Optimizing Cost Management in Green Building Projects through Integrated Digital Platforms

Thesis Abstract

The increasing emphasis on sustainable development and environmental accountability has propelled green building initiatives to the forefront of construction industry practices, posing significant challenges in cost management due to the complexity and interdisciplinary nature of such projects. Despite the proliferation of digital technologies in construction management, there remains a critical gap in effectively integrating cost-related data across various phases of green building projects to optimize resource allocation and control costs proactively. This study aims to develop and evaluate an integrated digital platform designed to enhance cost management practices in green building projects, with specific objectives to identify key cost drivers, assess current digital integration levels, and measure the platform's impact on cost performance. Employing a mixed-methods research design, the study combines qualitative interviews and quantitative surveys to comprehensively explore and test the emergent hypotheses. The population comprises 150 professional quantity surveyors, construction managers, and project stakeholders engaged in green building projects within a metropolitan city with a strong sustainability agenda. A stratified random sampling technique selected 90 respondents for the survey, complemented by purposive sampling of 15 key informants for in-depth interviews, ensuring diverse expertise and perspectives. Data collection instruments include a structured questionnaire developed through literature-derived constructs and a semi-structured interview guide validated through a pilot study. To ensure validity and reliability, the questionnaire underwent content validation by industry experts and tested for internal consistency using Cronbach’s alpha (? > 0.85). Data analysis involves descriptive statistics to profile respondents, and inferential techniques such as multiple regression analysis to examine the influence of digital platform features on cost management outcomes, supported by thematic analysis of interview data to contextualize quantitative findings. The expected findings indicate that the adoption of an integrated digital platform significantly enhances the accuracy and timeliness of cost data, improves communication among project team members, and leads to better cost control in green building projects. Furthermore, the study anticipates uncovering critical digital features—such as real-time cost tracking, automated reporting, and interface integration—that substantially influence project cost performance. These findings aim to contribute novel insights into the theoretical understanding of digital integration in cost management, grounded in the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Resource-Based View (RBV), which explain user adoption behavior and resource utilization, respectively. The research’s core contribution lies in empirically validating the effectiveness of integrated digital platforms in optimizing cost management specifically within the context of environmentally sustainable construction, an area previously under-explored in empirical studies. It fills the literature gap by providing a comprehensive framework that links digital infrastructure capabilities with cost performance outcomes, informing both academic discourse and industry practices. The study also advances knowledge on the practical deployment of digital tools in green construction, highlighting barriers and facilitators to effective implementation. Conclusively, the study advocates for wider adoption of integrated digital platforms in green building projects to foster more efficient, transparent, and sustainable cost management regimes. Recommendations include the development of tailored digital solutions aligned with project-specific needs, enhanced stakeholder training for digital literacy, and policy incentives for digital integration in green construction. Further research is suggested to explore longitudinal impacts of digital platforms across multiple project phases and across different geographic or institutional contexts, thereby enriching the understanding of digital transformation in sustainable construction management.