QUESTIONNAIRE ON SUSTAINABLE BUILDING
Method
The questionnaire was distributed earlier this year to a number of architects, engineers,
contractors, and developers whom I knew to have some level of involvement or interest in
sustainable building. I sent out a mass e-mail request for questionnaire responses (with a
website address link and an e-mail version of the questionnaire) to approximately
seventy-five e-mail addresses: some were individuals’ work addresses and some were
general firm/organization addresses. My e-mail message was then forwarded by some of these
recipients to people within and outside of their workplaces. I collected responses over
the course of a three-week period. Twenty-five individuals completed and returned the
questionnaire.
Purpose and Limitations of the Study
The questionnaire was primarily intended to gather substantive information about what some
building professionals view as the barriers to more widespread sustainable building
practice, and what types of policies and programs have been or would be most effective in
encouraging more building professionals to adopt sustainable practices. It was not
intended to serve as an opinion poll for determining the extent of sustainable practice in
the building professions. The distribution method was not designed to achieve a random or
representative sample, and the data were not meant to be subjected to tests of statistical
significance. Rather, both the quantitative and qualitative data provide an exploratory
look at the views of a group of building professionals who have a strong personal interest
in or are actively involved in the field of sustainable design and construction.
To view the entire
Response Report, click here.
(Note: The report is quite long, so it may take a little
while to load and to print.)
To view responses to specific questions, click on the questions of interest to you, below:
BACKGROUND
1. Firm/Company Location
2. Professional Affiliation (Architect, Engineer,
Contractor/Builder, Developer, Other)
3. Age
4. Primary Types of Building Projects/Jobs
5. Educational Institutions Attended
6. Professional Association Affiliations
PRACTICE
7. How familiar are you with concepts and methods of sustainable
building?
8. How much are sustainable building elements (beyond code)
incorporated into the work done by your firm/company?
9. How much influence do you have over design and specification
decisions?
10. If you received professional schooling, to what extent
were you educated about sustainable building issues during your degree or training
program?
11. What have been your main sources of information on
sustainable building practices?
12. If sustainable building elements are incorporated into
your projects, are they incorporated more in publicly- or privately-funded projects?
13. What portion (%) of people in your profession do you think
routinely incorporate sustainable elements into their building projects?
14. Think of the most environmentally-sensitive project you've
been involved in. In that project, to what extent were the following types of
sustainable considerations and strategies incorporated? (Land Use, Land Impact, Energy and
Water, Solid Waste, Occupant Health and Well-Being)
14--Summary Only
VIEWS
15. To what extent have the following factors hindered people in
your profession from regularly incorporating sustainable strategies into their work? (12
factors listed); and Please elaborate on the factors that you marked as "major
barriers" and list any additional barriers.
15--Summary Only
16. What ideas, people, or events were most influential in
developing your interest in sustainable building?
17. If any sustainable building strategies have been
incorporated into your privately-funded projects, which (if any) government policies or
programs contributed to the decision to do so?
18. What sorts of new policies or programs would make it
easier for you to become more involved in incorporating sustainable building strategies
into your privately-funded projects in the future? (economic incentives, educational
programs, building code or permitting requirements, voluntary design guidelines and
construction standards)
19. General (Big Picture) Comments
Click here to see the
original questionnaire (questions only).
(Note: Responses are no longer being accepted.)
Click here to see my definition of "sustainable
building."
Thanks for your interest. And thanks to all those who submitted responses to
the questionnaire!
-Miriam Landman
Thesis Table of Contents | Acknowledgements | Bibliography
| Summary of Thesis Findings
Abstract | Questionnaire Response
Report | Questionnaire Form | Links