Performance Assessment and Whole Life Cost Comparison of Selected Sustainable Building Components of ABC Green University

Abstract

The ABC Green University is constructed with the support of high technical methods and skilful labour. After analysing the built drawing and the final accounts, it was found that there are number of variations in the elementals and their costs, especially the cost of sustainable construction elements is comparatively higher. It is proved that the whole life cost of the sustainable construction increases due to the high maintenance cost and the replacement cost. Sustainable building design and construction is the practice of creating structures and using processes that are environmentally responsible and resource efficient throughout the life cycle of a building. In this research, it was aimed to conduct a performance assessment and a whole life cost analysis on sustainable construction elements of the ABC green University. The methodology adopted for the process is the case study method and the primary data was accumulated through interviews from the technical persons who have been involved in this project. Apart from that questionnaires were distributed among the expertise on the sustainable construction and the whole life cost procedures. Data analysis was done through a content analysis and descriptive data analysis. The findings exemplify that the cost of sustainable construction is higher in the short run and the cost can be covered in the long run. Though, proper cost benefit analysis should be done to each case before applying the sustainable construction methods. Further, it is recommended that the sustainable constructions should represent the real concept itself. Detailed performance assessment and a whole life cost calculation can be used to identify suitable alternative materials to reduce the cost.