Investigation of Architects’ Adoption and Use of Smart Green Building Design Strategies in High-Rise Office Design in Abuja, Nigeria

Abstract

The rapid expansion of high-rise office developments in Abuja, Nigeria, presents sustainability challenges, necessitating the integration of ‘green’ passive design strategies with ‘smart’ building automation systems to reduce energy consumption and environmental impact. This study investigates the extent, patterns, and determinants of architects’ adoption of these smart green design strategies. A structured questionnaire was administered to a sample of 157 registered architects in Abuja, identified through professional registers, to quantitatively assess their knowledge, perceptions, and specification behaviours. Data analysis employed descriptive statistics, reliability tests, and hierarchical regression modelling to test predictors derived from the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), Diffusion of Innovations, and Institutional Theory. Results reveal a pronounced adoption pattern: near-universal uptake of passive measures (e.g., shading, 92.4%; daylighting, 94.3%) contrasts sharply with limited adoption of integrated smart systems (e.g., advanced BMS, 28.7%; façade integrated PV, 14.6%). While architects reported high perceived usefulness and strong behavioural intentions, regression models indicated that individual cognitive factors were insignificant predictors, explaining negligible variance (R²=0.046). Instead, the findings robustly indicate that adoption is decisively constrained by institutional and market barriers, primarily high initial cost, client resistance, and concerns over maintenance ecosystems. The study concludes that transcending this intention-behaviour gap requires shifting policy focus from individual architects to the institutional environment, recommending targeted interventions in green finance, mandatory performance disclosure, and specialised capacity building to catalyse mainstream adoption.