Achini S Weerasinghe
Massey University, School of Built Environment, Graduate Student
- University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka, Building Economics, Graduate Studentadd
- Applied Psychology, Social Psychology, Facilities Management, Energy efficiency, Logistic Regression, New Zealand, and 20 moreOccupant Behaviour, Grounded Theory, Facility Management, Life Cycle Costing, Environmental Sustainability, Green Building, Life-Cycle Cost Analysis, Green Building Rating Systems, Sustainable Development, Energy Efficiency Buildings, Green buildings, Green and Sustainability Practices, Industrial Buildings, Opportunity, Ability, Motivational theories, Regression Analysis, Sustainability, Commercial buildings, and Green Retrofitedit
Abstract The demand for green buildings is growing, but the trend is below the expected level due to the perceived higher construction cost required by building investors. In addition, the industry or the practitioners knowledge and... more
Abstract The demand for green buildings is growing, but the trend is below the expected level due to the perceived higher construction cost required by building investors. In addition, the industry or the practitioners knowledge and awareness of major operational cost savings of facilities is questionable. on that note, this study aims to establish the cost implications of green buildings via a comparative life-cycle cost analysis of two green certified industrial and one traditional building. The industrial sector is one of the largest energy consuming sectors in the world with over 50% of the world’s total delivered energy is absorbed by the sector. Energy consumption of industrial sector is likely to increase more due to the economic and population growth. The data for the analysis were extracted from construction, operation, and maintenance expenditure budget records of the selected organisations. The analysis shows that in terms of life-cycle costs, green industrial buildings are 17% cheaper than that of traditional buildings. Though the initial construction cost of a green industrial building is 29% higher, the operation and maintenance costs of green buildings result in 23% and 15% overall savings throughout the life cycle. The findings provide further empirical proof of the benefits of green buildings, especially in industrial manufacturing where it is expected to improve future uptakes and consequently the achievement of sustainable development initiatives.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Purpose This paper aims to investigate building managers’ approach towards occupant energy behaviours and rationalises organisational energy culture concerning their strategy to address occupants’ preferences in New Zealand tertiary... more
Purpose This paper aims to investigate building managers’ approach towards occupant energy behaviours and rationalises organisational energy culture concerning their strategy to address occupants’ preferences in New Zealand tertiary office buildings. Design/methodology/approach The research used grounded theory analysis by interviewing a purposive sample of 25 participants from a university. Also, semi-structured interviews were conducted with facilities managers, sustainability managers and building occupants. Findings The study results revealed that building managers oversimplify the multi-domain discomfort, energy impacts from occupant behaviours and the influence of social-psychology aspects on occupants’ actions. The organisational energy culture can be further improved by increasing occupants’ knowledge and awareness of energy, sharing energy feedback with occupants to make energy conscious occupants and giving them responsibilities to achieve the organisation’s energy targets. Originality/value This study enables opportunities to promote collaboration between building managers and occupants by comparing perspectives on occupant energy impacts.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Purpose In Sri Lanka, a limited number of buildings have been certified for incorporation of green features and the reasons are attributed to green building investors who continue to perceive that green buildings are expensive. Further,... more
Purpose In Sri Lanka, a limited number of buildings have been certified for incorporation of green features and the reasons are attributed to green building investors who continue to perceive that green buildings are expensive. Further, the green building investors fail to appreciate the subsequent benefits received by those buildings during the operational phase. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to compare the life cycle cost (LCC) of green certified industrial manufacturing buildings with a similar form of the conventional buildings to establish the economic sustainability of green buildings. Design/methodology/approach The study involved a comparative case study analysis of two green buildings and a similar natured conventional building. The data required to perform the LCC analysis were extracted through documentary analysis. Findings The comparative analysis shows that the construction cost of a green industrial manufacturing building is 37 per cent higher than that of a similar natured conventional building while operation, maintenance and the end life cost of green buildings result in 28, 22 and 11 per cent savings, respectively. This results in an overall cost saving of 21 per cent in green buildings. Originality/value The current study provides an assessment of the total LCC of green industrial manufacturing buildings. In Sri Lanka, green industrial manufacturing buildings offer LCC saving of 21 per cent over its lifetime compared to similar natured conventional buildings. Thus, comparative analyses would enable green investors to make informed decisions before commissioning their investment in green facilities and thereby promote sustainable construction in Sri Lanka.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Unless the rate of green retrofitting of conventional buildings is amplified, built environment will have a huge responsibility in dealing with global warming, reducing resource consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. The contradictory... more
Unless the rate of green retrofitting of conventional buildings is amplified, built environment will have a huge responsibility in dealing with global warming, reducing resource consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. The contradictory views on initial costs and paybacks have discouraged industries investing on green retrofits, and building owners are reluctant to pay for green retrofits. In this context, the current study analyses the costs and benefits of green retrofits in industrial manufacturing buildings in Sri Lanka towards identifying the most appropriate retrofit options. The study used a mixed method approach to collect data through semi-structured interviews and documents of green certified industrial manufacturing buildings. Accordingly, four buildings were selected for the study, and the green retrofits applied in those buildings were identified through interviewing one professional from each building. Subsequently, the quantitative data on construction costs and economic savings were collected from two cases and analyzed using net present value and simple payback period. The analyses show that the use of green retrofits related to sustainable sites, water efficiency and material and resources are at a lower level, whereas green retrofits related to energy and indoor environmental quality are given the priority in existing industrial manufacturing buildings in Sri Lanka. Moreover, findings indicate the financial viability of the implemented retrofits in terms of sustainable features, such as energy and indoor environmental quality with positive net present values and simple payback period of less than 5 years. Considering the lifetime financial returns of those retrofits, each retrofit indicates significant benefits compared to initial investment. The outcome of the study would improve the application of green retrofits in existing buildings and thereby uplift the sustainable built environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and depletion of natural resources.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Purpose Better identification of comfort preferences and occupant behaviour drivers is expected to improve buildings’ user-centred designs and energy operations. To understand the underline drivers of occupant behaviours in office... more
Purpose Better identification of comfort preferences and occupant behaviour drivers is expected to improve buildings’ user-centred designs and energy operations. To understand the underline drivers of occupant behaviours in office buildings, this study aims to evaluate the inter-relationships among occupant energy behaviours, indoor environmental quality satisfaction, user control and social-psychological factors influencing occupant behaviours in New Zealand offices. Design/methodology/approach Using an occupant perception survey, this study identifies the occupant behaviour patterns based on multi-domain comfort preferences. A case study was conducted in five office spaces of a university in Auckland, New Zealand. Data were collected from 52 occupants and analysed using descriptive and binary logistic regression analysis. Indoor environmental quality, user control, motivational, opportunity and ability factors were the independent variables considered. A model to predict the behaviours using environmental, building and social-psychological aspects was developed. Findings The results showed that the primary sources of indoor environmental quality discomfort were related to thermal and air quality, while occupants’ indoor environmental quality satisfaction correlated with their comfort preferences. The outcomes emphasise how the connection between building systems and occupants’ comfort preferences affect the choice of occupant behaviours in offices. Also, the primary occupant behaviours were drinking hot and cold beverages, opening/closing windows and internal doors and adjusting clothing. The binary logistic regression analysis showed that occupants’ perceived user control satisfaction is the main driver for increasing window actions. No other independent variable showed a statistically significant association with other behaviours. Originality/value This study adopted a novel approach to assess the combined effects of comfort preferences, occupant energy behaviours and various environmental, building and socio-psychological factors for modelling energy-saving behaviours in office buildings.
Research Interests:
Green retrofitting is a valuable approach for upgrading existing buildings towards sustainable performances. However, the lack of knowledge about the true cost effects and potential savings of green retrofits distracts building... more
Green retrofitting is a valuable approach for upgrading existing buildings towards sustainable performances. However, the lack of knowledge about the true cost effects and potential savings of green retrofits distracts building proprietors from paying those retrofits. Therefore, the current study reviewed fourteen studies available in the extant literature and identified twenty-eight different green retrofits incorporated into various buildings with their cost effects and saving potentials through a subsequent desktop study. The results indicated that the majority of green retrofits offer savings related to energy consumption, CO2 emissions, cooling load, and operating costs. Moreover, energy-saving lighting modifications are widely done in most buildings, while solar collectors, photovoltaics, and low-emission double glazing are used less often due to the long payback period and increased cost of implementation. Alternatively, the use of retrofits with lower costs and high savings,...
Research Interests:
Understanding how occupants behave and interact with building systems is vital to energy efficiency in buildings. The building occupants’ behaviours are complex and influenced by diverse factors. A deep understanding of the underlying... more
Understanding how occupants behave and interact with building systems is vital to energy efficiency in buildings. The building occupants’ behaviours are complex and influenced by diverse factors. A deep understanding of the underlying environmental, contextual, social, and psychological factors is the first step of many in establishing the relationship between the indoor environment and occupants’ behaviours. The current study investigates the influence of occupants’ perceived indoor environmental comfort, the availability of control, and the social-psychological impacts on occupant behaviours in a New Zealand context. The data were collected through online surveys, and 99 office occupants responded. A machine learning technique was applied to identify the critical factors influencing the decision-making of occupant behaviours. Of the occupant behaviours considered in the study, adjusting windows, doors, shades and blinds, and drinking beverages were mostly practised (>70%) while...
Research Interests:
Purpose Better identification of comfort preferences and occupant behaviour drivers is expected to improve buildings’ user-centred designs and energy operations. To understand the underline drivers of occupant behaviours in office... more
Purpose Better identification of comfort preferences and occupant behaviour drivers is expected to improve buildings’ user-centred designs and energy operations. To understand the underline drivers of occupant behaviours in office buildings, this study aims to evaluate the inter-relationships among occupant energy behaviours, indoor environmental quality satisfaction, user control and social-psychological factors influencing occupant behaviours in New Zealand offices. Design/methodology/approach Using an occupant perception survey, this study identifies the occupant behaviour patterns based on multi-domain comfort preferences. A case study was conducted in five office spaces of a university in Auckland, New Zealand. Data were collected from 52 occupants and analysed using descriptive and binary logistic regression analysis. Indoor environmental quality, user control, motivational, opportunity and ability factors were the independent variables considered. A model to predict the behav...
Research Interests:
Purpose This paper aims to investigate building managers’ approach towards occupant energy behaviours and rationalises organisational energy culture concerning their strategy to address occupants’ preferences in New Zealand tertiary... more
Purpose This paper aims to investigate building managers’ approach towards occupant energy behaviours and rationalises organisational energy culture concerning their strategy to address occupants’ preferences in New Zealand tertiary office buildings. Design/methodology/approach The research used grounded theory analysis by interviewing a purposive sample of 25 participants from a university. Also, semi-structured interviews were conducted with facilities managers, sustainability managers and building occupants. Findings The study results revealed that building managers oversimplify the multi-domain discomfort, energy impacts from occupant behaviours and the influence of social-psychology aspects on occupants’ actions. The organisational energy culture can be further improved by increasing occupants’ knowledge and awareness of energy, sharing energy feedback with occupants to make energy conscious occupants and giving them responsibilities to achieve the organisation’s energy targets...
Research Interests:
Recently, the focus on green buildings has fore-fronted in the Sri Lankan construction industry. The green building investors continue to focus on minimising construction cost and fail to appreciate the impact on life cycle economic... more
Recently, the focus on green buildings has fore-fronted in the Sri Lankan construction industry. The green building investors continue to focus on minimising construction cost and fail to appreciate the impact on life cycle economic performances. The construction cost of green buildings tends to be higher than traditional buildings, with a comparatively lower operation and maintenance costs. Therefore, this study assesses the life cycle cost of green certified industrial manufacturing building and that of a conventional building to establish the impact of sustainable features on life-cycle cost. The quantitative data on construction, running and end of life cycle costs of the selected green and conventional buildings were collected and analysed using Net Present Value. The analysis shows that the construction cost of green industrial manufacturing building is about 28% higher than that of a conventional building. However, operation, maintenance and end of life cycle costs are in the...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Purpose In Sri Lanka, a limited number of buildings have been certified for incorporation of green features and the reasons are attributed to green building investors who continue to perceive that green buildings are expensive. Further,... more
Purpose In Sri Lanka, a limited number of buildings have been certified for incorporation of green features and the reasons are attributed to green building investors who continue to perceive that green buildings are expensive. Further, the green building investors fail to appreciate the subsequent benefits received by those buildings during the operational phase. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to compare the life cycle cost (LCC) of green certified industrial manufacturing buildings with a similar form of the conventional buildings to establish the economic sustainability of green buildings. Design/methodology/approach The study involved a comparative case study analysis of two green buildings and a similar natured conventional building. The data required to perform the LCC analysis were extracted through documentary analysis. Findings The comparative analysis shows that the construction cost of a green industrial manufacturing building is 37 per cent higher than that of a...
Research Interests:
Abstract The demand for green buildings is growing, but the trend is below the expected level due to the perceived higher construction cost required by building investors. In addition, the industry or the practitioners knowledge and... more
Abstract The demand for green buildings is growing, but the trend is below the expected level due to the perceived higher construction cost required by building investors. In addition, the industry or the practitioners knowledge and awareness of major operational cost savings of facilities is questionable. on that note, this study aims to establish the cost implications of green buildings via a comparative life-cycle cost analysis of two green certified industrial and one traditional building. The industrial sector is one of the largest energy consuming sectors in the world with over 50% of the world’s total delivered energy is absorbed by the sector. Energy consumption of industrial sector is likely to increase more due to the economic and population growth. The data for the analysis were extracted from construction, operation, and maintenance expenditure budget records of the selected organisations. The analysis shows that in terms of life-cycle costs, green industrial buildings are 17% cheaper than that of traditional buildings. Though the initial construction cost of a green industrial building is 29% higher, the operation and maintenance costs of green buildings result in 23% and 15% overall savings throughout the life cycle. The findings provide further empirical proof of the benefits of green buildings, especially in industrial manufacturing where it is expected to improve future uptakes and consequently the achievement of sustainable development initiatives.
Research Interests:
Often, building occupants compromise the energy savings of the building when they modulate their comfort through occupant behaviours. Therefore, this study identifies the relationships among indoor environmental conditions, comfort... more
Often, building occupants compromise the energy savings of the building when they modulate their comfort through occupant behaviours. Therefore, this study identifies the relationships among indoor environmental conditions, comfort preferences, and occupant behaviours to improve future energy modelling works on occupant behaviour in buildings. A self-administered online questionnaire survey was conducted using a purposive sample of 46 occupants selected from five educational office buildings. Results show that the occupants' satisfaction with indoor environmental quality (IEQ), user-centred building controls, and furniture arrangements across the three office types: private, shared, and open-plan office has a similar value except for thermal comfort in winter and/or summer, ventilation in winter, acoustic comfort, and access to lighting control. The results also show the relationships of 17 occupant behaviours with 15 comfort preferences, where that highlights occupants were highly concerned about satisfying individual indoor air quality (IAQ) and thermal comforts through their behaviours rather than to save energy and follow management guidelines. Furthermore, IAQ and control over thermal and IAQ related parameters such as heating, cooling, and ventilation are highly correlated with the occupant behaviours, and these could be considered as primary predictors of occupant energy behaviours. These relationships of IEQ and user-centred building controls with occupant behaviours could be utilized to enhance future occupant energy behaviour modelling approaches and pinpoint the energy wasteful behaviours.
Research Interests:
This study evaluates the impact of social psychological aspects on adaptive and nonadaptive occupant behaviours in offices. The evaluation is based on a survey synthesising previous research insights on social science theories, where... more
This study evaluates the impact of social psychological aspects on adaptive and nonadaptive occupant behaviours in offices. The evaluation is based on a survey synthesising previous research insights on social science theories, where subjective aspects were considered by adapting a modified motivation, opportunity, and ability framework. A questionnaire was distributed across the general office building population in New Zealand, and 247 valid answers were achieved. A Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) approach was used to evaluate the subjective effects on the choices of occupant behaviours. The results showed that the attitudes, personal norms, organisational support, behavioural interventions, and perceived knowledge (factor loadings >0.50) were significant indicators of adaptive behaviours and positively affected the choices of occupants' adaptive actions. Overall, the study outcomes enable the improvement of occupant energy saving behaviours by applying subjective aspects related to the office environment. Furthermore, this study provides insights for investigating occupants' social and psychological perspectives on energy saving in their workplaces amid the COVID-19 and post lockdown situations.
Research Interests:
Recently, the focus to green buildings has fore-fronted in the Sri Lankan construction industry. The green building investors continue to focus on minimising construction cost and fail to appreciate the impact on life cycle economic... more
Recently, the focus to green buildings has fore-fronted in the Sri Lankan construction industry. The green building investors continue to focus on minimising construction cost and fail to appreciate the impact on life cycle economic performances. The construction cost of green buildings tends to be higher than traditional buildings, with comparatively lower operation and maintenance costs. Therefore, this study assesses the life cycle cost of green certified industrial manufacturing building and that of a conventional building to establish the impact of sustainable features on life cycle cost. The quantitative data on construction, running and end of life cycle costs of the selected green and conventional buildings were collected and analysed using Net Present Value. The analysis shows that the construction cost of green industrial manufacturing building is about 28% higher than that of a conventional building. However, operation, maintenance and end of life cycle costs are in the range of 35 to 41%, 26 to 30% and 6 to 18% respectively lower than that of conventional building. The study found that the life cycle cost of green building is 24 to 28% less compared to conventional building. It is expected that the outcome of this research would contribute to the organisational learning of green built environment and thereby uplift the use of sustainable construction in Sri Lanka.
Research Interests:
The green buildings seem unattractive to developers who prioritize fast investment returns, due to costs attributed to implementing sustainable features and consequently, only 19% of existing buildings are certified for green, globally.... more
The green buildings seem unattractive to developers who prioritize fast investment returns, due to costs attributed to implementing sustainable features and consequently, only 19% of existing buildings are certified for green, globally. Furthermore, green buildings are aimed at achieving a minimum sustainability level in certification.
Research Interests:
The demand for green buildings is growing, but the trend is below the expected level due to the perceived higher construction cost required by building investors. In addition, the industry or the practitioners knowledge and awareness of... more
The demand for green buildings is growing, but the trend is below the expected level due to the perceived higher construction cost required by building investors. In addition, the industry or the practitioners knowledge and awareness of major operational cost savings of facilities is questionable. on that note, this study aims to establish the cost implications of green buildings via a comparative life-cycle cost analysis of two green certified industrial and one traditional building. The industrial sector is one of the largest energy consuming sectors in the world with over 50% of the world's total delivered energy is absorbed by the sector. Energy consumption of industrial sector is likely to increase more due to the economic and population growth. The data for the analysis were extracted from construction, operation, and maintenance expenditure budget records of the selected organisations. The analysis shows that in terms of life-cycle costs, green industrial buildings are 17% cheaper than that of traditional buildings. Though the initial construction cost of a green industrial building is 29% higher, the operation and maintenance costs of green buildings result in 23% and 15% overall savings throughout the life cycle. The findings provide further empirical proof of the benefits of green buildings, especially in industrial manufacturing where it is expected to improve future uptakes and consequently the achievement of sustainable development initiatives.
Research Interests:
Purpose-This paper investigates building managers' approach towards occupant energy behaviours and rationalises organisational energy culture concerning their strategy to address occupants' preferences in New Zealand tertiary office... more
Purpose-This paper investigates building managers' approach towards occupant energy behaviours and rationalises organisational energy culture concerning their strategy to address occupants' preferences in New Zealand tertiary office buildings. Design/methodology/approach-The research used grounded theory analysis by interviewing a purposive sample of 25 participants from a university. Also, semi-structured interviews were conducted with facilities managers, sustainability managers, and building occupants. Findings-The study results revealed that building managers oversimplify the multi-domain discomfort, energy impacts from occupant behaviours, and the influence of social-psychology aspects on occupants' actions. The organisational energy culture can be further improved by increasing occupants' knowledge and awareness of energy, sharing energy feedback with occupants to make energy-conscious occupants and giving them responsibilities to achieve the organization's energy targets. Originality-This study enables opportunities to promote collaboration between building managers and occupants by comparing perspectives on occupant energy impacts.
Research Interests:
Better identification of comfort preferences and occupant behaviour drivers is expected to improve buildings’ user-centred designs and energy operations. In order to understand the underline drivers of occupant behaviours in office... more
Better identification of comfort preferences and occupant behaviour drivers is expected to improve buildings’ user-centred designs and energy operations. In order to understand the underline drivers of occupant behaviours in office buildings, this study evaluated the interrelationships among occupant energy behaviours, indoor environmental quality satisfaction, user control, and social-psychological factors influencing occupant behaviours in New Zealand offices. Using an occupant perception survey, this study identifies the occupant behaviour patterns based on multi-domain comfort preferences. A case study was conducted in five office spaces of a University in Auckland, New Zealand. Data were collected from 52 occupants and analysed using descriptive and binary logistic regression analysis. Indoor environmental quality, user control, motivational, opportunity, and ability factors were the independent variables considered. A model to predict the behaviours using environmental, building, and social-psychological aspects was developed. Results showed that the primary sources of indoor environmental quality discomfort were related to thermal and air quality, while occupants’ indoor environmental quality satisfaction correlated with their comfort preferences. The outcomes emphasise how the connection between building systems and occupants’ comfort preferences affect the choice of occupant behaviours in offices. Also, the primary occupant behaviours were drinking hot and cold beverages, opening/closing windows and internal doors, and adjusting clothing. The binary logistic regression analysis showed that occupants’ perceived user control satisfaction is the main driver for increasing window actions. No other independent variable showed a statistically significant association with other behaviours. This study adopted a novel approach to assess the combined effects of comfort preferences, occupant energy behaviours, and various environmental, building, and socio-psychological factors for modelling energy-saving behaviours in office buildings.
Research Interests:
Purpose-In Sri Lanka, a limited number of buildings have been certified for incorporation of green features and the reasons are attributed to green building investors who continue to perceive that green buildings are expensive. Further,... more
Purpose-In Sri Lanka, a limited number of buildings have been certified for incorporation of green features and the reasons are attributed to green building investors who continue to perceive that green buildings are expensive. Further, the green building investors fail to appreciate the subsequent benefits received by those buildings during the operational phase. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to compare the life cycle cost (LCC) of green certified industrial manufacturing buildings with a similar form of the conventional buildings to establish the economic sustainability of green buildings. Design/methodology/approach-The study involved a comparative case study analysis of two green buildings and a similar natured conventional building. The data required to perform the LCC analysis were extracted through documentary analysis. Findings-The comparative analysis shows that the construction cost of a green industrial manufacturing building is 37 per cent higher than that of a similar natured conventional building while operation, maintenance and the end life cost of green buildings result in 28, 22 and 11 per cent savings, respectively. This results in an overall cost saving of 21 per cent in green buildings. Originality/value-The current study provides an assessment of the total LCC of green industrial manufacturing buildings. In Sri Lanka, green industrial manufacturing buildings offer LCC saving of 21 per cent over its lifetime compared to similar natured conventional buildings. Thus, comparative analyses would enable green investors to make informed decisions before commissioning their investment in green facilities and thereby promote sustainable construction in Sri Lanka.
Research Interests:
Purpose Rising energy costs and increasing environmental concerns are catalysts for introducing sustainable design features in buildings. Incorporating sustainable design features in commercial buildings cannot be overstated because it... more
Purpose Rising energy costs and increasing environmental concerns are catalysts for introducing sustainable design features in buildings. Incorporating sustainable design features in commercial buildings cannot be overstated because it could confer benefits to the investor (owners) and occupants. This study aims to develop a model that could aid in the prediction of operation and maintenance (O&M) costs from the knowledge of building-design variables. There is little evidence that design variables influence the O&M costs of buildings. Therefore, this study investigates the relationship between design variables and O&M costs in commercial buildings with the intent of developing a cost model for estimating O&M costs at the early design phase. Design/methodology/approach The study was approached quantitatively using a survey strategy. Data for the study were obtained from 30 randomly selected commercial buildings in the CBD in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Pareto's 80/20 rule, correlation an...
Research Interests:
The impact of built environment on the global warming, greenhouse gas emissions and natural resources depletion is staggering. Consequently, existing built environment will have very high responsibility in dealing with global issues,... more
The impact of built environment on the global warming, greenhouse gas emissions and natural resources depletion is staggering. Consequently, existing built environment will have very high responsibility in dealing with global issues, unless the rate of green retrofitting is amplified. Existing buildings are accountable for 39% of energy use and 35% carbon dioxide emissions, whereas, green retrofitting can achieve 40%-60% energy saving, which contributes 20%-30% carbon emission reduction. Nevertheless, the building owners are less willing to pay for retrofits due to high initial cost and identifying the most cost-effective retrofits for a particular project is still a major challenge. The current study therefore analyses the costs and saving implications of various green retrofits incorporated into an industrial manufacturing building in Sri Lanka. The study used mixed methods in data collection where professionals involved in green retrofits industrial manufacturing buildings were interviewed to identify the green retrofit technologies implemented and the reasons for selection of those green retrofits and subsequently a detailed costs and saving potential analysis of green retrofits incorporated in the selected green retrofit certified industrial manufacturing building was performed using Net Present Value and Simple Payback Period. The analyses show that the use of retrofits related to energy, indoor environmental quality and water are at a significant level in industrial manufacturing buildings in Sri Lanka. Moreover, the implemented retrofit projects indicate the financial viability of green retrofits with positive net present values and simple payback period of less than 5 years. Considering the lifetime financial returns of those retrofits, each indicates significant benefits compared to initial investment. Therefore, the success of these actual retrofit scenarios would enable to identify the most appropriate retrofits based on the potential expenses and returns involved, and thereby assist building investors to incorporate most feasible retrofits into their existing buildings.
Research Interests:
Usually, 80% of running costs of a building are influenced by 20% of initial costs. Therefore concerns for running cost need to begin at the outset of building design. A simplified model that could predict running cost from early project... more
Usually, 80% of running costs of a building are influenced by 20% of initial costs. Therefore concerns for running cost need to begin at the outset of building design. A simplified model that could predict running cost from early project phase would facilitate design development and give due consideration to life cycle costing (LCC) accuracies. Historical data on running cost for office buildings are inconsistent in Sri Lanka and affect prediction accuracies. However the current research proposes a model using simple variables to facilitate the prediction of running cost of office buildings in Sri Lanka. The study uses a mixed method approach to collect data through eight semi-structured interviews and analyses of eight office building documents. The model developed was subsequently validated using another set of eight buildings. The analyses show that operation and maintenance cost account for 75% and 25% to total running cost respectively. Major operational cost comprise utility and administration, while maintenance comprise cleaning and building services. The model primarily depends on average floor area and number of floors. These parameters are responsible for over 98% of the model accuracy and could provide a speedy and accurate estimation of running cost for office buildings.