Establishing a multi-pillar decision-making framework for
supporting the selection of green features and technologies
in office projects within Australia
A thesis submitted in the fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy
THI KIEU OANH HO
Master of Construction Management in Professional Practice, the University of New South Wales
Bachelor of Construction Economics and Project Management, Danang University of Technology, the
University of Danang.
School of Property Construction and Project Management
College of Design and Social Context
RMIT University
June 2019
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DECLARATION
I certify that except where due acknowledgement has been made, the work is that of the
author alone, the work has not been submitted previously, in whole or in part, to qualify for
any other academic award; the content of the thesis is the result of work which has been
carried out since the official commencement date of the approved research program; any
editorial work, paid or unpaid, carried out by a third party is acknowledged; and, ethics
procedures and guidelines have been followed.
I acknowledge the support I have received for my research through the provision of an
Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship.
Thi Kieu Oanh Ho
Date: 28th June 2019
Copyright statement
Apart from the use permitted by Copyright Act of 1968, no part of this work can be
reproduced or stored in a document management system (electronic or hard copy) without
the author’s written permission. Permission is granted to RMIT University to store in the
Australian Thesis Repository and make it available for the personal study purpose.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I express my deepest gratitude to my principal supervisor, Prof. Usha Iyer-Raniga, for her
invaluable supervision, feedback and encouragement during my PhD journey. I deeply thank
my co-supervisor, Dr. James PC Wong for his feedback provided and challenges presented to
support my study. I am indebted my former supervisor, Dr Rebecca Yang for her prompt
advice and discussions during my first year of study. Without their support and
contributions, my PhD study and the thesis would not have been finished and presented
here.
More importantly, I wish to acknowledge RMIT University for PhD scholarship that assisted
in my study duration. Without this financial support, I could not have had an excellent focus
on my research and a smooth progress in approximately 4-year PhD study. I also want to
thank RMIT health and well-being counsellors and RUSU, who always listened and supported
me in the PhD journey.
I would like to express my gratitude to those who participated and supported my PhD
research. In particular, a deep thank you to twenty survey participants and ten interview
participants. They have contributed their knowledge, experience and moral support during
the research process. This acknowledgement would not be completed without their valuable
participations and comments in my research.
Finally, I would love to express my deepest appreciation to my family members, who always
encouraged me mentally; especially my mom, dad, brother, sister-in-law and little nephew
for their patience, tolerance and continuing love throughout the long-time of PhD study. I
specially thank to my beloved Sweet Choc Muffin for all his support and encouragement.
With him, my life is much easier for concentrating on this study. In addition, I thank my
Master’s study Supervisor – John Cowan as well as my friends Leon, Dung, Prachi, Mintah,
Kasey, Kelvin and Salman, who always provided good company in my PhD journey. For all,
thank you very much for supporting me during this PhD study time.