The Adoption of an Innovation: Barriers to Use of Green Roofs Experienced by Midwest Architects and Building Owners

While green roof technologies are increasingly employed in Northern European countries, adoption is progressing at a much slower rate in the US. This manuscript discusses results of a survey that quantified knowledge, barriers, and perceived costs and benefits to use of green roof technology among a sample of architects and building owners in the Midwest. The survey also examined conditions that may encourage use of this technology among the respondents. Results show that many respondents do not fully recognize the economic or performance advantages offered by green roof technologies. The payback period for economic advantage is longer than owners are willing to consider. Both owners and architects possess a wide range of misconceptions about the performance advantages of green roofs. While green roof technology offers clear environmental advantages such as reduced stormwater runoff, increased habitat, and cooler temperatures that mitigate heat island effects, many building owner respondents either do not know about or value these advantages. This research quantified potential adopters' perceptions of an innovative technology and the survey results are interpreted and discussed within the conceptual framework of innovation diffusion literature. Strategies to hasten the adoption of green roof technology are suggested.