Sustainability Assessment of Recent Buildings in an Institution of Higher Learning

Sustainability defines the ability to preserve an object, result or development over time while making sure the resources that are the bedrock of the object are not depleted. In response to the international call for action on the need to reduce global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, forums were organised including the 2015 Paris Agreement with a long-term ambition of keeping the global temperature below 2°C and towards 1.5°C. Numerous sustainability and certification assessment tools have been launched to measure the efficiency and carbon emissions of buildings. They include Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM), Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), Comprehensive Assessment System for Building Environmental Efficiency (CASBEE) and Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiency (EDGE). EDGE was employed to measure the sustainability and Paris alignment of 3 purposively selected buildings in an institution of Higher learning, KNUST. The findings suggest that none of the new buildings completely passed the EDGE standards, and all 3 buildings passed 2 out of the 3 main sustainability assessment metrics. The findings, however, indicate that a heightened awareness of sustainability principles has positively impacted post-Paris buildings constructed at KNUST. As a key recommendation, the research proposes that vegetated components such as green roofs, green facades and green interior walls can be integrated into buildings in higher learning institutions to aid in reducing carbon emissions and cooling off buildings.