Almost two-thirds (62 per cent) of architects say clients’ lack of appetite for greener buildings is one of the biggest barriers to sustainability, while 41 per cent identify a lack of regulation as a major blocker, according to a new survey by NBS.  According to the research, which was carried out in association with Glenigan and the RIBA, architects have different views to other built environment professionals when asked to pick the three biggest obstacles to sustainability.  Across the sector as a whole, cost came up as the biggest barrier according to 63 per cent of respondents, while lack of client demand was named by 50 per cent of all those surveyed. Sustainable products being value engineered out was listed by 41 per cent — including 40 per cent of contractors. Advertisement The least-cited factors were limited sustainability skills (24 per cent), lack of time (21 per cent) and lack of management commitment (17 per cent). Half of the clients surveyed said that the complexity of sustainability calculations was a major barrier.  ‘The gap between intention and practice remains’ Elsewhere, the survey found that 43 per cent of all the built environment professionals surveyed thought sustainability was ‘usually or always achieved on their projects’, an increase of 10 per cent from the NBS’s previous survey in 2021.  However, though the vast majority of respondents (84 per cent) said sustainability should be considered during the strategy and brief stage of a project, only 62 per cent said sustainability was ‘sometimes’ considered at this point.  NBS head of sustainability Lee Jones said: ‘There’s a strong need for the industry to adopt sustainability at the very beginning of the process, during the strategy and brief stages.  ‘The fact that so many professionals agree that sustainability should be addressed earlier is promising, but the gap between intention and practice remains.Advertisement ‘Only by embedding sustainability from the very start, as outlined by frameworks like the RIBA Plan of Work, can we ensure that the buildings and infrastructure of tomorrow will truly meet the environmental and social challenges of the future.’ Clients Sustainability 2025-04-10 Will Ing comment and share TagsClients Sustainability