|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES: LEED rankings 'bogus': Frank Gehry | Green initiatives need grassroots knowledge in ME | Huge interest in sustainability forum at FM expo
The multitude of ratings systems for sustainable building has been a ‘fiasco’ for the GCC, according to one pioneer for environmentally-based construction.
Sultan Faden, an architect, former consultant and founder of the Saudi Green Buildings Council, told Construction Week that although he and the council are generally in support of systems that measure a building’s carbon footprint, the plethora of different criteria to choose from has confused the market just as the idea is taking hold in the Kingdom.
His comments come just one month into his membership of the Gulf-wide Green Buildings Committee, which is seeking to create a new and comprehensive set of criteria for assessing a building’s energy and water use which is better suited to the Middle Eastern climate and building culture than the US-based LEED system or the UK-based BREEAM – just two of many structures for sustainable measurement.
 |
“Today we have a number of different systems from different backgrounds,” he says.
“With the amount of current ratings systems for the last 2-3 years it has been confusing, it is not healthy. That’s why we’re taking it slow. Most of these systems are similar.”
He adds that sustainability is not high enough on the agenda of the Saudi government, adding that the new rules will be tailored to the government in the sense that they will set a benchmark by which developers and planners must comply.
“When it comes to government-related projects the guidelines for sustainability are slightly different,” he said.
Discussions around sustainable building have reached a high point in recent years, with a number of projects emphasising their environmental qualities and push for LEED accreditation.
However some say that any ratings system adopted from the US or Europe is unsatisfactory as criteria for regional developments, even if schemes such as LEED or BREEAM have made efforts to adapt their criteria to acknowledge the Gulf’s climate and water use, as two examples.
But others go further in their skepticism, claiming that the perceived cost increase in reverting the environmental methods and materials is still an obstacle that will hinder market appeal, especially in Saudi Arabia.
One source at a Riyadh-based consultant working on one of the King Abdullah projects, said: “LEED is by no means unknown here and is gaining traction, as it has now become the latest ’best thing since sliced bread’ and everyone wants to jump on the bandwagon.
“How serious about it they really are, once they realise the cost of properly 'going for it' is quite another question. Basically it comes down to: can you, Mr. Developer, now afford not to be seen to be ‘green’?”
In May award-winning architect Frank Gehry has slammed LEED certifications, claiming they are given for "bogus stuff" with costs that "don't pay back in your lifetime". He made his comments at the annual Cindy Pritzker lecture in Chicago.
Meanwhile, uncited sources told Bloomberg this morning that Masdar, the prospective zero carbon city in Abu Dhabi, has lost two key members in its real estate and program management teams as well as the head of research for the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, according to reports.
Tariq Ali, along with Dan Weisser, head of real-estate investments at Masdar City, and Alistair Murray, head of the program management department, have announced their departures as the AED80.8 billion flagship project for sustainability undergoes a review after four years.
Masdar, designed by UK company Foster & Partners, aims to be the world’s leading settlement for renewable energy, and includes a research university to enhance development in areas such as carbon capture and solar energy.
| Articles | |
| Companies | |
 |
Site Map
 |
 |
 |
 |
|  |
\
FEATURED COMMENT
These latest departures are just the tip of the iceberg. And for good reason: they have pulled the plug on the project.