Download PDFOpen PDF in browserEvaluation of Green Building Practices Effective in Reducing Carbon Emissions in South African Housing and Barriers to Adoption10 pages•Published: June 2, 2026AbstractThe construction sector is a significant contributor to energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. This paper examines green building practices that reduce carbon emissions and enhance sustainability in the construction of South African housing. The study adopts a sequential exploratory, qualitative-dominant mixed-methods research approach, comprising semi-structured interviews and an online questionnaire survey, to obtain practitioner perspectives. The study found that passive and active energy-efficiency measures, renewable energy integration, the use of low-emission carbon and recycled materials, water-sensitive design, and waste minimization are effective in reducing operational and embodied CO2. At the same time, the barriers to implementing energy-efficient measures include perceived and real upfront costs, limited local data on performance and returns, weak policy enforcement, and limited skills and awareness among stakeholders. Based on the findings, the study concludes that policy and industry actions involving regulation, incentives for using energy-efficient technologies, and capacity-building/training initiatives can substantially reduce carbon emissions in housing construction, while delivering social and economic co-benefits in line with the Sustainable Development Goals. The study is exploratory and based on a small, practitioner-focused sample, and therefore generates indicative insights rather than statistically generalizable results.Keyphrases: carbon emissions, green building, housing, life cycle perspective, south africa, sustainability In: Wesley Collins, Anthony Perrenoud and John Posillico (editors). Proceedings of Associated Schools of Construction 62nd Annual International Conference, vol 7, pages 555-564.
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