An intergrated assessment tool for the development of green low-cost houses in Zambia.

Green building tools (GBTs), used for planning and assessing the impact of structures
on the environment, are developed in consonance with user needs. To attain green
low-cost houses, consideration of the three arms of sustainability, i.e., environmental,
economic, and social factors should be included. The aim of the study was to
investigate the knowledge and utilization of GBTs among the professions in the
building industry and to explore the experience of the respondents in applying green
strategies in their housing projects. The study identified factors associated with the
development of green low-cost houses and suitable criteria for assessing them. The
results of the study were used to develop a green building planning and assessment
tool for low-cost houses. An integration of criteria in selected tools, parameters in the
Sustainability Development Goal 11 and the Sustainability Housing Guidelines were
incorporated in the tool. The pragmatic paradigm approach was adopted and
epistemologically the research was both subjective and objective in nature. This
permitted the use of a mixed method design. An exploratory sequential mixed method
approach was adopted. The data was collected using a questionnaire survey and
interviews. The results of the study revealed that utilization of GBTs was low, and the
knowledge of green buildings varied across the study population with architects
having the highest knowledge. The factors that were associated with the use of GBTs
were years of experience, the cost of assessment, environmental benefits, lack of
technical knowledge, the availability of laws and regulations and tax reduction on
green buildings and materials. Environmental criteria were preferred over social or
economic factors and these included energy use, materials and health and well-being.
The study findings showed that some of the criteria in GBTs were inappropriate for
the Zambian building industry, and the expense of certifying structures made the tools
unaffordable. The developed tool was made up of 8 components: environmental;
social; economic; educational; management; regional priority; community
participation and innovation. It had 10 assessment criteria and 16 different planning,
design and material solutions integrated into a computer-generated program. The tool
was evaluated by experts and recommended for use in updating the current National
Housing Policy and architects’ practice manuals. It can also be used for dissemination
of green building knowledge to developers, communities, and local planning
authorities.
Keywords: Rating Tools, Green Tools, Criteria, Sustainability.