Toward the development of pre-occupancy evaluation framework in New Zealand: A literature review on limitations to green building rating systems

Abstract

Green rated buildings have come to attract people’s attention, although there is a diffused scepticism on whether their performance will comply with design expectations throughout the building’s life. This paper provides a literature review on limitations of the rating system. According to previous studies, barriers to facilitate certification schemes are still present in many countries. Some of the main reasons are related to i) high costs, ii) insufficient knowledge about certification, and iii) time‐consuming procedures. Inexperienced clients have difficulties in understanding the assessment process, as third‐party organizations do not have a suitable system to show guidelines and approaches for a client, such as Pre‐Occupancy Evaluation. To date, researchers have conducted some studies on Post‐Occupancy Evaluation in order to show the effectiveness of certified buildings. However, no attention has been paid to Pre‐Occupancy Evaluation by the rating tool based on a customer’s self‐assessment which enables clients to estimate costs, a rating level (or total point) and implementation time in advance, selecting suitable options in the building information and requirements of each credit. This paper shows that identifying existing obstacles is essential to further develop and improve rating systems so as to be more acceptable in New Zealand. This preliminary investigation will also inform future studies on the development of the Pre‐Occupancy Evaluation framework for New Zealand