ISI Report

This study examines the impact of green building certification programs on energy efficiency and sustainable development in the Middle East. As the region faces growing energy demands and environmental challenges, green building certifications such as LEED, BREEAM, and regional initiatives aim to promote energy-efficient and sustainable construction practices. Through a comprehensive analysis of certified buildings, this research evaluates how these programs influence energy consumption, reduce carbon footprints, and contribute to broader sustainability goals. The findings highlight the strengths and limitations of current certification systems in the Middle East, emphasizing the need for localized adaptations that address specific climatic, cultural, and economic contexts to enhance their effectiveness and long-term impact on the built environment. In modern urban settings, buildings are among the primary consumers of energy, using approximately 30-40% of the total energy supply and 70% of electricity. As a result, the building sector offers a significant potential for reducing energy use through the adoption of energy-efficient strategies. Green building practices are often influenced by green building rating systems, which provide guidelines and standards for sustainable construction. A prominent example of such a system is the Green Building Index (GBI), a pioneering framework aimed at enhancing the energy performance of buildings. Analyzing how the construction industry responds to such a rating system reveals its effectiveness in promoting green building practices and advancing sustainability goals. For a comprehensive evaluation, the criteria in the rating system can be categorized into two groups: short-term and long-term impacts. Short-term criteria include factors that improve a building's energy and resource efficiency over a brief period, while long-term criteria involve elements that maintain this efficiency over the expected lifespan of the building. Findings indicate that buildings tend to prioritize meeting short-term impact criteria over long-term sustainability goals. Many certified buildings fail to achieve some of the most critical benchmarks for energy efficiency, yet still receive a green rating under the GBI system. Furthermore, despite the implementation of the GBI, there has been no mandatory integration of region-specific architectural features that optimize energy efficiency, particularly in tropical or arid climates typical of the Middle East. The data suggest that this trend compromises the overall sustainability of these green- certified buildings. By implementing targeted changes within the framework of green building rating systems like GBI, there is an opportunity to significantly enhance building sustainability and energy efficiency. In the context of the Middle East, such improvements could enable these rating systems to serve as a robust guide, ensuring that buildings maintain their green credentials and efficient energy use throughout their operational lives.