To limit the climate impact of buildings, low carbon materials such as bio-based materials could be used. This study intends to contribute to the understanding of drivers and barriers for an increased use of bio-based building materials in apartment buildings. For this purpose, semi-structured interviews with Swedish architects, contractors and developers were conducted. The results indicate weak drivers for selecting bio-based materials at present and that the key barriers are insufficient incentives, lack of knowledge and experience, bad examples, issues regarding performance, and construction-related culture and habits. Important future drivers could be green building certificates and other environmental standards and regulations, evidence that the materials keep a certain quality over time, and educational support from municipalities.
Keywords: construction industry, stakeholder perception, green building, diffusion of innovations
Authors
Markström E.
Department of Engineering Science and Mathematics, Luleå University of Technology, Skellefteå, Sweden
Bystedt A.
Department of Sustainable Built Environment, SP Swedish Technical Research Institute, Skellefteå, Sweden
Fredriksson M.
Department of Engineering Science and Mathematics, Luleå University of Technology, Skellefteå, Sweden
Sandberg D.
Department of Engineering Science and Mathematics, Luleå University of Technology, Skellefteå, Sweden
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