Appraisal of students' perceptions on green building concepts in a technical university

Abstract

Purpose – The main goal of this study was to determine how students at Ho Technical University (HTU) viewed green construction approaches and the benefits green buildings may provide to Ghana's tertiary institutions to enhance quality of life. Design/methodology/approach – The institution's 350 participants were chosen using a random selection method. A standardised questionnaire was used to gather data, which was analysed using SPSS v.20 and presented in tables using descriptive statistics such as Likert scale analysis, weighted mean and relative importance index (RII). Findings – The study revealed that awareness of the green building principle is comparatively low amongst the survey participants. Participants agree that the University's green building adoption is high. Students cited decreased utility expenses, improved occupant productivity and cheaper operational costs as important benefits of green construction. Students' thoughts on hurdles to implementing green construction ideas at the University were the enormous price tag of green building technology (RII = 0.89), ignorance of demonstration projects and ignorance of information on green building principles (RII = 0.81). Originality/value – This is one of the first papers to study Ghanaian students' views on green buildings. This study adds to our understanding of students' thoughts on green building ideas. In addition, it sheds insight into their present awareness, which can help the university administration in Ghana design new paths for green building implementation.

Keywords

• Green building
• Ho Technical University
• Students
• Adoption
• Benefits and barriers