Chapter Two

Sustainability
2.1 What Is It? Definition & Principles
What Is Sustainability?
 There is no universally agreed definition of sustainability. In fact, there are many different
viewpoints on this concept and on how it can be achieved.
 Etymologically, the word sustainability comes from sustainable positively. And sustainable is, for
instance, a composition of sustain positive able. So if we start from the beginning, to <sustain>
means “give support to”, “To hold up”, “to bear” or to “keep up”.
 What is sustainability, then? Sustainable is an adjective for something that is able to be sustained,
i.e., something that is “bearable” and “capable of being continued at a certain level”. In the
end, sustainability can perhaps be seen as the process by which something is kept at a certain
level.
 None the less, now days, because of the environmental and social problems societies around the
world are facing, sustainability has been increasingly used in a specific way. Nowadays,
sustainability is usually defined as the processes and actions through which human kind avoids the
depletion of natural resources, in order to keep an ecological balance that doesn’t allow the quality
of life of modern societies to decrease.
 In this way, the term “sustainability” has been broadly applied to characterize improvements in
areas like natural resources over exploitation, manufacturing operations (its energy use and
polluting sub products), the linear consumption of products, the direction of investments, citizen
lifestyle, and consumer purchasing behaviors, technological developments or business and general
institutional changes.
 As long as an action causes little, less, or no harm to the natural world – under the belief (not
always ensured) ecosystems will keep on operating and generating the conditions that allow for
the quality of life of today’s modern societies not to decrease – someone is often claimed to be
sustainable.
a) Definition of Sustainability and Sustainable Development:
What’s the Difference?
The views on sustainability seem to have a stronger focus on the present moment and on keeping
things above a certain level. By its turn, sustainable development focuses more on a long-term vision.
In fact, sustainable development has a universally agreed dentition that was first written in the
Brundt land Report By adding the concept of <development>, sustainable development means not
only that humankind should satisfy its current needs without compromising the ability of future
generations doing the same.
Along with it also comes an idea of societal progress and an increase in quality of life across the
globe. That’s why an agenda for 2030 with 17 sustainable goals (sdgs) was adopted by the UN
members in NY in 2015. Among them are goals such as ending poverty and hunger, ensuring good
health and well-being for all, providing quality education or achieving gender equality.
 b) Principles of Sustainability:
The 3 Pillars of Sustainability The principles of sustainability are the foundations of what this
concept represents. Therefore, sustainability is made up of three pillars: the economy, society, and
the environment.
These principles are also informally used as profit, people and planet. Capitalism addresses
precisely the need to re-design businesses and the economy, and the opportunities and risks the
absence of such change might bring on the short run.
Today, sustainability is often spoken of with regard to climate change, which threatens life as we
know it as is being largely caused by industrial practices. That’s one of the reasons why today many
companies have corporate responsibility (CSR) strategies

c) From Sustainability to Regeneration

While sustainability is certainly a trendier concept, there’s another one that’s quickly gaining ground:
regeneration.
Regeneration takes sustainability even further, acknowledging modern societies’ lifestyles don’t have
to be sustained for generations to come first, because the structures that allow such conditions are
incompatible with the way Nature creates Life (they are economy-oriented, which is often opposed to
being nature oriented).
But also because humans have damaged the planet to such an extent that stopping to do harm
wouldn’t be enough to recover ecosystems are the percentage of bio diversity to keep them running –
we need to enhance and facilitate the conditions in which Life can nourish and ecosystems can
recover and become resilient.
The Re genesis Group speaks of Regenerative Development as working to reverse the degeneration
of ecosystems through harmonizing human activities with the continuing evolution of life on our
planet.
Sustainability encourages people, politicians, and businesses to make decisions betting on the long
term and taking future generations into account Technology: Examples of What Is Sustainability
In Technology
The use of electronic devices is growing every day. Nonetheless, these devices are made of Earth
minerals extracted by the mining industry. Mining can be a very polluting industry and the
development of new sites certainly has an impact on deforestation.
Therefore, being sustainable in the tech field has a lot to do with using your devices for a long period
so if you want to be sustainable resist you must resist switching your smartphone every other year!
It is also about making sure you get disposed of them in a responsible way as can be very polluting if
not handled properly Soon, sustainability in technology will also be about how the (mostly) lithium-
ion batteries of electric cars and solar panels will be disposed of. Companies focusing on recycling
these batteries and building products whose core car be maintained and replaced for a new battery
will also be the ones on the forefront
 d) Transportation: What Is Sustainability In Transportation?
A report from the IPPC says 14% of all greenhouse gas emissions come from transport and most
are mostly due to passenger cars. Yes, contrary to what many believe, planes, cargo ships or even
trucks aren’t the main contributors to CO2 emissions and are cars can assume much of the blame.
So unless someone is driving a car with 4 or 5 passengers, taking public transportation, especially
trains but also buses, are more sustainable choices. And if one can simply walk or cycle it’d be even
better.
Today, there are even more sophisticated solutions to reduce the pollution caused by moving around.
At a vehicle level, the popularity and industry development of alternatives like electric cars (or even
hydrogen cars) or electric scooters are growing at a high rate.
Zero Waste as an Example of Sustainability
The zero-waste movement is a lifestyle that encourages people to use all types of resources in a
circular way, just like the natural world does. Therefore, the ultimate goal of this philosophy is to
avoid resources to follow a linear route and end up as trash in the oceans or landfills. For this, people
must refuse what they don’t need, reduce what they’re getting, reuse it and recycle or compost it, also
very well known by people taking their own bulks to shops to buy commodities such as chickpeas,
rice or liquid soap. The goal is clear: not to take any trash home. And so is the enemy: plastic.
Workplace: Examples of Sustainability at the Workplace
Workplaces can also be organized in sustainable ways. For instance, companies betting on new
technologies, becoming paperless or providing conditions and training for employees to recycle are
being careful about waste management.
At the same time, not asking air-conditioners for very extreme temperatures (that waste much more
energy waste and emit ghgs), opening the blinds when there’s sunlight and avoiding plastic cutlery
are also good ways to have a sustainable workplace.
Operations and Value-Chains: Where’s the Sustainability?
Let’s analyze sustainability in operations by imagining a company with very high energy costs as
they are steel manufacturers. If it is economically viable, the company could install solar panels and
power its operations with this energy.
It’d be a medium-long term investment that would most likely be economically attractive in the long
run. At the same time, the company would be using renewable energy, which is especially important
in places where the electricity grid works mostly on fossil fuels.
The raw materials used, how they are sourced and from where, whether products are designed with
eco-design principles in mind or distribution optimization are also areas with for room for
improvement when it comes to sustainability.
Sustainable Cities: What Does It Mean To Be a Sustainable City?
Sustainable cities can be considered as cities that have strong social, economic and environmental
performances. They have good scores when it comes to air pollution, availability of public
transportation, the number of educated and employed people, the percentage of green spaces, energy
consumption or access to drinking water.
Presumably, sustainable cities are to be better prepared to face the challenges of urban areas as
society develops and as climate change events get more frequent and intense. They are more
resilient and adapted to unforeseen circumstances. The most reputable forum regarding sustainable
and green cities is the C40 network.
Waste Management: Is There Sustainability In Waste Management?
A factory that takes proper care of its industrial waste and doesn’t drop it in a nearby river or land is
acting in a sustainable way. In fact, this factory is being responsible for avoiding the short-term costs
of damaging disposal that could have expensive and impactful long-term environmental damage.

At the same time, companies looking for less polluting packaging alternatives are also good
sustainability models to follow. Since plastics are polluting land and seas and harming ecosystems
and biodiversity, it’s a good idea that businesses invest in new designs that allow products to be
more resistant and even re-manufactured. On top of this, if biodegradable materials are being used,
even better.

We need to pay more attention to systemic relationships and interactions, to aim to support the
resilience and health of the whole system, to foster diversity and redundancies at multiple scales,
and to facilitate positive emergence through paying attention to the quality of connections and
information ~owes in the system” – the German biologist defends.
The process of designing this regenerative world starts by spending time understanding how the
systems of life work in each unique place and observing many different natural variables behind
complex ecosystems. Learning from the natural design (bio mimicry), asking many questions before
rushing to end solutions to enhance life, and having the precautionary principle in mind are also part
of Wahl’s regenerative vision.
 2.2 Sustainable Architecture
Design Matters in sustainability, Why Architects?
1. Introduction
The building industry is a vital element of any economy but has a significant impact on the
environment. By virtue of its size, construction is one of the largest users of energy, material
resources, and water, and it is a formidable polluter. In response to these impacts, there is growing
consensus.
Among organizations committed to environmental performance targets that appropriate strategies
and actions are needed to make building activities more sustainable. With respect to such
significant influence of the building industry, the sustainable building approach has a high
potential to make a valuable contribution to sustainable development.

Sustainability is a broad and complex concept, which has grown to be one of the major issues
in the building industry. The idea of sustainability involves enhancing the quality of life, thus
allowing people to live in a healthy environment, with improved social, economic and
environmental conditions.
A sustainable project is designed, built, renovated, operated or reused in an ecological and
resource efficient manner.
 It should meet a number of certain objectives: resource and energy efficiency; CO2 and
GHG emissions reduction; pollution prevention; mitigation of noise; improved indoor air
quality; harmonization with the environment.
 An ideal project should be inexpensive to build, last forever with modest maintenance, but
return completely to the earth when abandoned. Building industry practitioners have
begun to pay attention to controlling and correcting the environmental damage due to their
activities.

 Architects, designers, engineers and others involved in the building process have a unique
opportunity to reduce environmental impact through the implementation of sustainability
objectives at the design development stage of a building project.

2. Sustainable Building Principles

It is estimated that by 2056, global economic activity will have increased fivefold, global
population will have increased by over 50%, global energy consumption will have increased nearly
threefold, and global manufacturing activity will have increased at least threefold.

Globally, the building sector is arguably one of the most resource-intensive industries. Compared
with other industries, the building industry rapidly growing world energy use and the use of finite
fossil fuel resources has already raised concerns over supply difficulties, exhaustion of energy
resources and Heavy environmental impacts ozone layer depletion, carbon dioxide emissions, global
warming, climate change.
 Building material production consumes energy, the construction phase consumes energy, and
operating a completed building consumes energy for heating, lighting, power and ventilation.
In addition to energy consumption, the building industry is considered as a major contributor to
environmental pollution, a major consumption of raw materials, with 3 billion tons consume annually
or 40% of global use and produces an enormous amount of waste.

The principal issues associated with the key sustainable building themes has been mapped out and
collated Sustainable building approach is considered as a way for the building industry to move
towards achieving sustainable development taking into account environmental, socio and economic
issues, as shown in Table 1. It is also a way to portray the industry’s responsibility towards
protecting the environment.

The practice of sustainable building refers to various methods in the process of implementing
building projects that involve less harm to the environment—i.e., prevention of waste
production, increased reuse of waste in the production of building material—i.e., waste
management, beneficial to the society, and profitable to the company.
Hill and Bowen state that sustainable building starts at the planning stage of a building and continues
throughout its life to its eventual deconstruction and recycling of resources to reduce the waste stream
associated with demolition.
The authors then describe sustainable building as consisting of four
principles: social, economic, biophysical and technical. Amongst the published work relating to the
principles of sustainable building are collated in Table 2.
 Building construction practitioners worldwide are beginning to appreciate sustainability and
acknowledge the advantages of implementing sustainable principles in building projects. For
example, the concept of sustainable building costs lower than conventional method and saves energy
as demonstrated by Hydes and Creech.
 This was further supported by Pettifer, who added that sustainable buildings will contribute positively
to better quality of life, work efficiency and healthy work environment. Pettifer explored the business
benefits of sustainability and concluded that the benefits are diverse and potentially very significant.

3. Sustainable Implementation: A Framework of Strategies and Methods

In order to achieve a sustainable future in the building industry, Asif et al. Suggest adoption of
multi-disciplinary approach covering a number of features such as: energy saving, improved use of
materials, material waste minimization, pollution and emissions control etc.
There are many ways in which the current nature of building activity can be controlled and improved
to make it less environmentally damaging, without reducing the useful output of building activities.
To create a competitive advantage using environment-friendly construction practices, the whole life-
cycle of buildings should, therefore, be the context under which these practices are carried out.
A review of literature has identified three general objectives which should shape the framework for
implementing sustainable building design and construction (Figure 1), while keeping in mind the
principles of sustainability issues (social, environmental and economic) identified previously.
These objectives are:
1. Resource conservation
2. Cost efficiency and
3. Design for Human adaptation
Bold statements about the need for radical improvements in the use of materials and energy
resources have achieved recognition in policy circles. The argument is that productivity
improvement is necessary to minimize impacts on the capacity of natural systems to assimilate waste
materials and energy. (This concepts will be Discussed in the next chapters of this course)

2.3 Green building

What is a Green Building? Need for the Green Buildings.
  Features of Green Buildings.
 Cost facts
 What is LEED?
 Some LEED rated buildings in INDIA.
 Scope of Green Building sector in India
 Its job potential.

•It is a building which does not have adverse effects on

the ecological balance.
•These structures don’t have a negative
impact on the environment as they generate
their own energy from solar energy, wind
energy etc.

Another type of green structure

\
2.3.1 Definition of green building
There are many definitions of green building, (Chatterjee, 2009). One of the definitions of green building
relayed on four main principles minimization of impacts on the environment, increasing the health conditions
of Occupants, the return on investment to developers and the local community, and the life cycle consideration
during the planning and development process (Robichaud, et al., 2010

According to Kibert (2008), definition: green building as: “… healthy facilities designed and built in
a resource-efficient manner, using ecologically-based principles”.
The Office of the Federal Environmental Executive (OFEE) offers a useful working definition for
green building as “the practice of
1) Increasing the efficiency with which buildings and their sites use energy, water, and materials,
and
2) Reducing building impacts on human health and the environment, through better siting, design,
construction, operation, maintenance, and removal-the complete building life cycle.”
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines a green building as, “the practice of creating
structures and using processes that are environmentally responsible andresource-efficient
throughout a building’s life-cycle from siting to design, construction, operation, maintenance,
renovation, and deconstruction.” Jacob Kriss of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) defines
a green building as:
“a holistic concept that starts with the understanding that the built environment can have profound
effects, both positive and negative, on the natural environment, as well as the people who inhabit
buildings every day. Green building is an effort to amplify the positive and mitigate the negative of
these effects throughout the entire life cycle of a building.”
Generally, the accepted definition of green building is “the planning, design, construction, and
operations of buildings with several central, foremost considerations: energy use, water use, indoor
environmental quality, material section and the building’s effects on its site” (USGBC, 2019)
Additionally, it is worth noting that the term ‘sustainable building’ has been also used as a synonym
of ‘green building’ (Robichaud et al., 2010; Zuo et al., 2014 and Sinha et al., 2013).

2.3.2 The Concept of Green Building

The concept of green building was first introduced when people started to get aware of their role in
causing global climate change. People started to realize the impact of their activities on the
environment when they had to face problems like global warming,
Scarcity of water and shortage in energy supply (Shrestha, 2011). Buildings that are designed to
remove these negative effects on the environment and human health are accepted as green buildings
(Vyas, et al., 2014).
Green building usually refers to a building and using process aiming to reduce the overall impact of
the built environment on human health and the natural environment by efficiently using energy,
water, and other resources and by reducing waste, pollution and environmental degradation
(USGBC, 2009) Green Building is the status of efforts in attaining sustainability in construction
practices (Sinha, et al., 2013).
The green building effort addresses a broad array of areas such as energy efficiency, water
management, material production, construction issues, occupant health quality, air quality
management, recycling, reusability, and waste management (Bowyer, 2008).
Through their lifecycle, the green buildings reduce the injurious impact on the ecology, decrease the
use of resources (energy and water); and provide a healthier indoor environment (Samer, 2013).
There are various aspects to consider a building as green during design, construction, and operation.
Those aspects include (Gou, et al., 2016): water efficiency, energy efficiency, materials and
resources, waste management and indoor environmental quality. On the other hand, according to the
study by (Olaleye, et al., 2015) green building concept consists of six distinct areas, such as lighting,
water, ventilation, air quality, waste generation and control, and energy. In addition, Cole (2011)
puts the green building concept as an integration of the reduction of damage, energy uses, material
uses, carbon emission, water use and the negative impacts on the occupants and communities.

2.3.3 Benefits of Green Building

A Conference held in London on Construction, Building and Real Estate identified some of the
benefits of green building from different works of literature as; energy saving, enhanced occupants’
health and comfort, improved overall productivity, environmental protection, improved indoor
environmental quality, thermal comfort, better rental income, increased property values, preservation
of natural resources, reduced use of resources, reduced carbon/greenhouse gas emissions, enhanced
overall occupant satisfaction and reduced noise pollution (Darko, et al., 2018).

It is well recognized that there are a number of benefits associated with green buildings. From
environmental perspective, green buildings help to improve the urban biodiversity and protect the
eco-system by means of sustainable land use (Henry, et al., 2012 and Bianchini, et al., 2012) and
reduction of construction and demolition waste of green building design (Akadiri, et al., 2012 and
Yeheyis, et al., 2013).
According to WGBC, (2019) One of the most important types of benefit green buildings offer is to
our climate and the natural environment. Green buildings can not only reduce or eliminate negative
impacts on the environment, by using less water, energy or natural resources, but they can in many
cases have a positive impact on the environment (at the building or city scales) by generating their
own energy or increasing biodiversity.
According to WGBC (2019), green buildings offer a number of economic or financial benefits,
which are relevant to a range of different people or groups of people. These include cost savings on
utility bills for tenants or households (through energy and water efficiency); lower construction costs
and higher property value for building developers;
Many of these benefits are around the health and wellbeing of people who work in green offices or
live in green homes (WGBC, 2019).
According to the study by Aigbavboa et al., (2018) to identify green building benefits, the following
are the least from the many benefits of such a building practice and the implementation of GB
practices which have an impact on social, economic and environmental perspective;

 Provide better health for occupants due to the improved indoor quality
 Lead to the development of more energy-efficient products and services
 Improve comfort, satisfaction, and well-being of building occupants
 The environmental and emissions costs are lower.
 Enjoy the support of climate change protocols
 Improve the quality of life for individuals
 Use less natural resources and so as to protect the ecosystem
 The economic life of a green building is extended since plant and equipment are
more robust to alternative uses
 Lead to the reduction of annual water cost savings.
 Increase occupant safety and security.
 Lead lower operational and support costs.
 Waste disposal costs in the green buildings are lower.
 Make risk management manageable (economic, financial, market, etc.).
 The cost of maintenance in green building is greatly reduced.

Darko, et al., (2018) also found that the green building implementation reduced lifecycle costs and
this benefit is the most reported benefits of a green building according to his study from works of
literature which are focused on green building benefits.

2.3.4 Green building Technologies

The concept of green or sustainable buildings is not new, but the technologies associated with the
concept have evolved and matured over time (Emmitt, et al., 2006).
Most importantly, sustainable development is needed to preserve the environment by using green
technology to minimize the exploitation of the natural environment (Chua, et al., 2011).
The Academy of Science of South Africa defined Green technologies in the building sector as;
‘‘those technologies which reduce the impact of building on the environment through the
development of more environmentally friendly materials and products, or through the generation
and/or conservation of resources such as energy and water’’ (assaf, 2014).
As such, green building has been well received by many governments and promoted as a strategy for
reducing the negative effects of the construction industry on the environment (Shen, et al., 2017).
The popularity and acceptance gained by the green

Today nearly all structures are built combined with some sort of technological advancement of the
last 100 years. Electrical and plumbing systems, appliances, wall coverings and even the skeleton of
the building have all been somehow affected through technology (Bradfield, 2011).
Green building technologies (gbts) have an essential role in the development of green buildings.
They are those technologies, such as passive solar technology, green roof technology, and energy-
efficient HVAC systems, wall technologies and heat pump technology employed in building design
and construction to improve overall sustainability performance (Ahmad, et al., 2016; Zhang, et al.,
2011 and Shen, et al., 2011). Ultimately green building is an integration of many environmental
technologies (Brooks, et al., 2008)

2.3.5 The green building councils

to have an international voice for green building initiatives UKGBC, (2007) world green building
council (WGBC) was formally incorporated in 2002 with its headquarters in Toronto, Canada. World
green building council (WGBC) is an independent, non-profit organization working in the building
and construction industry.
According to WGBC, (2019) Currently, there are approximately 73-member Green Building Councils
around the world as different regional network as:
1. Americans regional network: Americans members are Argentina, Canada, Chile, Colombia,
El Salvador, Bolivia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Mexico AC, U.S, and
Uruguay.
2. Europe regional network: Europe members are France, Australia, Bulgarian, Croatia, Dutch,
German, Spain, Finland, Iceland, Italia, Slovenia, Hungary, Irish, Luxembourg, Montenegro,
Norwegian, Polish, Serbia, Greece, Sweden, Swiss, Turkish, and United Kingdom.
3. MENA regional network: The Middle East and North Africa members are Bahrain, Egypt,
Emirates, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, and Qatar.
4. Asian pacific regional network: Asian pacific members are china, Australia, Indonesia, Sri
Lanka, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippine,
Singapore, Taiwan, and Vietnam.
5. Africa regional network: Africa members are Ghana, Mauritius, Namibia, Rwanda,
Tanzania, South Africa, and Kenya.

2.3.6 Green building Assessment tools

A Green building assessment method is a tool for evaluating whether a building is green or not, and
rank is given to the building after a detailed assessment (Ali, et al., 2009).
In the last decade, a number of assessment tools have been developed or under development across
the globe (Amos, et al., 2016 and Gou, et al., 2017). Green building assessment tools have been
developed for different types of buildings: residential buildings (single-family and multi-unit),
schools, hospital buildings, office buildings, industrial buildings and other types of buildings (Saleh,
et al., 2012).
Among the existing Green building assessment methods, the Building Research Establishment’s
Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) developed in the United Kingdom in 1990, is the
first and leading GB assessment method to appear in the market in 1990 and determined the base for
the following certification methods (Ruiz, 2013). Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
(LEED) developed in the United States in 1998, grew fast and is nearly the dominant building
assessment system around the world. Other well-known GB assessment tools include;
 Comprehensive Assessment System for Building Environmental Efficiency
(CASBEE) of Japan
 Green Star of Australia
 Building Environmental Assessment Method Plus (BEAM Plus) (formerly
named as HK-BEAM) of Hong Kong
 Green Mark of Singapore
 Eco Profile of Norway
 Deutsche Gesell schaft fur Nachhaltiges Bauen (DGNB) of Germany,
 The Evaluation Standard for Green Building (ESGB) or Green Building Label
(GBL) of China
 The international Sustainable Building Tool (SB Tool) (formerly known as GB
Tool) (Li, et al., 2017).

2.3.7 Green building certification practices

Following the formation of a green building council, another key element of green buildings is the
certification systems or rating tools to examine the performance of the building and to improve
the green building process and strategies.
These rating systems are refined over time in response to the improvement in technology,
knowledge and market advancements (Gundogan, 2012). Demir (2013) Point out that Green
building certifications lead to building projects for green performance and affirm their green
building status.
Ideally beginning from the design phase of the building these green
building certifications are followed performing requirements in the frameworks as much as
possible.
At the end of the whole certification process, the building qualifies a green building certification
score depending on its performance (Demir, 2013).
Building certification systems are being developed and implemented in a growing number of
countries. This trend brings new sustainable practices and techniques (Gundogan, 2012). There
are currently 31 different certification systems currently supported by Green Building Councils;
the most widely used examples include LEED, Green Star and BREEAM (UNEP, 2014).

International green building standards

1 LEED (United States) In 1993, the US Green Building Council (USGBC) was
founded as a non-profit organization to promote green building practices and education. It
 developed Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) trademarked Green
Building Rating and launched it in 2000 as “...a voluntary, consensus-based, market-driven
building rating system...” That "...evaluates environmental performance from a whole
building perspective over a building's life cycle, providing a definitive standard for what
constitutes a 'green building'." (NASHO-AFD, 2013). LEED has been implemented in 41
countries, including Canada, Brazil, Mexico, India, and China (Amos, et al., 2016). In the
US buildings accounts for 38% of CO2 emissions, 13.6% of potable water (15trillion
gal/year) and 73% of U.S. electricity consumption and LEED projects are responsible for
diverting over 80 million tons of waste landfill. Compared to the average commercial
buildings, LEED gold buildings consume a quarter less energy generate 34% lower
greenhouse gas emissions (LEED-USGBC, 2019).
Table 2. 1 LEED main attributes and rating

LEED Main Attributes

Rating
(Building Design and Construction)
Location and transport 16
Sustainable sites 10
Energy and atmosphere 33
Water efficiency 11
Indoor environmental quality 16
Material and resources 13
Regional priority 4
Innovation 6
Integrative process 1
Total credit 110

Table 2. 2 LEED certification levels

Certification level Points

Certified 40-49
Silver 50-59
Gold 60-79
Platinum 80-110
2. United Kingdom (BREEAM) BREEAM was the first sustainable building certification system in
the world dating back to 1990 to assess, rate and certify the sustainability of buildings. It is currently
one of the most used systems in the world and is administrated by the Building Research
Establishment (BRE) located in the UK (BREEAM, 2019). BREEAM is the world’s leading
sustainability assessment method for master planning projects, infrastructure, and buildings. It
recognizes and reflects the value in higher performing assets across the built environment lifecycle,
from new construction to in-use and refurbishment through third-party certification of the
assessment of an asset’s environmental, social and economic sustainability performance, using
standards developed by BRE.
According to (BREEAM, 2019), the assessment method applied to; BREEAM takes into account and
analyzes 9 different macro-areas, reaching a maximum achievable score dependent on the building
uses. Each macro-area is composed of various credits of criteria and the sum of each credit criteria
categorized for certification level as (Table 2.3 and Table 2.4) respectively.
Table 2. 3 BREEAM main attributes and rating
BREEAM main attributes
Rating
(New construction)
Management 12
Health and wellbeing 15
Energy 15
Transport 9
Water 7
Material 13.5
Waste 8.5
 Land use and ecology 10
Pollution 10
Innovation 10

Table 2. 4 BREEAM certification levels

Certification level Points
Outstanding ≥ 85
Excellent ≥ 70
Very good ≥ 55
Good ≥ 45
Unclassified < 30

3. Australia and South Africa (GREEN STAR)

According to GBCA 2019, Green Star launched by the Green Building Council of Australia in 2003,
Australia’s only national, voluntary rating system for buildings and communities. Currently over
2200 green star rated projects, 37% of office space is green star certified, 42,000 peoples live in green
star rated apartments green star, 550,000 peoples are moving into green star communities, produce
62% fewer greenhouse gas emissions than average Australian buildings, use 66% less electricity than
average Australian buildings, consume 51% less potable water than minimum industry standards and
recycled 96% of their construction and demolition waste.
The maximum number of achievable points is 100, distributed among 8 macro-areas and certification
levels of (Table 2.5 and Table 2.6) respectively.
Table 2. 5 Green Star main attributes rating and certification level
Green Star (Design and
Rating
As-Built)
Management 14
Indoor Environment Quality 17
Energy 22
Transport 10
Water 12
Materials 14
Land Use and Ecology 6
Emissions 5
Innovation 10
Table 2. 6 Green star certification levels
Certification level Points
One star(Minimum
Min=10
practiced)
Two-star(Average Practice) Min=20
Three-star(Good Practice) Min=30
Four star(Best Practice) Min=45
Five star(Australian
Min=60
Excellence)
Six star(World Leadership) Min=75
2.3.8 Green building Practice in Ethiopia
Ethiopia is neither in the list of the above category of the green building council membership nor
having a local practice of green building standard. However, there are some buildings which are
certified and under progress to be certified (Table 2.7) according to international standards i.e. LEED.
Nowadays it is a known fact that the growing construction sector in Ethiopia interests’ international
companies. Due to this an Israeli green building consulting firm named Wall to Wall (WAWA) assess
the potential of the country to implement green building and appoint a pilot project in AASTU,
professionals awareness through seminars and workshops and overview of building process, real
estate market and sightseeing the built infrastructure in Ethiopia (Alfassy, 2019).

Table 2. 7 Green building in Ethiopia (USGBC, 2019)

Green building
No Project
Certification
Horn of Africa Regional environment center and
1 LEED-Gold
network (hoa - REC&N) building
2 New Embassy Compound, American Embassy LEED-Certified
Under process
3 PVH Arvind manufacturing (Hawassa industrial park)
LEED-Registered
4 Ethio-American doctors group hospital LEED-Registered
Under process
5 Commercial bank of Ethiopia, Headquarter building
LEED – Silver
Horn of Africa Regional environment center and network (hoa - REC&N) building is certified as
LEED-Gold and the detailed criteria are covered as a case study in Chapter 4 and PVH Arvind
manufacturing, a textile factory in Hawassa industrial park and Ethio-American doctors group
hospital (under construction around Hayat 49 area) certification is under process according to
USGBC.
American embassy compound as a certified level using LEED BD+C: New Construction (v2.2) in
2012 and scored 28/69 points. The green building attributes covered in the assessment include;
Sustainable sites (7/14)
 Material & Resources (6/13)
 Construction Waste Management
 Site selection
 Regional materials - 10% extracted,
 Development density and community
processed and manufactured
connectivity
regionally
 Alternative transportation - public
 Indoor Environmental Quality (7/15)
transportation access
 Construction IAQ Management plan -
 Alternative transportation - bicycle
during construction
storage and changing rooms
 Low-emitting materials - adhesives and
 Alternative transportation - parking
sealants
capacity
 Low-emitting materials - paints and
 Site development - maximize open
coatings
space
 Low-emitting materials - carpet
 Heat island effect - non-roof Water
systems
efficiency (2/5)
 Controllability of systems – lighting
 Water use reduction
 Thermal comfort – design
 Energy & Atmosphere (4/17)
 Thermal comfort – verification
 Optimize energy performance
Innovation (2/5)
 Enhanced commissioning
 Innovation in design
 Enhanced refrigerant Management
 LEED Accredited Professional

According to the Energy and Environment Solution (EES) consultant ATKINS (2019),
the commercial bank of Ethiopia headquarters which is the tallest building in East
Africa as 4B+48 is under process to certify as Silver when the project completed with
a point of 52. The building considers the following green building attributes during
design and construction;
Location and transport
Sensitive Land Protection
Surrounding Density and Diverse Uses
Access to Quality Transit
Reduced Parking Footprint

Sustainable Sites
Construction Activity Pollution Prevention
Site Assessment
Open Space
Heat Island Reduction
Water Efficiency
Outdoor Water Use Reduction
Indoor Water Use Reduction
Building-Level Water Metering
Outdoor Water Use Reduction
Water Metering
Energy and Atmosphere
Fundamental Commissioning and
Verification
Minimum Energy Performance
Building-Level Energy Metering
Fundamental Refrigerant Management
Optimize Energy Performance
Advanced Energy Metering
Enhanced Refrigerant Management
Materials and Resources
Storage and Collection of Recyclables
Construction and Demolition Waste
Management Planning
Construction and Demolition Waste
Management
Indoor Environmental Quality
Minimum Indoor Air Quality Performance
Environmental Tobacco Smoke Control
Enhanced Indoor Air Quality Strategies
Low-Emitting Materials
Construction Indoor Air Quality Management
Plan
Indoor Air Quality Assessment
Thermal Comfort
Interior Lighting
Quality Views