Life cycle cost analysis: Green vs conventional buildings in Sri Lanka

Global implications on sustainable development have induced the evolution of green buildings. Conventional buildings consume about 40% of global energy and another 40% of other resources. Those buildings are further responsible for 25% of global water usage and approximately 1/3 of GHG emissions. Whereas, green buildings contribute to 19% and 25% saving in aggregate operational costs and energy consumption respectively. The CO2 emissions by green buildings are 36% lower than that of conventional buildings. Recently, the focus to green buildings has fore-fronted in the Sri Lankan construction industry. Still, a fewer buildings have been green certified and the green building investors continue to focus on minimising construction cost and fail to appreciate the impact on life cycle economic performances.The use of raw materials, accumulation of building construction and demolition waste, and municipal waste generation are considered significant in Sri Lanka. Hence, material and resources has received a prominent position, the second most important criteria next to sustainable site in Sri Lankan green rating system (GREENSL®). Surprisingly, the preliminary analysis into green certified buildings in Sri Lanka indicates that material and resources as the least score amongst criteria considered. Therefore, this study attempts to test the significance of Sustainable Materials and Resources using 18 green certified industrial manufacturing buildings.The quantitative data on construction, running cost and economic benefits of sustainable Materials and Resources technologies and strategies are collected and analysed using descriptive statistics, NPV and payback techniques. The paper will present the details analysis on the impact of sustainable materials and resources on life cycle cost of green buildings. It is expected that the outcome of this research would contribute to the organisational learning of green built environment and thereby uplift the sustainable construction in Sri Lanka.