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The adoption of green building concepts and practices is rapidly gaining momentum globally due to their tendency to mitigate adverse effects of construction activities on the environment. The purpose of this study is to examine the challenges and benefits of implementing green building development in Nigeria.

Primary data were collected from questionnaires administered to 122 participants selected using stratified sampling techniques in North-East Nigeria. Semi-structured interviews complemented survey findings with proposed solutions. The quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics to identify the benefits and challenges, while thematic analysis was used to identify effective measures to the challenges of green building.

Results show that “conservation of natural resources”, “reducing maintenance” and “heightened aesthetic” were rated higher as environmental, economic and social benefits, and thus were significant to green building development. The study revealed “economic issues”, “government issues” and “absence of standard assessment system” were the key factors as internal, external and general challenges to green building. Most practical solutions were related broadly to policy, awareness and support as measures to challenges of green building development.

The study is imperative to bridge the knowledge gaps and provide empirical information for green building policy guidelines specific to North-East Nigeria’s built environment sector. The understanding of policy implications will assist in building regulatory and monitoring agencies in developing new internal management policies to inform the public and investors about the effects of green building development.

The construction industry is a major economic driver in Malaysia, playing a pivotal role in the developing nations economic growth. Malaysia's reliance on labor-driven construction practices often sees local industry lagging in adopting technological advancements common to the construction sector on a global scale. This study investigates the challenges faced by project players in using new construction industrial revolution (IR) 4.0 technologies and the difficulties in implementing these technologies in construction projects.

A quantitative survey was distributed to 183 practitioners in the Malaysian construction industry. The collected data (N = 121) has been analyzed using statistical software to calculate relative importance index values for the identified factors. A triangulation approach to validate the factors obtained from the survey was conducted with an expert group to ensure there were no additional considerations identified in the study.

The study results show that the main factors in adopting construction IR 4.0 technologies are 1) high implementation costs, 2) hesitation to adopt technologies, 3) lack of standards, 4) legal and contractual uncertainty and 5) complexity. By investigating these factors, cost and regulation issues can gradually be resolved, with construction firms implementing new technologies, educating workers and ensuring government involvement in training for skill development to support IR 4.0.

The outcome of these efforts to resolve construction productivity would be beneficial in their industry impact on practice and digital transformation. Additionally, the results add to the body of knowledge for construction practitioners and technology developers to work together efficiently on the implementation of construction 4.0 technologies.