Assessing Construction Professionals’ Perception of the Effectiveness of Sustainable Building Technologies and Design Strategies for Enhancing Building Energy Efficiency

Abstract

This study assessed the perceived effectiveness of sustainable building technologies and design strategies in improving building energy efficiency within the South African construction industry. Adopting a quantitative research approach, data were collected from 118 construction professionals in the Free State Province, South Africa, using a structured survey questionnaire administered through purposive sampling. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS, employing descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, correlation analysis, and Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The findings indicate that all investigated technologies and design strategies positively contribute to building energy efficiency and are significantly interrelated. The strong correlations among these technologies, supported by PCA results explaining 76.85% of the total variance through two principal components, suggest that sustainable building technologies are most effective when implemented as an integrated system rather than as isolated interventions. This implies that integrating energy-efficient technologies such as passive design strategies, renewable energy systems, green infrastructure, and intelligent building management systems can yield greater energy performance benefits than deploying individual technologies independently. These findings offer practical guidance for construction professionals and policymakers aiming to promote energy-efficient buildings. While limited to the Free State Province, the study provides valuable empirical evidence on sustainable building technologies within the South African context.