Exploring the evolution and impact of Building Environment Assessment Methods in achieving green building

Abstract

Purpose – The paper aims to investigate the emergence the Hong Kong Building Environmental Assessment Methods (HK BEAM) certification scheme and starts to explore the impact of BEAMs on the building industry and the potential emergence and stabilisation of a green building field. Design/Methodology/Approach – The research presented draws upon content analysis of all 19 versions of the HK BEAMscheme(s) as well as 94 policy reports. This is complemented by an investigation and collation of the participating companies in 100 HK BEAMcertified projects. The theoretical framework of Strategic Action Fields is applied to explore the emergence of a potential green building field. Findings – The findings are tentative, but they point out that a green building field is yet to emerge in Hong Kong. Research Limitations/Implications – The research is still ongoing and parts of the analysis are yet to be finalised. Therefore, only tentative conclusions are drawn. Practical implications: – From a practical perspective, the findings point towards a correlation between the memberships in the working committees charged with deciding on the content of the BEAMs and their content. Originality/Value – So far, very little is known about how exactly BEAMs have come into being. Furthermore, their impact on working practices outside of “certified” projects has received little research attention. This research project is an attempt to rectify this.