Stakeholders' perspectives of a building environmental assessment method: The case of CASBEE

CASBEE is the first building environmental assessment method developed in Japan for the promotion of sustainable building practices. Since the release of the first CASBEE tool in 2002, only limited studies have been conducted to understand the perspectives of CASBEE's stakeholders. In the Japanese building market where numerous sustainable building policies and schemes coexist, CASBEE's status and practicality have yet to be validated. This study examined four aspects of the project stakeholders' perspectives - perceptions, motivations, incentives and barriers - towards the adoption and promotion of CASBEE. Data were collected through surveys administered to CASBEE Accredited Professionals and local governments. The findings show that CASBEE's adoption is limited in the Japanese building market and also point toward the underdevelopment of a favorable business environment for CASBEE's dissemination. Substantial gaps in perspectives exist between the local governments and their building community; in particular, the reward systems for promoting CASBEE appear to be missing or misplaced. With regard to the perspectives of building community, this study has revealed significant differences between building sectors (residential versus non-residential) and between regions. This study contributes to the policymaking for the Japanese sustainable building market by providing recommendations for the development and implementation of CASBEE. It also provides a reference for other countries or markets that are considering building environmental assessment methods for sustainable building policies.