Sustainability is one of the most currently highlighted issues locally and internationally. Usually synonymous with the term "Green Building", the main difference between the two is that sustainability refers to the multi dimensional practices that allows for the development of "Green Buildings", defining the objectives that will help characterize the building process.

The main purpose of sustainability is reducing the impact of the "constructed environment" on the "natural environment" thus enhancing the efficiency of the building to ensure a good quality of life for future generations.

Organizations and Objectives of Sustainable Building

A "Green Building" can be define as a "building that considers and respects the natural order of the environment, designed to reduce the negative impact of humans, resources and material as well as the surrounding natural system". From this definition you can notice that the term "Green Building" is a general target that has been transferred to certain objectives and particular categories by different organizations, ultimately evolving its usage to the term "Sustainability". Some of the most recognizable organizations involved 'sustainable development' includes:

U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) which established the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system.

The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHARE).

Emirates Green Building Council (EGBC) that currently modifies the LEED system to make it more suitable for the UAE environment.

Although having several rating systems with many differences to evaluate sustainable building, all of these systems concentrate on the same main objectives:

1. The effective use of resources (energy, water and material) and the 3R concept of 'reduce, reuse and recycle.'





2. To protect nature; the source of all resources.





3. The design of high quality construction via the balancing of building performance, environment and resources. Moreover to concentrate on lifecycle cost (construction, operation and maintenance) rather than then the initial cost of construction.

The Sustainability in Building design has full details