ABSTRACT
Green buildings, also known as smart or sustainable construction, are one of the emerging topics for the people involved in the construction industry and they are eagerly awaiting further expansion of the industry. Despite the highest focus on environmental sustainability, very few green buildings are analyzed through research and case studies, especially from the perspective of their time-management performance. In this regard, a survey was conducted to collect data to identify and analyze key factors causing schedule delays in green buildings in China. The data was collected via questionnaires and personal interviews. Furthermore, the top five factors causing delays in green buildings in the Chinese context were the level of experience of key parties, poor site management and supervision, unfavorable weather conditions on-site, lack of advanced mechanical equipment and project cost respectively. The major solutions to counter these issues and minimize the risk of schedule delay in green buildings are, (1) the selection of project teams with relevant work experience, (2) technical approaches such as BIM, 4D schedule simulation and Last Planner System should be adopted for better schedule performance and monitoring, (3) weather reports should be regularly updated with the use of GPS and GIS, (4) advanced mechanical equipment should be selected in the pre-planning process to increase productivity and save time, and (5) the project cost should be seriously monitored and controlled via management approaches such as Earned Value Management, Forecasting and Performance Reviews.
