A cost trajectory to environmentally adaptive building construction in wet humid settings

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to focus on the ongoing discourse centred on enhancing building performance to provide an interpretation of life cycle cost (LCC) analysis, directly applicable to building construction in coastal areas located in tropical wet–humid settings.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey of 50 buildings based on physical observation is carried out to identify typical failure patterns in wet‒humid environment. Further, a comparative initial construction cost and LCC analysis is computed for two alternative building schemes with identical floor plans: Scheme A using sound construction and detailing to guard against future maintenance problems and Scheme B adopting the typical designs evident in the study area.

Findings

The result of the analysis shows that in the long-run scheme, A is an economically more viable option than B, as the increased initial costs are entirely offset by the reduced running cost.

Research limitations/implications

The contextual nature of LCC analysis poses difficulties in applying the evidence provided in this study to provide a generalisable financial justification to buildings clients.

Practical implications

The outcome of the study provides analytical validation to overcome resistances and enables informed decision making by clients, which is necessary to promote transition from conventional to environmentally responsive design choices suitable to wet–humid conditions.

Originality/value

The study provides an interpretation of LCC analysis, directly applicable to building construction in the tropical wet–humid setting of coastal areas against the backdrop of inconsistencies in the practical application of the theory of LCC.