Campus green buildings: Policy implications for the implementing, monitoring and evaluation of campus green building initiatives

Universities play a significant role in creating a sustainable future and transforming societies. As universities move towards environmental sustainability, a valuable contribution from the higher education sector is expected to accelerate the transformation of our cities. Campus green building initiatives are dramatically changing the way campuses are planned, designed, built and managed. However, prioritizing and evaluating campus green building initiatives seems understudied. The study offers an insight into the advantages of implementing green building initiatives in building operation and maintenance in campuses and provides an excellent proving ground to enhance the performance of campus buildings. A set of frameworks and policy implications in terms of investment decision making, facility management, operational quality control, and planning and design are proposed to improve the effectiveness of green building initiatives at higher education buildings. This study sheds light on performance evaluation of campus buildings, which could be used as a reference for the design, construction and operation of sustainable campus buildings. Energy dashboards, revising the automated operation of buildings, facilitating changes in staff and student behaviours, and operational energy performance certification were identified as important campus-wide energy policies.