TY - JOUR
T1 - Cloud-based sustainability assessment (CSA) system for automating the sustainability decision-making process of built assets
AU - Olawumi, Timothy O.
AU - Chan, Daniel W.M.
N1 - Funding Information:
This research study was initially supported by the research funding of the Sustainable City Laboratory and subsequently supported by the full-time PhD research studentship of the Department of Building and Real Estate, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Elsevier Ltd
PY - 2022/2
Y1 - 2022/2
N2 - Digital tools help facilitate the implementation of sustainability practices in the built environment in the era of rapid urban developments. However, the extant literature revealed salient gaps in the use of cloud-based systems and digital tools to evaluate buildings' sustainability performance. Consequently, the current study aims to develop and implement a cloud-based sustainability assessment (CSA) system to evaluate and compare the sustainability performance of buildings based on the Building Sustainability Assessment Method (BSAM) scheme green rating system. A design science research (DSR) approach was adopted in designing, developing, and validating the CSA system. The developed CSA system is based on the SaaS model of cloud computing. The methods evaluation validation of the CSA system when compared with other systems revealed that the developed CSA system would result in higher time and learning efficiency for the users. The findings from the case study validation of the CSA system, using four building projects, indicate that the developed artefact offers a better secured, automated, reliable, and value-adding tool for the building sustainability assessment process. It also eases the automated process of updating data, evaluating, and comparing building projects towards improving the overall building sustainability profile. More so, the CSA system has a great potential to assist stakeholders in their buildings’ sustainability decision-making process and enhancing sustainable development.
AB - Digital tools help facilitate the implementation of sustainability practices in the built environment in the era of rapid urban developments. However, the extant literature revealed salient gaps in the use of cloud-based systems and digital tools to evaluate buildings' sustainability performance. Consequently, the current study aims to develop and implement a cloud-based sustainability assessment (CSA) system to evaluate and compare the sustainability performance of buildings based on the Building Sustainability Assessment Method (BSAM) scheme green rating system. A design science research (DSR) approach was adopted in designing, developing, and validating the CSA system. The developed CSA system is based on the SaaS model of cloud computing. The methods evaluation validation of the CSA system when compared with other systems revealed that the developed CSA system would result in higher time and learning efficiency for the users. The findings from the case study validation of the CSA system, using four building projects, indicate that the developed artefact offers a better secured, automated, reliable, and value-adding tool for the building sustainability assessment process. It also eases the automated process of updating data, evaluating, and comparing building projects towards improving the overall building sustainability profile. More so, the CSA system has a great potential to assist stakeholders in their buildings’ sustainability decision-making process and enhancing sustainable development.
KW - BSAM scheme
KW - Cloud-based system
KW - Design science research
KW - Digital tool
KW - Green building
KW - Sustainability assessment
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85117152325&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.eswa.2021.116020
DO - 10.1016/j.eswa.2021.116020
M3 - Journal article
AN - SCOPUS:85117152325
SN - 0957-4174
VL - 188
JO - Expert Systems with Applications
JF - Expert Systems with Applications
M1 - 116020
ER -