Building professionals' intention to use smart and sustainable building technologies - An empirical study

PLoS One. 2018 Aug 1;13(8):e0201625. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0201625. eCollection 2018.

Abstract

Smart and sustainable buildings save energy and material resources and provide a comfortable environment that enhances their occupants' well-being and productivity. It is therefore crucial to understand how building professionals, including designers, engineers, and contractors, view smart and sustainable buildings and what drives them towards smart and sustainable building technologies. This study identifies salient smart and sustainable building features from building professionals' perspective and explores what determines building professionals' intention to use such building technologies. Responses from 543 Hong Kong's building professionals identify that intelligent security, intelligent and responsive fresh air supply, and intelligent and responsive thermal control are among the most important features of smart and sustainable buildings. Results of structural equation modeling grounded on an extended technology acceptance model indicate that facilitating condition and job relevance are related to perceived ease of use while subjective norm pertaining to image and perceived ease of use are predictors of perceived usefulness. Facilitating condition, perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness jointly influence building professionals' intention to use smart and sustainable building technologies.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Construction Industry
  • Empirical Research
  • Facility Design and Construction*
  • Female
  • Hong Kong
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Sustainable Development*
  • Young Adult

Grants and funding

This study was supported in part by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (Project Code: G-YBQN) (PL). There was no additional external funding received for this study.