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LEED in Ontario - Canada Building industry actors’ perceptions on barriers to LEED and its use as a mandated policy tool

Playford, G. Lucas LU (2011) In IIIEE Master thesis IMEN41 20111
The International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics
Abstract
The construction and operation of buildings is resource and energy intensive. As a sector buildings are responsible for roughly a quarter of all greenhouse gasses globally and represent a key intervention point in the fight against climate change. Energy and green building certification schemes are an example of tools that can be used in the design and construction high-performance buildings to help mitigate the negative environmental effects of the built environment. The US Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a market-based third party rating and certification framework increasingly used in the design, construction and operation of buildings in North America.
In Ontario, Canada... (More)
The construction and operation of buildings is resource and energy intensive. As a sector buildings are responsible for roughly a quarter of all greenhouse gasses globally and represent a key intervention point in the fight against climate change. Energy and green building certification schemes are an example of tools that can be used in the design and construction high-performance buildings to help mitigate the negative environmental effects of the built environment. The US Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a market-based third party rating and certification framework increasingly used in the design, construction and operation of buildings in North America.
In Ontario, Canada despite LEED’s increasing use both as a government mandated policy tool and private sector certification scheme, the number of buildings registered and certified under the rating system remains small given the overall size of the Ontario building market. With this in mind this research was designed as a qualitative study to investigate what barriers and to what extent those barriers exist in the Ontario building market that prevent the wider implementation of LEED. The study also examined the perception of building industry professionals on the use of LEED as a mandated policy and the potential implications such a policy may have in the building market. Semi-structured interview with building industry experts from four actor groups build design professionals, owners and clients, construction professionals, and green building consultants were used for data collection. The data was analysed through the use of an established barriers to LEED framework.
The analysis confirmed the existence of barriers to LEED present in four categories, applicability, process, knowledge, acceptance, and cost. Cost was shown to be the largest barrier to the wider application of LEED while applicability was shown to have the least influence as a barrier. In addition, industry professionals viewed the mandating of LEED with apprehension citing a number of concerns relating funding and liability issues, and LEED being forced into a role it was not intended to fill. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Playford, G. Lucas LU
supervisor
organization
course
IMEN41 20111
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
LEED, Barriers, Ontario, Mandate
publication/series
IIIEE Master thesis
report number
2011:28
ISSN
ISSN 1401-9191
language
English
id
2292184
date added to LUP
2012-01-11 10:01:00
date last changed
2012-01-11 10:01:00
@misc{2292184,
  abstract     = {{The construction and operation of buildings is resource and energy intensive. As a sector buildings are responsible for roughly a quarter of all greenhouse gasses globally and represent a key intervention point in the fight against climate change. Energy and green building certification schemes are an example of tools that can be used in the design and construction high-performance buildings to help mitigate the negative environmental effects of the built environment. The US Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a market-based third party rating and certification framework increasingly used in the design, construction and operation of buildings in North America. 
In Ontario, Canada despite LEED’s increasing use both as a government mandated policy tool and private sector certification scheme, the number of buildings registered and certified under the rating system remains small given the overall size of the Ontario building market. With this in mind this research was designed as a qualitative study to investigate what barriers and to what extent those barriers exist in the Ontario building market that prevent the wider implementation of LEED. The study also examined the perception of building industry professionals on the use of LEED as a mandated policy and the potential implications such a policy may have in the building market. Semi-structured interview with building industry experts from four actor groups build design professionals, owners and clients, construction professionals, and green building consultants were used for data collection. The data was analysed through the use of an established barriers to LEED framework.
The analysis confirmed the existence of barriers to LEED present in four categories, applicability, process, knowledge, acceptance, and cost. Cost was shown to be the largest barrier to the wider application of LEED while applicability was shown to have the least influence as a barrier. In addition, industry professionals viewed the mandating of LEED with apprehension citing a number of concerns relating funding and liability issues, and LEED being forced into a role it was not intended to fill.}},
  author       = {{Playford, G. Lucas}},
  issn         = {{ISSN 1401-9191}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  series       = {{IIIEE Master thesis}},
  title        = {{LEED in Ontario - Canada Building industry actors’ perceptions on barriers to LEED and its use as a mandated policy tool}},
  year         = {{2011}},
}