Assessing the Drivers Influencing the Adoption of Green Building Assessment Systems in South Africa

The increasing demand for sustainable construction practices has positioned Green Building Assessment Systems (GBAS) as a critical tool for evaluating and improving environmental performance in the built environment. This study investigates the key drivers influencing the adoption of GBAS in South Africa, a developing economy facing significant environmental challenges such as energy insecurity, water scarcity, and high greenhouse gas emissions. Using a structured questionnaire survey administered to construction industry stakeholders, data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Friedman test, and the One sample t-test to rank the relative importance of identified drivers. Findings reveal that environmental considerations dominate GBAS adoption motivations, with need for a sustainable environment emerging as the most significant driver, followed by reduced environmental impact and decreasing greenhouse emissions. The results indicate that GBAS adoption in South Africa is primarily driven by environmental imperatives rather than cost savings or market demand. This suggests that policy interventions should capitalise on strong environmental motivations while promoting greater market awareness, client demand, and financial incentives. The study contributes to the growing body of knowledge on sustainable construction by providing context-specific insights into GBAS adoption drivers in the South African construction sector, with implications for policy, practice, and sustainability advocacy.