Abstract
Abstract : This dissertation was motivated by the desire to examine the effect of Green Building Literacy on pro-environmental behaviour and how it can be utilised to mitigate the triple challenge in South Africa. The study deploys Albert Bandura’s social learning theory as lenses in unmasking the complexities associated with processes of the effect of green building literacy on pro-environmental behaviour and how it can be utilized to mitigate the triple challenge in South Africa. This research was a qualitative phenomenological study that employed phenomenological interpretivism as its methodological epistemology to critique the perceptions and views of the subjects on the impact of green building literacy on pro-environmental based behaviours and its potential to mitigate the triple challenge in South Africa. In-depth interviews were utilised to gain in-depth understanding from the university students, Green Building professionals, and stakeholders on how practical the green literacy pro-environmental behaviours can be utilized to mitigate the triple challenge in South Africa. The documentary review such as the journal articles and reports on green building literacy pro-environmental behaviours and the triple challenge were also used as secondary data sources to triangulate the data from in-depth interviews. The results of the study overwhelmingly established that the green building literacy pro-environmental behaviours in South Africa are being under-utilized to mitigating the triple challenge due to the following reasons: fragmentation of green building literacy on the basis of the differences in the socio-economic lives and locations of people; inadequacy of green building literacy pro-environmental behaviour information because of the lack of community mobilization, stakeholders engagement and participation. Despite the foregoing challenges, the study established that the impact of green building literacy on pro-environmental behaviour program if strategically implemented in South Africa can immensely contribute in mitigating poverty and unemployment through the reduction of the costs of living and creation of employment. In light of the aforementioned findings, the study recommended that the government should invest in green building pro-environmental behaviours education and it must embrace a multidisciplinary stakeholders approach to enhance green building literacy in South Africa.
M.Tech. (Construction Management)