Green practices in the Chinese building industry: drivers and impediments

Purpose – Green building has become increasingly significant in China, with hundreds of projects being certified. While this has been the case, the driving and impeding factors behind this have remained unclear. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the green practices in China and to investigate the current status and the driving and impeding factors for green practices in the Chinese building industry. Design/methodology/approach – After a comprehensive review of the pertinent literature, this study first describes major environmental changes in China. Next, this study conducts an industry‐wide survey, with 65 completed responses received that form the analysis of this research. Findings – The results of the survey showed that “to obtain countenance and incentives from the government” appears to be the dominant motivation for green practices. “High fabrication cost” in design and “cost control” in construction were considered to be the largest obstacles encountered. “Lack of application experience” seems to be the largest obstacle faced in certification. The respondents seem to disagree much on the advantages of green buildings over conventional ones. The study also found that “countenance and incentives from the government” were the most significant driving force behind the rapid expansion of the green building industry in China. Originality/value – A clearer understanding of the perceptions of industry practitioners would assist those in the green building industry to better appreciate their shortcomings and to inspire new ways of improving performance of the green building industry. Although the future of the green building sector in China is promising, this industry still faces significant obstacles in technologies relating to design, production and manufacturing as well as in “soft” skills relating to regulations, management and stimulation.