Critical project management factors of AEC firms for delivering green building projects in Singapore

In recent years, greater environmental awareness had induced the managers of building projects to go green, and several studies have been conducted on the project delivery of green building. However, there is no comprehensive study that explores the important project management factors from the perspective of architectural, engineering, and construction (AEC) firms, whose decisions can significantly affect the environmental performance of building projects. In Singapore, Green Mark, a certification for green building, has become a compulsory requirement for all new buildings. AEC firms are now facing challenges on how best to attain Green Mark certification with minimum cost and resources. The purpose of this research is to identify the controllable critical project management factors for delivering Green Mark certified projects to achieve higher Green Mark ratings. Nineteen controllable project management factors were first identified from related literature, and then a survey was carried out to collect data needed to perform the principal component factor analysis. The factor analysis revealed that the controllable project management factors could be grouped into five major components, namely, (1)human resource-oriented factors, (2)technical and innovation-oriented factors, (3)support from designers and senior management, (4)project manager's competence, and (5)coordination of designers and contractors. Finally, multiple regression analysis was applied. It was found that the coordination of designers and contractors and technical and innovation-oriented factors are the most critical success factors, and possible reasons are discussed. With the help of the research findings, project organizations in Singapore will manage their Green Mark certified projects to achieve higher rating levels in a more efficient and effective way.