The barriers and drivers of building refurbishments: an investigation of attitudes and perceptions among German architectural designers

Conducting building refurbishments in place of new construction greatly reduces the environmental impact of the construction industry. However, business as usual still often consists of demolition and new construction instead of using the existing building stock. This exploratory study investigates architectural designers' perceptions of barriers and drivers in building refurbishments, focusing on financial, regulatory, and educational factors. Through a survey of 199 building professionals working in Germany, we identified ten primary barriers, predominantly financial and regulatory, and five key drivers, primarily communicative and educational. Our findings are in line with previous research while widening the scope to include non-energy refurbishment efforts. Our findings also reveal that individuals with positive attitudes toward refurbishments reported a lower perception of barriers and higher perception of drivers, while sustainability motivation and environmental concern were positively associated with a higher perception of drivers. These findings suggest that psychological factors can influence professionals’ perceptions of barriers and drivers within the field of sustainable building. We highlight the necessity of addressing both regulatory and financial barriers through policy reforms while promoting tailored education and awareness interventions to drive sustainable building practices. Our findings contribute to the discourse on sustainable architecture by identifying key obstacles and incentives, advocating for a shift in focus from new construction to refurbishments to mitigate the climate impact of the building sector.