A Resilience and Environmentally Sustainable Assessment Framework (RESAF) for Domestic Building Materials in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

In Saudi Arabia, the carbon footprint and energy use that results from using concrete in construction is a major negative contributor to the environmental effects of building materials. Likewise, the impact of annual cooling and heating energy demands has an equally prominent role to play. These demands need to be assessed and benchmarked in order that reduction targets can be set. Saudi Arabia presents its own unique context and local conditions, which creates a challenge when utilizing generic frameworks for assessing the environmental impact of domestic buildings. In meeting this aim, this paper presents a resilience and environmental sustainability assessment framework (RESAF) developed specifically for domestic buildings in Saudi Arabia. RESAF helps designers/builders to minimize the carbon footprint of the building fabric and reduce in-use energy demands of domestic buildings in Saudi Arabia. This paper shows how this framework can be used to reduce, by approximately 23%, the carbon impact from construction materials, primarily by substituting a portion of cement for pulverized fly ash (PFA) or ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS). A reduction of 19% in annual cooling and heating energy demand were additionally achieved throughout the building’s life, simply by increasing insulation and using triple-glazed windows. The importance of passing these alternative solutions through the resilience filter is highlighted, not least questioning whether they are really fit-for-purpose.

Toward Sustainable Healthcare Facilities: An Initiative for Development of “Mostadam-HCF” Rating System in Saudi Arabia

“…Since healthcare facilities are considered one of the building types for which the standards of sustainability should be applied in the materials used and waste management; therefore, the previous studies devoted to this group are considered general and cover the building sector in general [42][43][44].…”

COP26 Visions for a Net Zero Future – Regional Profile for the Arabian Peninsula

“…(3.d.i Current/future solutions) The selection of low-carbon materials rather than carbon-intense steel and concrete, and designs that minimize material costs and carbon emissions will lead to new design concepts aligned with a net-zero vision [251][252][253] . Significant in-use efficiencies have been demonstrated with designs to dissipate heat and reduce solar gain, e.g., appropriate thermal mass, improved insulation, and triple glazing 251 .…”

“…(3.d.i Current/future solutions) The selection of low-carbon materials rather than carbon-intense steel and concrete, and designs that minimize material costs and carbon emissions will lead to new design concepts aligned with a net-zero vision [251][252][253] . Significant in-use efficiencies have been demonstrated with designs to dissipate heat and reduce solar gain, e.g., appropriate thermal mass, improved insulation, and triple glazing 251 . Reducing the carbon intensity of the built environment for hot climates requires novel building materials and technologies, but many technologies already exist that can be applied to improve performance and liveability, and to retrofit older building stock.…”

“…254,255 . Importantly, building designs should be optimised for the local climatein KSA there are several distinct climatic zones across the country that should be considered 251 . UAE has introduced locally-relevant building codes, but existing building codes still need further review to explore how new sustainable building codes and policy intervention might be used to drive the most appropriate developmentfor example, some of the LEED building standards are inappropriate for hot climates 256 .…”

Optimizing Concrete Grade for a Sustainable Structural Design in Saudi Arabia

“…The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has a large and rapidly growing building sector that heavily contributes to the country's energy and environmental stresses [7,8]. However, the KSA has yet to adopt building sustainability standards and integrate life cycle assessment (LCA) into construction practices to address environmental challenges [9]. The lack of adoption stems from the newness of the LCA concept in the Saudi construction industry.…”