Green Building in Saudi Arabia - Essay Example

1 Background Country Profile The country o f Saudi Arabia occupies a territory of 2,149,690 sq. km. (829,995 sq. mi slightly more than one-fifth the size of the continental United States. The Capital city is Riyadh has a total population of around 4.7 million people. However, other main cities include Jeddah (with a population of around 3.2 million), Makkah, (with a population of around 1.5 million), and Dammam/Khobar/Dhahran, (with a population of around 1.6 million). The climate of Saudi Arabia may be described as arid with extreme fluctuations in temperature being exhibited in the interior. Likewise, humidity and high temperature are common along the coastal regions as well (YounGlobe, 2012). People Nationality: Saudi Arabian or Saudi. Annual population growth rate (2011 est.) is estimated at 1.536%. Ethnic groups: Arab (90% of native pop.), Afro-Asian (10% of native pop). The Religion is Islam with official language as Arabic. Education: Literacy is around 78.8% (male 84.7%, female 70.8%). Health: Infant mortality rate (2011 est.) is 16.16 deaths/1,000 live births. Life expectancy: male 72 years, female 76 years. Work force: 7.3 million, about 80% foreign workers (2010 est.); industry: 21.4%; services (including government)--71.9%; agriculture--6.7% (YounGlobe, 2012). Government Type: Monarchy with Council of Ministers and Consultative (or Shura) Council. Unification: September 23, 1932. Constitution: The Holy Quran (governed according to Islamic Law), Sharia, and the Basic Law. Branches: Executive King (chief of state and head of government; rules under the title Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques). Legislative is a Consultative (or Shura) Council with advisory powers was formed September 1993. Judicial Supreme Court, Supreme Judicial Council, Islamic Courts of First Instance and Appeals. Administrative divisions: 13 provinces. Political parties: None; formal political parties are not recognized by the government and have no legal status (YounGlobe, 2012). Economy GDP (2010 est.): $622 billion. Annual growth rate (2010 est.): 3.7%. Per capita GDP (2010): $24,200.Natural resources: Hydrocarbons, gold, uranium, bauxite, coal, iron, phosphate, tungsten, zinc, silver and copper.Agriculture: Products are dates, grains, livestock and vegetables. Arable land is 1.76%. Industry Types are petroleum, petrochemicals, cement, fertilizer and light industry.Trade (2010 est.): Exports about $238 billion of petroleum and petroleum products.Imports about $88 billion of manufactured goods, transportation equipment, clothing and textiles, processed food and products. Major trading partners are China, France, Germany, India, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, United Kingdom and the United States (YounGlobe, 2012). HISTORY With the exception of some large cities and oases, the climate has worked to historically limit a great deal of settlement on the Saudi Arabian Peninsula with the exception of a thin band of coastal regions. As such, people of various cultures that did settle the peninsula have existed there for a time period of greater than 5,000 years. By way of putting this in to context, the Dilmun culture, along the Gulf coast, was contemporaneous with the Sumerians and ancient Egyptians, and most of the empires of the ancient world traded with the states that existed on the peninsula, which lay along important trade routes (Info.gov.sa, 2012). The Saudi state as we know it today began in central Arabia in or around 1750. It was during this time that a local clam member, Muhammad bin Saud, formed an alliance with Muhammad Abd Al-Wahhab, to create a new political party. Over a period of the next 150 years, the fortunes of this Saudi family rose and tell and Saudi Arabia found itself under a multitude of different rulers. The modern Saudi kingdom was founded by the late King Abdul Aziz Al Saud. It has existed in more or less the same form ever since. ECONOMY It goes without saying that the discovery of oil in Saudi Arabia was one of the defining moments in the country’s history. As such, oil was first discovered in Saudi Arabia in the early 1930’s by a team of US geologists. However, it is important to note that large-scale production of oil did not commence until after the completion of the Second World War. It goes without saying that this oil wealth has made possible the rapid industrialization and urbanization of the Saudi Arabian economy and has helped to transform the kingdom into a living embodiment of technological advancement (Global Edge, 2012). Due to its vast petroleum riches, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has recently endeavoured to implement a series of 5 year plans that work to allocate income derived from the sale of crude oil into transformation of the remainder of its economy. Such a process is intended to redirect money from the sale of oil in an attempt to augment/boost other sectors so that they too might become more profitable. Although oil wealth has most certainly raised the standard of living for the average Saudi, the strains of a rapidly increasing population have somewhat diminished from the overall/net positive effects that these plans could have instituted. Likewise, the heavy dependence on petroleum revenue has worked to weaken sectors of the economy that might have developed at a faster rate had not the energy hungry monopoly of oil dominated the nation’s economy (Global Edge, 2012). The first of these aforementioned 5 year programs dealt with strengthening the infrastructure of Saudi Arabia. As such, during the 1970’s, major developments were undertaken to enhance the number and quality of Saudi Arabia’s paved highways. A second 5 year plan refocused the money that had previously been allocated to infrastructure and worked to focus it on the educational sector of the economy. The result of these 5 year plans was that the total length and quality of the paved roads in Saudi Arabia increased by 28% while the educational system modernized in a rapid fashion(Global Edge, 2012). Likewise, the nation’s fourth 5 year plan focused on growing public enterprise and as a result – the middle class in Saudi Arabia. Private enterprise was encouraged in a number of ways to include the increased availability of government grants to small business and entrepreneurs. Further, foreign investment was also encouraged as joint ventures and Saudi public and private firms were heavily invested in. As such, the private sector saw rapid growth; soon accounting for 70% of all non-petro GDP. Although the economy was still heavily concentrated on trade, private investment increased in industry, agriculture, banking, and construction companies. As such, these private investments were supported by generous government financing and incentive programs made available to them through the aforementioned 5 year program. The overall objective of this was to create a situation in which the private sector had between 70% to 80% ownership in most joint venture enterprises. Likewise, the fifth plan (1990-1995) emphasized the need to build the country’s defences in light of what happened during the Gulf War. This was achieved while at the same time working to lower the number of foreign defence contractors employed so as to provide an overall net positive influence on the workforce as it related to Saudi Arabian employment (Global Edge, 2012). The sixth plan (1996-2000) focussed on decreasing the cost of offered government services while at the same time not cutting any of these particular services. Likewise, the money that was saved from such endeavours was directed towards further benefitting the educational system of the Kingdom. Accordingly, the fifth plan incorporated aspects of the previous plans that have been mentioned in that it worked to reduce the Kingdom’s dependence on the petroleum sector and increasing and diversifying the economic activity of the private sector. This was affected by devoting further money as well as research and development activities to “Saudiize” the labour force and work to differentiate the industrial sectors of the economy so they would reflect a more varied economy. The seventh plan (2000-2004) worked to further focus the resources of the state towards diversifying the private sectors of the Saudi economy. This was affected to a great measure of success in that the Saudi government was able to average a GDP growth rate of over 3% annually. As such, the funds with which the government was able to devote to these economic diversification standards increased in the same manner and to the same extent. The eighth plan (2005-2010) worked to focus on the educational sector of the country while at the same time working to include women in a greater role in society and the workforce. The plan required that new universities and colleges should be established with specializations in nursing, tourism, IT, and a general focus on economic diversification. The ninth plan (2010-2014) has chosen to focus on eliminating poverty as it exists within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Although this is a lofty goal, the increases in real GDP that the economy has seen lately provide a favourable starting point towards providing some degree of work for all individuals involved in the economy. Furthermore, the effects of the plan can already be seen as the unemployment rate in Saudi Arabia continues to fall from a high of around 9.6% back in early 2010. Introduction With these goals in mind, it is not surprising that the sector of Green Building has a special relationship to the many different diversifications, investments in public sector works, and unemployment plans that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has ventured upon in the past 40 years. As such, green buildings not only work to save the environment but also work to improve the health and economic vitality of the region in which they are built. In this way, the construction of such buildings works to create a cleaner, more efficient, responsible, and healthy environment for all within a given vicinity. (Moonachie, 2012). In this way, homes cease to become merely places to live but become instead pillars of the community which can not only offer residents a place to live and work but increase the triple bottom line: economics, environment, and social issues. (Moonachie, 2012). Green building typically focuses on a few key areas. These key areas are: 1- Energy 2- Air (and Indoor Environmental Quality) 3- Water 4- Materials 5- Site Integration It is clear that the notion of Green Building is not one that will merely go away with time. Due to the increasing deficiencies of real estate, material, and energy that our current era experiences, Green building is a necessity to tackle the needs which the future presents. Moonachie notes that following are some requirements of Green Building in order to meet the demands that the current world situation places upon it: 1- It is the right thing to do to realize financial savings,health benefits and a better quality of life for ourselves, our families and our communities 2- This is how to tap the best innovations being developed to lead our society into the future 3- Its important to take care of the earth if people want healthy lives for the children of the world (Moonachie, 2012). Energy As such, when one thinks of green building, the first thought that usually enters into his/her mind is that of energy efficiency. This particular point is one of particular interest in that it is usually this factor that encourages rational, self interested businessmen and women to pursue green building. Although in a perfect world, people would pursue green building due to the positive effects it has on the environment, the profit driven mind of the business world necessitates that individuals first look at potential forms of construction from the vantage point of what benefit it offers to them. In this way, green building offers the advantage of being energy efficient while at the same time saving the environment. Air and A Healthy House Likewise, green building also offers a secondary benefit with relation the quality of the air and the lack of toxins that are exhibited within the structure. Due to the exacting standards that green buildings must meet, the air quality that one experiences in green housing is an order of magnitude safer than that which is exhibited in traditional building styles. Furthermore, due to the low levels of toxins, asthma and cancer occurrence are also negatively affected. Materials Due to the fact that the materials we purchase for home/business construction have a life of their own far after their useful life has been appreciated for a particular structure, it is necessary to note what occurs to these materials after they are disposed of. In this way, a more full and complete understanding of green building can be effected. Research questions What are the building regulations for green buildings in Saudi Arabia? What are the methods to reduce energy consumption on residential buildings and protect the environment? What are the construction materials in the country that should be used in order to protect the environment? How to develop standards for residential buildings in the kingdom? How to promote sustainable environmentally residential buildings in Saudi Arabia? How to develop the design of Green buildings in Saudi Arabia with keeping the image of the Saudi cultural? In view of above, these questions aim to find solutions to the recent problems of residential buildings in Saudi Arabia such as huge energy consumption, carbon dioxide, poor in building standards and regulations. These questions will be answered through a comprehensive literature review and also fieldwork study in Saudi Arabia, which will investigate these matters by undertaking questionnaires and in depth interviews. Aim of the research Due to the fact that climate change as well as a rapidly growing population demand that a more pronounced and clear focus is placed on renewable and green energy, it is of vital importance that governments such as Saudi Arabia and its people consider the benefits and virtues of Green Energy and Green Building as a way to diversify the economy and preserve the future for its citizens. Therefore, it is an urgent to increase public awareness, minimise energy consumption, use of long-life materials, avoidance of toxic materials, and a re-emphasis on the use of local/recycle able content. Goals and Objectives 1- Find laws and regulations that govern the path of development mechanism of building regulations and code green in Saudi Arabia. 2- Comprehensive collection of standards and systems for green buildings in Saudi Arabia. 3- Build a culture of urban style to the generation to take care of inventory of cultural. 4- Finding ways to reduce energy consumption by up to 30% 5- Promoting energy efficiency by minimizing energy performance for large existing residential buildings and new residential buildings. 6- Improving the management of the natural environment by increasing the use of natural resources and methods. 7- Produce an intelligent Residential Green Building plan suited to Saudi Arabia. Works that have been conducted At the beginning of the study, the research area and questions were indentified. Then the research background, overview of Saudi buildings was clarified. Following this, a visit was made to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from 04-06-2012 until 31-08-2012. The purpose of this visit was to collect data about energy consumption, and green buildings. Collecting data done by visiting different companies and government buildings dealing with energy and green buildings as well as performing a number of interviews with engineers and specialists was also performed. Finally a comprehensive literature review in energy, building regulations, building materials and green buildings was performed. Future work Future work is concentric around collecting further information about building materials as well as locating and understanding the laws & regulations for Green Buildings that exist in Saudi Arabia. After this is performed, another visit should be made to Saudi Arabia from the first of June 2013 until the end of July 2013 to develop different case studies of recent residential buildings and calculate the annual energy differentials of these buildings. Research strategy and Data Collection This section will describe the methods and the future research strategy which will be used by implementing a variety of complementary research methods which will be largely qualitative through interviews with specialists in Green Buildings, observations and examination of documentary evidence in order to form case studies. The data for this study will help to gauge the effectiveness of the policy through the lens of the research study. The data for this research is a collection through series of literature based approaches; thus the method adopted through this approach was unstructured and qualitative in its approach. Secondary Data collection and Data Validity Secondary the data is the main method of research which is used for this study, because of the large quantity of information which was available from different sectors involved in achieving green buildings in Saudi Arabia. Secondary research involves data which has been collected by others in a variety of studies which is then analyzed for the context of the aims and objectives identified of the being of the study. Secondary data has a number of advantages over primary data because of the time and expense factor. It is easier to ascertain data from source which have already been established, and it allows a basis for comparison of information. Data gathered in an unstructured manner through a series of literature based source, including textbooks, Journals, meeting with specialists and government publications. Then, a revision will be applied to ensure that the data is correct and useful. Simulation of energy consumption Concepts and methods are to predict whole building energy performance using an energy simulation model and on-site measurements. The purpose of these analyses is to support the research aims and to have clear design strategies for existing residential buildings. The field component of this package involves investigating, measuring, and recording the buildings geometric features and energy parameters to include: HVAC zoning, thermostat setbacks, ventilation and occupancy profiles, and lighting density and schedules. 1- An overview of literature review: It is unfortunate to note that electricity generation in Saudi Arabia is nearly completely dependent on the unsustainable practice of burning fossil fuels, which causes major and long-lasting environmental impacts. It has been argued by many scholars that setting a coherent set of these codes and standards is one of the most important and cost-effective ways to promote the widespread of sustainable practices, especially with regard to reducing household energy and water consumption. Following the energy crises of the 1970s, such building codes have been widely adopted in developed nations, and more recently in developing countries of Argentina, China and Taiwan. It appears, however, that the sustainable building regulations in some of the countries of the European Union are amongst the most stringent ones. With regard to the water issue, Saudi Arabia is considered to be one of the driest regions in the world. It has no permanent rivers or lakes and the country depends heavily on desalination plants to bring water supplies to the population. The government has been tackling the issue of increasing water demand, which is manifest in the domestic sector, by the development of 33 desalination plants, thereby making Saudi Arabia the world’s largest producer of desalinated water. In spite of the limited availability of natural water resources in Saudi Arabia its water tariffs – due to high subsidies provided by the government costs are set at approximately $0.03/m3 (compared with over $6/ m3 in many “wet” regions around the world). Such an artificially low prices for water, as well as for electricity, provides no incentive for water and energy conservation; hence the design of Saudi houses tends to lay stress on a luxurious style of living without paying attention to sustainability principles. For instance, when compared to the rest of the world, Saudi houses tend to be relatively large residences with air conditioning units running continuously. Therefore, there is a pressing need to have Green Buildings and improve the efficiency of energy use and water consumption in Saudi buildings through the application of sustainable architectural principles. Recent studies indicate that having abundant oil reserves, heavily subsided electricity and water prices creates a lack of awareness with regard to environmental concerns as well as a shortage of regulations and policies in terms of sustainable construction implementation. These factors are among the most significant barriers to a flourishing sustainable architecture movement in Saudi Arabia. http://ipac.kacst.edu.sa/eDoc/2010/183811_2.pdf 1. Building Regulations: The Recent Situation of Building Regulations: It is without question that buildings come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and functions. Likewise, these diverse types of buildings have been adapted throughout history for a wide number of reasons; sometimes the shape, function, historical meaning, or environmental/weather patterns form the biggest reasons why such diversity in building shapes/sizes is seen. Likewise, with such a diversity of building shapes, there is an equal diversity in building material that is used to affect these shapes. As such, buildings work to serve the needs of the society they are constructed in. Obviously the primary need of such structures is to provide a habit for humanity to reside in. However, the additional needs of workspace, places of worship, artistic expressions, and a host of other factors exist as well. Furthermore, the largest shift with respect to buildings in recent times has been the increasing level of regulations that are in place with respect to what can be built where and to what degree. These regulations have fundamentally re-defined the way in which major metropolitan areas around the world have structured their cities for the past 100 years. For example in the United Kingdom building control started to be an important issue especially after the ‘Great Fire’ of London in 1666 (Killip,2005). However, these standards were originally optional and not compulsory as they are now. Such mandatory building regulations did not come into existence until the middle of the 20th century. These building codes and regulations have been consistently revised to keep pace with the rapid change of society as well as the uniquely different types of building materials that are available to the builder/individual. As such, the 1985 Building Regulations act was the first act to include what is known as modern Building Controls. These modern building controls have been constantly revised (in keeping with the growing and changing nature of the technology associated with the construction business) approximately every ten years. Such perpetual change allows for standards to react the changing way in which items such as fire codes, building safety, and green building must necessarily shift the industry so that the codes and regulations must reflect these recent entrants into the market. Table 1 Approved Documents and Technical Standards for building regulations in References (2012). Saudi Arabia Country Profile. Available: http://www.younglobe.com/go-abroad/country-profiles/saudi-arabia/. Last accessed 3 Oct 2012. (2012). The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - A History. Available: http://www.info.gov.sa/portals/kingdom/KingdomHistory.html. Last accessed 3 Oct 2012. (2012). Saudi Arabia. Available: http://www.islamdaily.org/en/saudi-arabia/page=23/. Last accessed 3 Oct 2012. (2012). History of Saudi Arabia. Available: http://www.historyofnations.net/asia/saudiarabia.html. Last accessed 3 Oct 2012. (2012). Saudi Arabia: Economy. Available: https://globaledge.msu.edu/Countries/Saudi-Arabia/economy. Last accessed 3 Oct 2012. (2012). United States Relations with Saudi Arabia. Available: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3584.htm. Last accessed 3 Oct 2012. (2012). What Every Homeowner Should Know About. Available: http://www.moonachie.us/images/Green-Building-Homeowner-Manual.pdf. Last accessed 3 Oct 2012. Killip, G. (2005). Built Fabric and Building Regulations. Available: http://www.academia-research.com/filecache/message/w/h/4388306_why_building_regulations_in_uk.pdf. Last accessed 3 Oct 2012. Read More