Australia's push to make residential housing sustainable - Do end-users care?
Introduction
Sustainability has emerged as a major concern, with governments committing themselves to carbon emissions reduction targets, embrace of renewable energy sources and transition to a ‘greener’ economy (Li et al., 2020; Olanipekun et al., 2019). This presents a significant challenge since such transition requires fundamental shifts in how various industries are to be managed (Banihashemi et al., 2018). Perhaps less appreciated is the fact that it is construction practices that contribute the greatest impact on the environment (Shi et al., 2016; Zuo & Zhao, 2014), and if sustainability is truly to be embraced, there needs to be a fundamental change in the way buildings are built and operated (Goh et al., 2020; Martek et al., 2018). Buildings eat up one-third of all raw materials consumed (Doan et al., 2017). This includes one-third of all timber, one-sixth of all water, and 40% of everything else (Dixit et al., 2013). Buildings consume half of all the energy used on the planet in supporting the heating, lighting and other requirements of occupants, while a further 10% of this energy goes into producing building products (Wong & Zhou, 2015). Moreover, the demolition of buildings generates half of all the world's land-fill waste (Chileshe et al., 2018; Nikmehr et al., 2017). While 80% of all greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) are generated in cities, in Australia, one-third of this comes from the daily operation and maintenance of buildings (Udawatta et al., 2015).
Stakeholders in the construction industry must navigate between their moral obligation to be ‘sustainable’ and the challenges of practical business realities. Chief among these is the fact that sustainable houses can cost up to 30% more (Goh et al., 2020; Miller & Buys, 2013). In this regard, the impetus for change relies on the value proposition assessment decision of end-users (Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council, 2018; Cadman, 2006). While a transition to sustainable houses is theoretically possible, such a shift can only be driven by the collective demand of end-users (Berardi, 2013; Foong et al., 2017; Martek, Hosseini, Shrestha, Edwards, Seaton, et al., 2019; Rock et al., 2019).
Research shows that the Australian public is generally ‘on-board’ with the aspirations of the national sustainability agenda (Davis & Davis, 2021), but this has not translated into consumers pushing for ‘greener’ housing alternatives (Doan et al., 2017). Why is this? Could it be that sustainable houses are unaffordable (MacKillop, 2013), or unavailable, or even unwanted? The question has not been categorically tested, and specifically the catalysts – supports and incentives – that might prompt a threshold market transition to sustainable houses remain unknown (Ahmad et al., 2020; Rock et al., 2019). Despite the obvious centrality end-users play as market makers, conspicuously absent from analysis of the market for sustainable houses in Australia is the very role end-users play; their intentions, priorities and demands pertinent to sustainable houses (Foong et al., 2017; Martek, Hosseini, Shrestha, Edwards, Seaton, et al., 2019; Rock et al., 2019). By overlooking end-users of Australian residential housing, a major opportunity is being lost in charting a much-needed way forward in the campaign to make Australian houses sustainable (Ahmad et al., 2020; Martek, Hosseini, Shrestha, Edwards, Seaton, et al., 2019). This study, therefore, sets out to address this neglect by firstly investigating end-users’ attitudes to sustainable housing and secondly, by identifying the support needed from the industry, financial institutions and government in order to effect positive change.
This study is one of the first of its kind in respect of the Australian residential market. For researchers, it contributes to the body of knowledge by exploring the dialectics regarding Australian end-users’ latent demand for sustainable housing, while also providing lessons for other countries. As for the world of practice, the insights regarding the mechanics of end-users’ decision making processes can be expected to inform policy makers and marketing managers.
Section snippets
Sustainable houses: The trend
Over the past two decades, there has been a growing interest and demand for sustainable houses (Darko & Chan, 2016). This has inspired a redirection in architecture, as well as reorientation in a sizeable amount of research around the world being devoted to exploring the various facets of sustainable houses (Martek et al., 2018; Sassi, 2006). These studies, however, have been heavily technology-oriented, whereas major barriers toward achieving sustainability in houses have their roots in
Previous studies on the topic
A review run on the now available research in the Australian context reveals that the majority of studies have focused on the role played by divergent stakeholders (Crabtree, 2005; Fastenrath & Braun, 2018; Graham & Warren-Myers, 2019; Warren-Myers & Heywood, 2018; Warren-Myers & McRae, 2017; Yang & Yang, 2015). There is however limited research primarily focusing on end-users’ perceptions of sustainable houses; their demands, interests or expectation (Martek, Hosseini, Shrestha, Edwards,
Sustainable residential housing: the theoretical framework
Certain theories and models, such as the theory of planned behaviour, the values–beliefs–norms theory, the technology acceptance model, and the norm activation model, are often utilized to investigate sustainable housing end-users’ perceptions, preferences, motivations and purchase intentions (He, Q. et al., 2019; Jia et al., 2019; Liu et al., 2018; Zahan et al., 2020; Zhang et al., 2018). This study adopts the theory of planned behaviour (Ajzen, 1991) as the theoretical framework by which to
Research methods
This study used focus groups as a means of data collection to capture end-users' perceptions of sustainable residential housing. Focus group is a self-contained exploratory method that involves data collection via a dynamic and interactive group discussion led by a moderator (Chan et al., 2012). According to Morgan (1997), a focus group is capable of integrating the purposes of the two most common qualitative methods - observations and interviews. As a research method, a focus group is
From focus groups to findings
In total, 148 (the motive for using sustainable homes and meaning of sustainable homes) and 78 (the role of government in the promotion of sustainable homes) data points were extracted and subsequently coded into 14 and 10 clusters, respectively (Table 2).
Sustainable homes: Meaning and motivations
The main results on the meaning and motivations to move into a sustainable home (Table 2) were integrated into the TPB framework (Fig. 1) to create a specific TPB based model for this study (Fig. 5).
This model can be used in future studies that investigate the end-users’ perceptions of sustainable homes in the Australian context and elsewhere. This will raise awareness of the main constructs of end-users’ perceptions. Perceived behavioural control, environmental concerns, and subjective
Conclusion
This study contributes to the field in two ways. First, it addressed the gap identified in the body of knowledge regarding the genuine needs, intentions and drivers of end-users of residential buildings to go green within the Australian context. This provides an innovative approach, namely, brining attention to the significance of focusing on the barriers and challenges of transition to sustainable housing practices from the vantage point of end-users of buildings. In doing so, the study adds
Declaration of competing interest
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
Acknowledgement
This work was funded by the Integral Design Futures (IDF) funding scheme's 2017 program: Charting Pre-Design Sustainability Indicators (School of Architecture and Built Environment, Deakin University).
References (99)
The theory of planned behavior
Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes
(1991)- et al.
Integration of parametric design into modular coordination: A construction waste reduction workflow
Automation in Construction
(2018) Stakeholders' influence on the adoption of energy-saving technologies in Italian homes
Energy Policy
(2013)- et al.
Narratives of resistance to technological change: Drawing lessons for urban energy transitions in southern Chile
Energy Research & Social Science
(2020) - et al.
Factors driving the implementation of reverse logistics: A quantified model for the construction industry
Waste Management
(2018) - et al.
Critical analysis of green building research trend in construction journals
Habitat International
(2016) - et al.
Drivers for green building: A review of empirical studies
Habitat International
(2017) - et al.
System boundary for embodied energy in buildings: A conceptual model for definition
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews
(2013) - et al.
A critical comparison of green building rating systems
Building and Environment
(2017) - et al.
Ambivalent urban sustainability transitions: Insights from Brisbane's building sector
Journal of Cleaner Production
(2018)
Breaking the cycle: Producer and consumer perspectives on the non-adoption of passive solar housing in the US
Energy Policy
Collaboration achieves effective waste management design at Brookfield Place Perth, Western Australia
Procedia Engineering
Investigating the efficacy of a professional education program in promoting sustainable residential construction practices in Australia
Journal of Cleaner Production
How to attract customers to buy green housing? Their heterogeneous willingness to pay for different attributes
Journal of Cleaner Production
Sustainability by information and communication technology: A paradigm shift for construction projects in Iran
Journal of Cleaner Production
Modeling the willingness to pay for energy efficient residence in urban residential sector in China
Energy Policy
Using the theory of planned behaviour to predict intentions to purchase sustainable housing
Journal of Cleaner Production
Are Pakistani homebuyers ready to adopt sustainable housing? An insight into their willingness to pay
Energy Policy
Benefits of solar photovoltaic systems for low-income families in social housing of Korea: Renewable energy applications as solutions to energy poverty
Journal of Building Engineering
A review on renewable energy transition in Australia: An updated depiction
Journal of Cleaner Production
Promoting green residential buildings: Residents' environmental attitude, subjective knowledge, and social trust matter
Energy Policy
Quantifying stakeholder influence in decision/evaluations relating to sustainable construction in China – a Delphi approach
Journal of Cleaner Production
Barriers inhibiting the transition to sustainability within the Australian construction industry: An investigation of technical and social interactions
Journal of Cleaner Production
End-user engagement: The missing link of sustainability transition for Australian residential buildings
Journal of Cleaner Production
Readiness for sustainable community: A case study of green star communities
Journal of Cleaner Production
Green building incentives: A review
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews
Towards zero energy homes down under
Renewable Energy
Objective conflicts in green buildings projects: A critical analysis
Building and Environment
Preferences for sustainable, liveable and resilient neighbourhoods and homes: A case of canberra, Australia
Sustainable Cities and Society
Enhancing environmental sustainability over building life cycles through green bim: A review
Automation in Construction
Stated WTP and rational WTP: Willingness to pay for green apartments in Sweden
Sustainable Cities and Society
Green building research–current status and future agenda: A review
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews
Green buildings in Australia: Explaining the difference of drivers in commercial and residential sector
Incorporating circular economy into passive design strategies in tropical Nigeria
International Journal of Economics and Management Engineering
Design for deconstruction using a circular economy approach: Barriers and strategies for improvement
Production Planning & Control
High Performance: How buildings can make a major contribution to Australia's emissions and productivity goals
The bottom line: The household impacts of delaying improved energy requirements in the Building Code, Building code energy performance trajectory project
The potential of implementing property tax incentives on green building in Malaysia
American Journal of Economy
Qualitative data analysis: Practical strategies
Socio-economic impacts of home stay accommodations in Malaysia: A study on home stay operators in terengganu state
Asian Social Science
A study of Islamic banks in the non-GCC MENA region: Evidence from Lebanon
International Journal of Bank Marketing
Home sustainability policy and mandatory disclosure: A survey of buyer and seller participation and awareness in qld
The vicious circle of blame
Exploring the relationships between e‐service quality, satisfaction, attitudes and behaviours in content‐driven e‐service web sites
Journal of Services Marketing
Managing the stress of Hong Kong expatriate construction professionals in mainland China: Focus group study exploring individual coping strategies and organizational support
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Removing market barriers to green development: Principles and action projects to promote widespread adoption of green development practices
Journal of Sustainable Real Estate
Sustainable housing development in urban Australia: Exploring obstacles to and opportunities for ecocity efforts
Australian Geographer
Sustainability uptake in housing in metropolitan Australia: An institutional problem, not a technological one
Housing Studies
National identity and NATID: An assessment in Yemen
International Marketing Review
Cited by (10)
The influence of multi-level factors on Chinese residents' purchase decisions of green housing: A system dynamics approach
2023, Sustainable Cities and SocietySustainability Information Provision (SIP) framework: A review of the promotion of sustainability in the residential sector
2023, Building and EnvironmentCitation Excerpt :These challenges are referred to in Fig. 4 as “Process Facilitation Barriers”. These barriers include the lack of sufficient government support or policies to enforce information disclosure to buyers and end-users [2,7,15,23,25,26,30,55,70,76,101–103]. Similarly, builders' misconceptions that buyers and end-users are not interested in sustainability or that their main focus is cost savings [7,16,33] demotivate the initiation and development of the information disclosure process.
The Evolving Nature (or Not) of Sustainability Communications in New Home Building in Australia
2023, Sustainability (Switzerland)Antecedents of Real Estate Investment Intention among Filipino Millennials and Gen Z: An Extended Theory of Planned Behavior
2023, Sustainability (Switzerland)Delivering sustainable apartment housing: new build and retrofit
2023, AHURI Final Report