Authors: G S P Gunasekara
Abstract: In The Sri Lankan construction industry has a central position in the national development, instead of being one of the worst agents of environmental destruction due to energy consumption and production of waste and carbon dioxide. As response, strategies to reduce the environmental impact of building operations have come into the limelight in the form of green concepts and sustainable building practices in the world. Although sustainability programs have been increased and structures have been designed like the GREENSL Rating System, there is still little uptake of green practices in Sri Lanka. This paper will seek to establish and discuss the challenges to the adoption of green construction concepts in the Sri Lankan context. Based on a qualitative content analysis of twenty academic and institutional sources on local repositories, such as the University of Moratuwa, General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, and the Green Building Council of Sri Lanka, the research synthesizes research results on the economic, institutional, technical, and cultural levels. Findings indicate that the initial high costs, lax regulatory implementation, low technical capacity and deep-rooted behavioural resistance are all complex and interdependent webs of constraints. The lack of financial incentives, poor awareness and disjointed policy frameworks are the forces that reinforce these barriers. The paper suggests a conceptual framework that demonstrates the relationship between these barriers and provides policy, industry, and research solutions to promote integrated solutions. It concludes that a rational system of national policy, coupled with specific capacity building and financial solutions, is essential in achieving mainstreaming of sustainable construction and long-term environmental resilience in Sri Lanka.
