IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v14y2022i16p10314-d892246.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Sustainable Building Standards, Codes and Certification Systems: The Status Quo and Future Directions in Saudi Arabia

Author

Listed:
  • Bassem Jamoussi

    (Department of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Meteorology, Environment and Arid Land Agriculture, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia)

  • Asad Abu-Rizaiza

    (Department of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Meteorology, Environment and Arid Land Agriculture, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia)

  • Ali AL-Haij

    (Department of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Meteorology, Environment and Arid Land Agriculture, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia)

Abstract

Sustainable building practices are a response to environmental issues. Businesses and industries are assessing how their activities affect the environment. The architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industries have significant impacts on the environment and economy, while the industry is considered one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and has, therefore, been highlighted by researchers as a key area of intervention with a great potential to reduce environmental impacts. This paper critically reviews and evaluates the current state of sustainable building certification systems with the purpose of having a good understanding of the status quo and possibilities for future directions in Saudi Arabia. It reviews the academic literature on Saudi Arabia’s green/sustainable building codes, standards, certification systems, methods and tools. It starts by addressing sustainability in the broadest sense. Then, it investigates sustainability strategies and evaluates the building certification systems in Saudi Arabia, followed by an introduction to the new practice of sustainable healthcare building assessment. Life cycle assessment (LCA) and building information modelling (BIM) techniques have also been investigated. The paper introduces the updated Saudi Building Code (SBC) with further evaluation of the Saudi Green Building Code (SBC 1001-CR). Finally, the paper clearly highlights the key role of sustainable building practices and the need to develop a certification system that considers the new trends and the local context.

Suggested Citation

  • Bassem Jamoussi & Asad Abu-Rizaiza & Ali AL-Haij, 2022. "Sustainable Building Standards, Codes and Certification Systems: The Status Quo and Future Directions in Saudi Arabia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-24, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:16:p:10314-:d:892246
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/16/10314/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/16/10314/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Lihua Liang & Baohua Wen & Feng Xu & Jianwei Yan & Xiangqi Yan & S. Ramesh, 2021. "Linking the Development of Building Sustainability Assessment Tools with the Concept Evolution of Sustainable Buildings," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(22), pages 1-23, November.
    2. Peter Mésároš & Marcela Spišáková & Tomáš Mandičák & Jozef Čabala & Milan M. Oravec, 2021. "Adaptive Design of Formworks for Building Renovation Considering the Sustainability of Construction in BIM Environment—Case Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-20, January.
    3. Ayyagari Ramani & Borja García de Soto, 2021. "Estidama and the Pearl Rating System: A Comprehensive Review and Alignment with LCA," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-31, April.
    4. Bruno Mataloto & Daniel Calé & Kaiser Carimo & Joao C. Ferreira & Ricardo Resende, 2021. "3D IoT System for Environmental and Energy Consumption Monitoring System," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-19, February.
    5. Li, Danny H.W. & Yang, Liu & Lam, Joseph C., 2013. "Zero energy buildings and sustainable development implications – A review," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 1-10.
    6. Milena Stevanovic & Karen Allacker & Stéphane Vermeulen, 2019. "Development of an Approach to Assess the Life Cycle Environmental Impacts and Costs of General Hospitals through the Analysis of a Belgian Case," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-18, February.
    7. Tom Kuhlman & John Farrington, 2010. "What is Sustainability?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 2(11), pages 1-13, November.
    8. Mohammed Al-Surf & Ashraf Balabel & Mamdooh Alwetaishi & Ahmed Abdelhafiz & Usama Issa & Ibrahim Sharaky & Amal Shamseldin & Mosleh Al-Harthi, 2021. "Stakeholder’s Perspective on Green Building Rating Systems in Saudi Arabia: The Case of LEED, Mostadam, and the SDGs," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-25, July.
    9. Kwok Tai Chui & Wadee Alhalabi & Sally Shuk Han Pang & Patricia Ordóñez de Pablos & Ryan Wen Liu & Mingbo Zhao, 2017. "Disease Diagnosis in Smart Healthcare: Innovation, Technologies and Applications," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(12), pages 1-23, December.
    10. Nina Lazar & K. Chithra, 2021. "Comprehensive bibliometric mapping of publication trends in the development of Building Sustainability Assessment Systems," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(4), pages 4899-4923, April.
    11. Assaf, Sameer & Nour, Mutasim, 2015. "Potential of energy and water efficiency improvement in Abu Dhabi's building sector – Analysis of Estidama pearl rating system," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 100-107.
    12. Najjar, Mohammad & Figueiredo, Karoline & Hammad, Ahmed W.A. & Haddad, Assed, 2019. "Integrated optimization with building information modeling and life cycle assessment for generating energy efficient buildings," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 250(C), pages 1366-1382.
    13. Ismaila Rimi Abubakar & Umar Lawal Dano, 2020. "Sustainable urban planning strategies for mitigating climate change in Saudi Arabia," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 22(6), pages 5129-5152, August.
    14. Faramarz Khosravi & Gokhan Izbirak & Kehinde Adewale Adesina, 2019. "An Exponentially Distributed Stochastic Model for Sustainability Measurement of a Healthcare System," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-16, March.
    15. Röck, Martin & Baldereschi, Elena & Verellen, Evelien & Passer, Alexander & Sala, Serenella & Allacker, Karen, 2021. "Environmental modelling of building stocks – An integrated review of life cycle-based assessment models to support EU policy making," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    16. Umberto Berardi, 2012. "Sustainability Assessment in the Construction Sector: Rating Systems and Rated Buildings," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 20(6), pages 411-424, November.
    17. Ashok Kumar & Pardeep Singh & Nishant Raj Kapoor & Chandan Swaroop Meena & Kshitij Jain & Kishor S. Kulkarni & Raffaello Cozzolino, 2021. "Ecological Footprint of Residential Buildings in Composite Climate of India—A Case Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-25, October.
    18. Mehdi Chihib & Esther Salmerón-Manzano & Nuria Novas & Francisco Manzano-Agugliaro, 2019. "Bibliometric Maps of BIM and BIM in Universities: A Comparative Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(16), pages 1-22, August.
    19. Mostafa J. Sabbagh & Osama E. Mansour & Abdulaziz A. Banawi, 2019. "Grease the Green Wheels: A Framework for Expediting the Green Building Movement in the Arab World," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(20), pages 1-13, October.
    20. Hatem Alhazmi & Abdulilah K. Alduwais & Thamer Tabbakh & Saad Aljamlani & Bandar Alkahlan & Abdulaziz Kurdi, 2021. "Environmental Performance of Residential Buildings: A Life Cycle Assessment Study in Saudi Arabia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-18, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Ali Alhaij & Bassem Jamoussi & Asad Abu-Rizaiza, 2023. "The Development of a Life-Cycle-Based Sustainability Index That Incorporates Patient-Centredness for Assessing and Reporting the Sustainability of Healthcare Buildings in Saudi Arabia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-17, March.
    2. Nasser Jameel Al-Shamayleh, 2024. "The Ten-Year Guarantee of the Contractor and the Engineer on Ensuring the Durability of the Building in the System of Applying the Saudi Building Code: A Comparative Study," Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, Richtmann Publishing Ltd, vol. 13, March.
    3. Abdullah Alodah, 2023. "Towards Sustainable Water Resources Management Considering Climate Change in the Case of Saudi Arabia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(20), pages 1-29, October.
    4. Ahmed M. Al-Wathinani & Dennis G. Barten & Marta Borowska-Stefańska & Paweł Gołda & Noora A. AlDulijan & Mohammad A. Alhallaf & Lujain O. Samarkandi & Abdullah S. Almuhaidly & Mariusz Goniewicz & Wale, 2023. "Driving Sustainable Disaster Risk Reduction: A Rapid Review of the Policies and Strategies in Saudi Arabia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(14), pages 1-20, July.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ali Alhaij & Bassem Jamoussi & Asad Abu-Rizaiza, 2023. "The Development of a Life-Cycle-Based Sustainability Index That Incorporates Patient-Centredness for Assessing and Reporting the Sustainability of Healthcare Buildings in Saudi Arabia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-17, March.
    2. Ahmad Jrade & Farnaz Jalaei & Jieying Jane Zhang & Saeed Jalilzadeh Eirdmousa & Farzad Jalaei, 2023. "Potential Integration of Bridge Information Modeling and Life Cycle Assessment/Life Cycle Costing Tools for Infrastructure Projects within Construction 4.0: A Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(20), pages 1-25, October.
    3. Amri, Tariq Al & Otaibi, Naif Al & Marey-Perez, Manuel, 2023. "The Major Obstacles and Factors Facing Green Building in the KSA: A Background Study," OSF Preprints a352b, Center for Open Science.
    4. Ayyagari Ramani & Borja García de Soto, 2021. "Estidama and the Pearl Rating System: A Comprehensive Review and Alignment with LCA," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-31, April.
    5. Ningshuang Zeng & Yan Liu & Chao Mao & Markus König, 2018. "Investigating the Relationship between Construction Supply Chain Integration and Sustainable Use of Material: Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-17, October.
    6. Abubakar, Ismaila Rimi & Mu'azu, Nuhu Dalhat, 2022. "Household attitudes toward wastewater recycling in Saudi Arabia," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    7. Benedek Kiss & Jose Dinis Silvestre & Rita Andrade Santos & Zsuzsa Szalay, 2021. "Environmental and Economic Optimisation of Buildings in Portugal and Hungary," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-19, December.
    8. Yu Wang & Roaa H. Latief & Hasan Al-Mosawe & Hussein K. Mohammad & Amjad Albayati & Jonathan Haynes, 2021. "Influence of Iron Filing Waste on the Performance of Warm Mix Asphalt," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-17, December.
    9. Shuangqing Sheng & Wei Song & Hua Lian & Lei Ning, 2022. "Review of Urban Land Management Based on Bibliometrics," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-25, November.
    10. Badir S. Alsaeed & Dexter V. L. Hunt & Soroosh Sharifi, 2022. "Sustainable Water Resources Management Assessment Frameworks (SWRM-AF) for Arid and Semi-Arid Regions: A Systematic Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-31, November.
    11. Zoltán Lakner & Brigitta Plasek & Gyula Kasza & Anna Kiss & Sándor Soós & Ágoston Temesi, 2021. "Towards Understanding the Food Consumer Behavior–Food Safety–Sustainability Triangle: A Bibliometric Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-23, November.
    12. Hildegunn Mellesmo Aslaksen & Clare Hildebrandt & Hans Chr. Garmann Johnsen, 2021. "The long-term transformation of the concept of CSR: towards a more comprehensive emphasis on sustainability," International Journal of Corporate Social Responsibility, Springer, vol. 6(1), pages 1-14, December.
    13. Bruna Ornelas da Costa & Luana Siqueira Andrade & Cíntia Ehlers Botton & Cristine Lima Alberton, 2023. "Effects of a Telehealth Stretching Exercise Program on Pain, Sleep, Depression, and Functionality of Women with Fibromyalgia during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Randomized Clinical Trial," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-16, February.
    14. Attahiru, Yusuf Babangida & Aziz, Md. Maniruzzaman A. & Kassim, Khairul Anuar & Shahid, Shamsuddin & Wan Abu Bakar, Wan Azelee & NSashruddin, Thanwa Filza & Rahman, Farahiyah Abdul & Ahamed, Mohd Imra, 2019. "A review on green economy and development of green roads and highways using carbon neutral materials," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 600-613.
    15. Deng, S. & Wang, R.Z. & Dai, Y.J., 2014. "How to evaluate performance of net zero energy building – A literature research," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 1-16.
    16. Michael-Allan Millar & Bruce Elrick & Greg Jones & Zhibin Yu & Neil M. Burnside, 2020. "Roadblocks to Low Temperature District Heating," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(22), pages 1-21, November.
    17. Daan Francois Toerien, 2022. "Linking Entrepreneurial Activities and Community Prosperity/Poverty in United States Counties: Use of the Enterprise Dependency Index," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-16, February.
    18. Lea Primožič & Andreja Kutnar, 2022. "Sustainability Communication in Global Consumer Brands," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-16, October.
    19. Mohammad S. M. Almulhim & Dexter V. L. Hunt & Chris D. F. Rogers, 2020. "A Resilience and Environmentally Sustainable Assessment Framework (RESAF) for Domestic Building Materials in Saudi Arabia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-24, April.
    20. Rashidi, Hamidreza & GhaffarianHoseini, Ali & GhaffarianHoseini, Amirhosein & Nik Sulaiman, Nik Meriam & Tookey, John & Hashim, Nur Awanis, 2015. "Application of wastewater treatment in sustainable design of green built environments: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 845-856.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:16:p:10314-:d:892246. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.