الفهرس | Only 14 pages are availabe for public view |
Abstract Green buildings are designed to minimize the effect of the built environment on human health and its surrounding environment. The study aims to evaluate and analyze the credits of GBRSs to achieve sustainability in office buildings in Egypt to determine the most effective and applicable rating system. It presents a clear understanding and a thorough analysis of the current Egyptian laws that affect the applicability of GBRSs in Egypt. The research follows the qualitative research method and mainly consists of three stages, the theoretical approach followed by a comparative analysis and the analysis of case studies. A thorough overview of green buildings, sustainability, rating systems, and the existing literature was carried out to have a better understanding. The parameters of the American and Egyptian rating systems were then thoroughly analyzed. The GBRSs were also analyzed in relation to the Unified Building Law and its Executive Appendix to deduce their compatibility. Six case studies were analyzed in total in this study, four Egyptian LEEDcertified projects and two international LEED-certified projects. The case studies were all selected based on pre-determined selection criteria. They were all LEED BD+C: NC certified and categorized as office buildings. The case studies were analyzed in terms of LEED assessment, meanwhile, the Egyptian case studies were also evaluated using the Egyptian GPRS to find out their achievable certification level. The LEED rating system was found to have a more accurate representation of sustainability when compared to GPRS in terms of certification levels awarded. However, GPRS appoints more points for water efficiency which is a priority as Egypt faces problems with water supply and demand. Therefore, GPRS is suitable for Egyptian projects in general, not office buildings specifically with a few adjustments applied to the rating system. Meanwhile, LEED focuses on the indoor environmental quality aspects in addition to energy efficiency and sustainable sites which helps increase productivity while providing a comfortable and healthy environment for its occupants. Therefore, it was concluded that given the current state of GPRS 2017, LEED is a more suitable option for Egyptian office buildings. This study is of significance due to the lack of studies which analyzed the pillars of sustainability GPRS addresses in comparison to LEED. It also provides a better understanding for stakeholders to make a decision about the most appropriate system to implement in Egypt as the requirements of rating systems differ according to location and environment. Therefore, it is required to study the effectiveness of GBRSs in Egypt and their effect on sustainability. The results of this study have significant implementation recommendations for the Unified Building Law and its Executive Appendix, GPRS 2017, and stakeholders. |