An overview of motivators and challenges of passive design strategies

Abstract

Abstract Growing concerns over high energy consumption and CO2 emissions from residential buildings have boosted the adoption of passive design strategies (PDS) globally, for their promising solution to address these issues, and also positively influencing occupant productivity. As such, many governments and organizations have developed relevant codes and procedures to encourage and enforce the adoption of PDS. Despite the increased focus, the adoption of PDS is still trailing behind in developing countries, particularly in a hot, dry and humid climate zone. This paper examines the current state of PDS adoption in such climates, and extracts relevant motivators, and challenges. The data was gathered through a structured review of literature. Initial results show the extraction of thirty-five motivators and forty-six challenges to PDS adoption. The key motivators include reduction in energy consumption and energy bills, while key challenges include high initial investment and lack of awareness. These are expected to generate a general awareness among stakeholders and allow a better understanding of the underlying issues for non-adoption of PDS. Future research will examine the extracted sets of motivators and challenges through a questionnaire survey in a hot, dry and humid climate zone.