Identification of Soft Cost Elements in Green Projects: Exploring Experts’ Experience

The most commonly cited green building barrier is the high development costs of construction. Many developers share the common perception that green building construction incurs expensive additional costs. A preliminary study was conducted with four industry experts via semi-structured interviews to investigate the soft cost elements (SCEs) in the project. Eighteen SCEs were identified and categorized into three groups namely Professionals, Procedures, and Legal Requirements. Three of the SCEs were found to be unique to green building and contributed a financial concern. The study rendered that these SCEs may influence a developer's decision to invest in green building development.