Estidama and the Pearl Rating System: A Comprehensive Review and Alignment with LCA

Abstract

Multiple sustainability standards and rating systems have been developed to draw attention to constructing sustainable buildings. The Pearl Rating System (PRS) is a mandate for all new construction projects in Abu Dhabi. Hence, it is important to understand the main components, advantages, and limitations of the PRS. The feasibility and the practical relevance of the PRS are still being studied. This paper addresses this gap and critically evaluates the PRS against some of the well-established rating systems like LEED and BREEAM. The analysis suggests that the PRS considers the cultural aspect of sustainability, in addition to the environmental, societal, and economic aspects. It was also found that most rating systems, including the PRS, have a very superficial inclusion of life cycle assessment (LCA). The paper finally concludes with other observations and outlook for a more robust implementation of the PRS.

Sustainable Building Standards, Codes and Certification Systems: The Status Quo and Future Directions in Saudi Arabia

“…In addition, there are the Australian Green Star, the French HQE and many more certification systems across the world. See Figure 5 for the list of green building certification systems globally [68]. This was followed by the release of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) in the United States in 2000 [67]; however, LEED has continued to grow and includes new systems for existing buildings and entire neighbourhoods [67].…”

“…In addition, there are the Australian Green Star, the French HQE and many more certification systems across the world. See Figure 5 for the list of green building certification systems globally [68].…”

“…Worldwide, sustainability initiatives differ in many aspects, for instance in their ap proach to climate change, resources, policies, regulation and social perception. Hence, th accepted methods/tools of sustainability need to consider each country's context [68].…”

Comparison of Green Building Rating Systems from LCA Perspective

“…Lee et al [16] investigated integrating LCA into the Green Standard for Energy and Environmental Design (G-SEED) in South Korea, the study proposed a conceptual framework to integrate the LCA of seven major building materials into the G-SEED rating system. Ramani & García De Soto [15] evaluated the assessment method of the Pearl Rating System (PRS) in Abu Dhabi based on LCA, the study has found that LCA is superficially included in the PRS rating system. LCA has been recently incorporated into the "Materials" category of Green Star, the Australian GBRS [17].…”

“…Previous research has been conducted to investigate LCA integration into the international GBRSs [14][15][16][17]. Most studies related to LCA integration into GBRSs focused on energy use and carbon emissions during the operational stage [18].…”