remains small. The paper aims to identify the key policy deficiencies that affect such promotion.

Based on the defined roles played by the government, this paper traces the path that China's BEE policies have taken since the 1980s and highlights the key problems. To understand how the Chinese government's BEE policies meet the expectations of market stakeholders, the paper employs data from a questionnaire of building design professionals in the country's major cities to identify the most favourable factors for and existing hurdles to the promotion of the BEE market.

The Chinese government needs to exert greater effort towards overcoming the deficiencies in its roles as policy maker, fiscal hub and advocate. At this stage, China would benefit more from legal and government intervention than from heavy reliance on voluntary schemes for BEE promotion.

The paper shows that both the government and industry need to become better informed of the conditions required to attract market parties towards the promotion of BEE. This study also identifies the main concerns involved, thus providing a strong foundation for further study in this arena.

This paper highlights the mismatch between market expectations and government policies aimed at BEE promotion in China. It fills the knowledge gap between market stakeholders and government for future policy design concerning BEE promotion.

The purpose of this paper is to trace the connection between China's growth and urbanization processes and the amount of building space that is being constructed.

Buildings consume energy and are not always built with subsequent efficient use of energy in mind. China's building industry is estimated to account for over a quarter of the total energy consumed in China.

Such a massive use of the energy resource has prompted China's authorities to consider policies that will promote greater building energy efficiency.

The paper provides an important update as to how China is addressing energy efficiency in one of its key industrial sectors.

This paper aims to examine the performance efficiency of 56 real estate assets within the rental sector in the UAE to evaluate the relative operation efficiency in relation to revenue generation.

The data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach was used to measure the relative operational efficiency of the studied assets in relation to the revenue performance. This method could produce a more informed and balanced approach to performance measurement.

The outcomes show that scores of efficiencies ranging from 7% to 99% in some of the models. The results showed that on average buildings are 75% relatively less efficient in maintenance, in term of revenue generation, than the benchmark set. Likewise, on average, the inefficient buildings are 60% relatively less efficient in insurance. Result also shows that 95% of the building assets in the sample are by and large operating at decreasing returns to scale. This implies that managers need to considerably reduce the operational resources (input) to improve the levels of revenue.

This study recommends that the FM operational variables that were found to inefficiently contribute to the revenue should be re-examined to test the validity of the findings. This is necessary before generalising or interpolating the results that are presented in this study.

The information obtained about operational performance can help FM managers to understand which improvements in the productivity of inefficient FM resources are required, providing insight into how to reduce operating costs and increase revenue.

This paper adds value in using new FM operational parameters to evaluate the efficiency of the performance of built assets.

Sustainability has become a topical issue in many countries, with emphasis on green buildings. Though Ghana has recently adopted green buildings, there is lack of its speedy implementation. There is little literature on the adoption of green certification of buildings, especially in a developing country like Ghana. The purpose of this paper is to identify the factors that drive the adoption of green certification of buildings in Ghana.

The study adopts face-to-face and telephone interviews, using a semi-structured interview guide among ten built environment professionals. Qualitative responses to the interview are thematically analysed using Nvivo 11 Pro analysis application software.

The findings suggest that “observability of the benefits of green certified buildings”, “commitment of Government to green building initiatives”, “incorporating green certification of buildings into the code of practice of professional bodies”, “green building certification incentives”, “public acknowledgement of the green building concept”, “policies and regulations to enforce the adoption of the concept” and “effective communication and source of information on the concept” are the factors that drive the adoption of green certification of buildings in Ghana.

The paper contributes to the understanding of the factors that drive the adoption of green building certification in Ghana. With these findings, stakeholders and industry practitioners can make informed decisions regarding how they can put in place strategies to ensure the effective adoption of green certification of buildings. Though this study was conducted within the context of Ghana, its findings and implications can be useful to policy makers, stakeholders and practitioners in other developing countries.

Despite their energy conservation potential, still existing buildings are slow in embracing building energy efficiency retrofits (BEER), mainly because of the absence of a clearly defined process to deliver the BEER projects, and the lack of proactive guidance for project teams. Further, the identification of factors that can facilitate BEER projects is also important to ensure the project success. This is particularly true in energy service company (ESCO)-led projects. Hence, this study aims at investigating the decision-making process, including the motivators for the successful execution of each stage in implementing BEER when projects are outsourced to a third party.

An in-depth case study was carried out to investigate the decision-making process and motivators in implementing BEER in a selected hotel building. Seven semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect the required data within the case.

Study disclosed the 13 key decisions made and 37 key activities performed in each stage of the project. A total of 19 motivators for the successful execution of the respective stages were also elicited. Ultimately, the research findings are mapped against the five key stages of BEER decision-making process.

The outcome of this study will provide the industry practitioners a basis for the effective adoption and implementation of BEER in existing hotel buildings when an external contractor is involved.

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the regulatory barriers to achieving sustainable buildings in Kosovo. The present paper focuses on regulatory barriers viewed from the perspective of construction industry experts in achieving sustainable buildings.

The present study uses a qualitative research method and semi-structured interviews as a research instrument. The present study interviews around 20 experts in construction and property management, property development, spatial planning and energy management.

The study finds that Kosovo building laws and regulations provide for the materials assessment criteria, but the materials assessment criteria are only for mechanic strength. The study further finds that the sustainability concept is not included and incorporated in Kosovo's urban planning laws and regulations. The study also finds that despite specific clauses mentioning energy performance certificates in the Law on Energy Performance of Buildings in Kosovo, energy performance certificates appears to be not enforced and the nature of the barrier is more organizational rather than regulatory. Finally, the study finds that Kosovo laws are silent as far as green labeling of building materials is concerned.

The implication of the present finding is that policymakers in Kosovo not only should include clear sustainable materials assessment criteria in the law, but also enforce those criteria through testing and inspection mechanisms included in the law and implemented in practice through funding and organizational support. Nonetheless, policymakers in Kosovo should contemplate amending the urban planning laws in Kosovo and include both the term of sustainability at the planning level and conformity guidelines for sustainable design that can be done at the administrative directive level. Further, the clauses in the law do not suffice if the clauses are not accompanied by specific systemic and organizational support in the issuance of energy performance certificates. Policymakers in Kosovo should be proactive in designing clauses that specify green labeling standards for materials; however, these labeling standards should not adversely affect the cost of construction and reduce the demand for real estate.

The study is the first qualitative study about the perception of construction professionals in Kosovo, regarding the regulatory barriers of sustainable buildings in Kosovo.

Climate adaptation, energy efficiency, sustainable development and green growth are societal challenges for which the Facilities Management (FM) profession can develop solutions and make positive contributions on the organisational level and with societal-level effects. To base the emerging sub-discipline of sustainable facilities management (SFM) on research, an overview of current studies is needed. The purpose of this literature review is to provide exactly this overview.

This article identifies and examines current research studies on SFM through a comprehensive and systematic literature review. The literature review included screening of 85 identified scientific journals and almost 20,000 articles from the period of 2007-2012. Of the articles reviewed, 151 were identified as key articles and categorised according to topic.

The literature review indicated that the current research varies in focus, methodology and application of theory, and it was concluded that the current research primary addresses environmental sustainability, whereas the current research which takes an integrated strategic approach to SFM is limited. The article includes lists of reviewed journals and articles to support the further development of SFM in research and practice.

The literature review includes literature from 2007 to 2012, to manage the analytical process within the project period. However, with the current categorisation and the access to the reviewed journals and articles, it is possible to continue with the latest literature.

The article provides an overview of theoretical and practical knowledge which can guide: how to document and measure the performance of building operations in terms of environmental, social and economical impacts? How to improve the sustainability performance of buildings? What are the potentials for and barriers to integrating sustainability into FM on strategic, tactical and operational levels?

The paper presents the most comprehensive literature study on SFM so far, and represents an important knowledge basis which is likely to become a key reference point for pioneers and scholars in the emerging sub-discipline of SFM.

Existing buildings encompass the largest segment of the built environment and, hence, have become a key target for energy retrofits (ER) to substantially reduce global energy usage. The success of ER projects is closely linked to the effective involvement of various stakeholders within the decision-making process. This paper aims to investigate different stakeholders and their involvement throughout the decision-making process of ER projects.

Two successfully implemented ER projects in existing hotel buildings were selected as cases to gain novel insights into the key stakeholders to be involved along with their functions and roles in five different stages of the ER decision-making process. To collect required data, in total 11 semi-structured interviews were conducted with stakeholders involved in different stages of the decision-making process in the respective case studies. Data was analysed using code-based content analysis with the aid of NVivo computer software.

Altogether, 18 stakeholders and 7 roles reflective of the nature of their involvement in the respective stages were established. Findings disclosed that the nature of the project, level of knowledge, expertise and commitment of internal staff, type of ownership of the facility and mode of financing have significant influence on involvement of different stakeholders in ER projects.

The findings of this study are useful in enhancing the successful adoption and implementation of ER through timely and effective involvement and integration of stakeholders.

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the growing trend of developing and managing photovoltaic facilities owned by third parties in buildings, as a possible alternative to energy performance contracting.

Based on an established business model template, analysis is carried out on the framework of using third-party finance in the provision of photovoltaic facilities in buildings. Case studies in the USA and China enable comparison of policy tools enabling this approach.

While barriers exist in the common energy performance contracting approach for renewable installations owned by the building owner, vesting photovoltaic equipment with a third party for a certain period has become a viable business alternative as long as revenue is generated through a power purchase agreement or lease arrangement with the building owner.

The third-party ownership business model works better if sufficient policy incentives exist alongside the revenue brought about by renewable energy. Hence, governments have to create the right environment.

Win-win situations have been identified through case studies in countries with burgeoning renewable energy use in buildings, notably the USA and China, giving new insights on facilities management.