Following the 1960s environmental movement and the energy crisis in the 70s, evidence spurred research on renewable energy and energy efficiency practices. As a result, the green building (GB) movement emerged in the 90s to promote buildings which are designed to reduce the consumption of energy, electricity, water, materials, natural resources as well as improve environmental performance and human health over the whole lifecycle. With a prime goal of improving energy efficiency, GB has gained recognition in national and international energy policies. Following manifold exemplary projects and testified benefits, GBs research has recorded a tremendous increase over the years. Thus, it is essential to monitor the research progress to identify areas that require further research. This paper recruited the bibliometric data of 1147 GBs research articles and conducted a scientometric review. The review showed that GBs research publications increased steadily from 1992 to 2018. This highlights the increasing commitment towards the initiative. The paper found that at least 44% of all countries in the world are involved in GBs research. Ten (10) broad GB research areas in existing studies were identified and discussed and areas for further research were proposed. Thus, the paper offers a useful reference point to early-stage researchers, funding authorities, energy policymakers and industry professionals on the research progress in GBs. Crown Copyright (C) 2019 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.