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Chapter

Green Building Rating Systems as

Sustainability Assessment Tools:
Case Study Analysis
Mady Mohamed

Abstract

Building performance and occupants’ comfort lie at the core of building design
targets. Principles of green architecture and building physics are not given enough
thought and consideration. In the best cases, some thought is given to such factors
but without a scientific methodology, which takes into consideration appropriate
climatic data and appropriate assessment tools. Most importantly, the interference
of the environmentalist in architecture projects comes usually very late in the
design processes. Facing these facts has driven most countries to adopt official
strategies and policies to deal with building’s performance. The rating systems are
among these initiatives. The author of this chapter adapts a detailed methodology to
aid the integration of the principles of the green architecture in the early stages of
design using rating systems. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
(LEED) 1 that was developed in the USA by the U.S. Green Building Council
(USGBC) for Core and Shell has been employed as the main design target. This
chapter presents a brief about the world green initiatives and discusses the results of
applying the methodology of integrating the green architectural principles at the
early stages of design processes—through precedent analysis.

Keywords: rating system, LEED, sustainability targets, computer simulation,

post occupancy evaluation

1. Introduction

More than half of the world’s population lives in cities; in 2050 the people living
in urban areas are expected to increase up to 70% [1]. Cities are the major reasons of
pollution; it produces 60% of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions,
through using energy generations, industry, vehicles, and biomass use. Therefore,
now climate change is challenging cities to reduce their impacts and adjust to
changing condition [2]. Therefore, the increasing demand towards sustainability is
pushing toward rapid changes in policies, laws, and regulations around the world
regarding products and processes to encourage more sustainable projects [3]. Also,
sustainability solves the local issues of communities in innovative progress, for
implementing sustainability is different for every community, but they share com-
mon goals for a healthy environment, smart growth, and human well-being [4].
Consideration to sustainability principles in building industry is vital for natural
environment and human being. Adopting passive strategies and measures that

1
Sustainability Assessment at the 21st Century

respond to and achieve the responsive design lies directly under the responsibility
of architectural designers [5]. Green architecture principles and science are usually
not given enough thought and consideration. Factors such site characteristics, cli-
mate, and orientation, environmental design of the building, and choice of building
materials are being neglected in most cases. In the best cases, some thought is given
to such factors but without a scientific methodology that takes into consideration
using the appropriate climatic data and the appropriate assessment tools. Conse-
quently, buildings often have a poor indoor environment quality which in turn
affects human comfort, health, and efficiency [6, 7]. Most importantly, the inter-
ference of the environmentalist in architecture projects comes usually very late in
the design processes. Consequently, buildings often have a poor indoor environ-
ment quality which in turn affects human comfort, health, and efficiency. Most
importantly, the interference of the environmentalist in architecture projects comes
usually very late in the design processes. The integration of these green principles in
the field at the early stages of the design processes lies at the core of the current
research. However, to get the best benefits of these strategies and measures,
detailed target identification must be set. Adopting these concepts has driven most
countries to adopt official strategies and policies in order to insure appropriate
building designs.

2. Sustainability and green buildings initiatives

The application of sustainability is carried out by different stakeholders includ-

ing academic initiatives, government initiatives, other sector initiatives, in addition
to private sector initiatives. Moreover, these initiatives vary in its nature and way
of application; some of them are building standards and codes, framework and
programs, in addition to rating systems [8].
The standard is a set of guidelines and criteria to assure the quality of the
products. Standards related to building industry are created by organizations such
as the International Standards Organization (ISO), which defines and develops
worldwide standards that frequently become law or form the basis of industry
norms. ISO defines a standard as “a document, established by consensus, approved
by a recognized body that provides for common and repeated use as rules, guide-
lines, or characteristics for activities or their results.” There are other institutions
such as the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), the American Society for
Testing and Materials (ASTM), or the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration,
and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) [8].
Green codes could be classified into two types: prescriptive and performance,
with outcome-based as a third option. A prescriptive path is a fast, definitive, and
conventional approach to code compliance. It provides tables to quantify certain
levels of strictness for materials and equipment. Performance-based codes are
designed to achieve certain results, rather than meeting prescribed requirements for
individual building elements. Outcome-based codes establish a consumption target
for energy, water, etc. One example of the green codes is the International Green
Construction Code (IgCC) that provides a comprehensive set of requirements in
order to reduce the harmful effects of buildings on the natural environment [8].
Programs and frameworks are database that provide datasets relating to most
aspects of sustainability. Examples of such programs and frameworks are the RFCS,
CPI, CPDP, and UNEP-SBCI. The reference framework of sustainable cities (RFSC)
encourages sustainability and integrated urban development aligned with Europe
2020 guidelines and objectives [9]. The city prosperity initiative (CPI) measures

2
Green Building Rating Systems as Sustainability Assessment Tools: Case Study Analysis
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.87135

sustainability at the urban level to allow local and central governments to use data
[10]. The climate positive development program (CPDP) addresses the challenges
of rapid urbanization and climate change [11]. In addition, there is the United
Nations Environment Program-Sustainable Building and Climate Initiative (UNEP-
SBCI), which is a partnership of major public and private sector stakeholders in the
building sector, working to promote sustainable building policies and practices
worldwide [12]. The Passivhaus standard was developed in Germany in the early
1990s, and the first dwellings to be completed to the Passivhaus standard were
constructed in Darmstadt in 1991 [13].
Rating systems assess the environmental impacts of buildings, constructions,
infrastructure, urban-scale project, and community projects. The rating systems
designed to assist projects to be more sustainable by providing frameworks with a
set of criteria’s that cover several aspects of a project’s environmental impact [14].
Rating systems utilize the key performance indicators (KPI) to assure high quality
of sustainability applications [14]. KPI are employed for building designers and
decision-makers to measure the socioeconomic and environmental impacts on
environment, infrastructure, waste system, regulations, pollutions, citizen’s access
to services, and more [15]. The significance of the sustainable design increased in
the 1990s. The Building Research Establishment’s Environmental Assessment
Method (BREEAM) was the first green building rating system in the UK that
addressed the required KPIs for better environmental performance of buildings. In
2000, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) developed another rating system,
which is the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). Others also
responded to the growing interest and demand for sustainable design including
additional rating systems that most of them were influenced by these early pro-
grams but are tailored to their own context with specific priorities. Other trails for
rating systems intended to address broader issues of sustainability or evolving
concepts such as social aspects, net zero energy, and living and restorative building
concepts. It is estimated that there are nearly 600 green product certifications in the
world with nearly 100 in use in the USA, and the numbers continue to grow [16].
Many other rating systems became a great evidence of adapting the sustainability
principles in building industry [17, 18]. The rating system is based on four major
components [14].

Figure 1.
Common rating assessment systems around the world (by the author).

3
4

Sustainability Assessment at the 21st Century

Tool Year Country Targets Main categories for Certification Development Notes and aim
buildings levels basis

Building Research 1990 UK/International • Buildings Energy and water use Pass, Original It is the world’s leading
Establishment Environmental • Interiors Internal environment (health Good, sustainability assessment tool to
Assessment Method • Infrastructure and well-being) Very good, recognize and reflect the value in
(BREEAM) • Master planning Pollution, transport excellent higher-performing assets across
projects Materials, waste the built environment lifecycle,
ecology, and from new construction to in-use
Management processes and refurbishment [24]
(https://www.breeam.com/)

Leadership in Energy and 2000 USA/International • Buildings Sustainable Sites Certified, Original LEED is available for virtually all
Environmental Design (LEED) • Interiors Water Efficiency Silver, building, community, and home
• Neighborhood Energy and Atmosphere Gold, project types. LEED provides a
development Materials and Resources Platinum framework to create healthy,
• Cities and Indoor Environmental highly efficient, and cost-saving
Quality (IEQ) green buildings. LEED certification
communities
Innovation in Design is a globally recognized symbol of
Regional Priority sustainability achievement [25]
(https://new.usgbc.org/leed)

Indian Green Building Council 2001 India • Buildings Sustainable Architecture and Certified (Best LEED All the IGBC rating systems are
Rating Systems (IGBC Rating • Interiors Design, Site Selection, and Practices), voluntary, consensus-based,
Systems) • Residential Planning Silver market-driven building programs.
Societies Water Conservation Energy (Outstanding The rating systems are a perfect
• Cities and Efficiency Building Materials Performance), blend of ancient architectural
and Resources, Gold (National practices and modern
Communities
IEQInnovation and Excellence), technological innovations. The
• Villages
Development Platinum ratings systems are applicable to all
• Health and Well-
(Global five climatic zones of the country
being Rating
Leadership) [26]
(https://igbc.in/igbc/)

Comprehensive Assessment 2001 Japan • Buildings Energy efficiency _S Original CASBEE was developed by a
System for Built Environment • Interiors Resource efficiency _A research committee established in
Efficiency (CASBEE) • Heat Island Local environment _B+ 2001 through the collaboration of
• Urban Indoor environment _B academia, industry, and national
Development _C [14] and local governments, which
established the Japan Sustainable
• Cities
Building Consortium (JSBC) under
5

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.87135
Green Building Rating Systems as Sustainability Assessment Tools: Case Study Analysis
Tool Year Country Targets Main categories for Certification Development Notes and aim
buildings levels basis

• Health checklist the auspice of the Ministry of

Land, Infrastructure, Transport
and Tourism (MLIT) [27] [28]
(http://www.ibec.or.jp/CASBEE/e
nglish/)

Green Globe 2002 International • Accommodation Energy Certified, BREEAM Green Globe provides certification,
International Standard for and hospitality Indoor Environment Gold, training and education, and
Sustainability • Transport and Site Platinum marketing services in 83 countries
tour operators Water worldwide for the sustainable
• Conference Resources operations and management of
Emissions travel and tourism companies and
venues
Project/Environmental their related supplier businesses
• Meeting
Management [29]
planners
(https://greenglobe.com/)
• Management
and public
relations
The Green Star rating system 2002 Australia • Communities Management processes Best Practice, BREEAM, LEED® The Green Star rating system
(Green Star) • Buildings IEQ Australian assesses the sustainable design,
• Interiors Energy, Transport Excellence, construction and operation of
• Operational Water, Materials World buildings, fit-outs, and
Performance Land Use Ecology Leadership communities [30]
Emission, Innovation (https://new.gbca.org.au/green-sta
r/rating-system/)

Performance Excellence in 2003 US/International • Power system Reliability and resiliency Certified, LEED PEER is the nation’s first rating
Electricity Renewal (PEER) performance Operations, Management and Silver, system that measures and
• Electricity safety Gold, improves power system
delivery systems Energy efficiency and Platinum performance and electricity
environment, Grid services delivery systems. Developed in a
Innovation and Exemplary collaboration between the GBCI
Performance, (Green Business Certification Inc.)
Regional Priority and Bob Galvin, formerly of
Motorola [31]
(http://www.gbci.org/press-kit-
peer)
6

Sustainability Assessment at the 21st Century

Tool Year Country Targets Main categories for Certification Development Notes and aim
buildings levels basis

BCA Green Mark 2005 Singapore • Buildings Energy efficiency Certified, Undisclosed The BCA Green Mark Scheme aims
• Interiors Water efficiency Gold, to drive Singapore’s construction
• Districts Environmental protection Gold Plus, industry toward more
• Infrastructure IEQ, and Platinum environment-friendly buildings. It
Other green and innovative is intended to promote
features that contribute to sustainability in the built
better building performance environment and raise
environmental awareness among
developers, designers, and builders
when they start project
conceptualization and design, as
well as during construction [32]
(https://www.bca.gov.sg/green_
mark/)

STAR 2007 USA • Cities and Built Environment, CERTIFIED: LEED Assess sustainability and measure
Community Rating System Communities Climate and Energy, 3-STAR progress to enhance the quality of
Economy and Jobs, Community life and human well-being [33]
Education, Arts, and 4-STAR (http://www.starcommunities.org/
Community, Community )
Equity and Empowerment, 5-STAR
Health and Safety, Community
Natural Systems
Innovation and Process

Global Sustainability 2007 Qatar • Buildings Energy Urban LEED, BREEAM, Create a sustainable environment
Assessment System (GSAS) • Districts Water Connectivity, Green Globe, that reduces the ecological impact
• Infrastructures Indoor Environment Site, CEPAS, CASBEE, and classify the social and cultural
Cultural and Economic Value Energy, Water, and SBTool [34] needs and the environment of the
Site Material, IEQ, region [35]
Urban Connectivity Cultural and (https://www.gord.qa/gsas-trust)
Material Economic Value,
Management and Operation Management
and Operations
7

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.87135
Green Building Rating Systems as Sustainability Assessment Tools: Case Study Analysis
Tool Year Country Targets Main categories for Certification Development Notes and aim
buildings levels basis

Green Star Tools 2007 South Africa • Buildings Management 4 stars, Best Australian Green An internationally recognized and
• Interior fit-outs IEQ, Energy Practice; Star which is trusted mark of quality for the
• Precincts Transport 5 stars, South based on BREEAM design, construction, and
Water, Materials African and LEED operation of buildings, interior fit-
Land Use and Ecology Excellence; 6 outs. and precincts [36]
Emissions stars, World (https://gbcsa.org.za/certify/gree
Innovation Leadership n-star-sa/)

DGNB 2007 Germany • Buildings Environmental Quality, Bronze, Original The DGNB System provides an
Global Benchmark for • Interiors Economical Quality, Silver, objective description and
Sustainability • Urban districts Sociocultural and Functional Gold, and assessment of the sustainability of
Quality, Platinum buildings and urban districts.
Technical Quality, Quality is assessed
Process Quality, comprehensively over the entire
Site Quality life cycle of the building [37]
(https://www.dgnb-system.de/en/
system/certification_system/index.
php)

Sustainable Buildings Tool 2009 Lithuania • Buildings Site Regeneration and Best Practice, Original SBTool is a generic framework for
(SBTooL) Development, Good Practice, rating the sustainable performance
Energy and Resource Minimum of buildings and projects. It may
Consumption, Practice, also be thought of as a toolkit that
Environmental Loadings, Negative [38] assists local organizations to
IEQ, Service Quality, develop local SBTool rating
Social, Cultural and systems [39]
Perceptual Aspects, (http://www.iisbe.org/sbmethod)
Cost and Economic Aspects

Green Pyramid Rating System 2009 Egypt • Buildings Sustainable Sites Certified, LEED Establishment of the Egyptian
(GPRS) Water Efficiency Silver Pyramid, Green Building Council: It is to
Energy and Atmosphere Golden provide a mechanism to encourage
Materials and Resources Pyramid, building investors to adopt BEECs
Indoor Environmental as well as other sections of existing
8

Sustainability Assessment at the 21st Century

Tool Year Country Targets Main categories for Certification Development Notes and aim
buildings levels basis

Quality Innovation in Design Green Pyramid, codes that satisfy both energy
Regional Priority [40] efficiency and environmental
conservation by focusing on new
construction [41]
(http://egypt-gbc.org/ratings.h
tml)

Green Star NZ 2009 New Zealand • Buildings Management processes Good Practice, BREEAM Green Star is a tool to support
• Interiors IEQ, Energy Best Practice, stakeholders in the property and
• Communities Transport NZ Practice, construction sectors to design,
Water, Materials World construct, and operate projects in a
Land Use Ecology Excellence more sustainable, efficient, and
Emission productive way [42]
Innovation (https://www.nzgbc.org.nz/Gree
nStar)

Building Environmental 2009 Hong Kong • Buildings Site aspects Bronze, Silver, BREEAM BEAM Plus assessment is to offer
Assessment Method (HK • Interiors Material aspects Gold, Platinum independent assessments of
BEAM Plus) • Neighborhood Water use building sustainability
Energy use performance. BEAM Plus
Indoor environmental quality certification is a proven path for
Innovations and additions creating safer, healthier, more
comfortable, more functional, and
more energy-efficient buildings
[43]
(http://greenbuilding.hkgbc.org.h
k/)

GREENSL® Rating System for 2010 Sri Lanka • Buildings Management Awareness Certified, Silver, Undisclosed A Green Environmental Rating
Built Environment (GreenSL) Sustainable Sites Gold, System applicable to Sri Lanka has
Energy and Atmosphere Platinum been formulated as a “home-grown
Materials and Resources system” with all norms acceptable
Indoor Environmental to leading rating systems [44]
Quality, Process (http://srilankagbc.org/rating.
Innovation, and Design php#)
Social and Cultural
9

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.87135
Green Building Rating Systems as Sustainability Assessment Tools: Case Study Analysis
Tool Year Country Targets Main categories for Certification Development Notes and aim
buildings levels basis

Green Building Index (GBI) 2010 Malaysia • Buildings Sustainable Site Planning and Certified, Silver, LEED GBI is to promote sustainability in
including Management Gold, the built environment and raise
Historical Water Efficiency Platinum awareness among developers,
Buildings Energy and Atmosphere architects, engineers, planners,
• Interiors Materials and Resources designers, contractors, and the
IEQ public about environmental issues
• Township
Innovation in Design and our responsibility to the future
generations [45]
(http://new.greenbuildingindex.
org/)

Green Rating for Integrated 2010 India • Buildings On-site Sufficiency; 1 Star, Undisclosed The GRIHA rating system consists
Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) • Large Water, Energy, 2 Stars, of 31 criteria categorized under
Development Solid Waste Management 3 Stars, various sections such as Site
• Cities Development Quality; 4 Stars, Planning, Construction
Site Planning, Energy, 5 Stars Management, Occupant Comfort
Water, and wastewater and Well-being, Sustainable
management, Transport, Building Materials, Performance
Solid Waste Management, Monitoring and Validation, and
Socioeconomic Innovation [46]
(http://www.grihaindia.org/griha-
rating)

Pearl Building Rating System 2010 Abu Dhabi • Buildings Integrated Development 1 Pearl, 2 Pearls, Undisclosed The aim of the Pearl Building
(PBRS) Process 3 Pearls, 4 Rating System is to promote the
Natural Systems Pearls, development of sustainable
Livable Communities 5 Pearls buildings and improve quality of
Precious Water life. The PBRS encourages water,
Resourceful Energy energy and waste minimization,
Stewarding Materials and local material use and aims to
Innovating Practice improve supply chains for
sustainable and recycled materials
and products [47]
(http://www3.cec.org/islandora-
gb/en/islandora/object/greenbuild
ing%3A101)
10

Sustainability Assessment at the 21st Century

Tool Year Country Targets Main categories for Certification Development Notes and aim
buildings levels basis

Miljöbyggnad (MB) 2010 Sweden • Buildings Energy, Gold, LEED and The MB system is based on the
“Environmental Building— Materials, Silver, BREEAM Swedish Building Regulations
system for sustainable IEQ Bronze (BBR), which govern the entire
building certification” country. It is relatively simple and
includes only 15 items measured
for certification [48]
(http://insight.gbig.org/green-b
uilding-in-sweden-sgbc-miljobygg
nad/
https://www.sgbc.se/certifiering/
miljobyggnad/)

STO NOSTROY 2.35.4–2011 2011/ Russia • Buildings Quality of architecture, Undisclosed LEED, BREEAM, Buildings and civil construction.
“Rating system for evaluation 2012 • Real estate IEQ, Quality of sanitary DGNB, and HQE Rating system for evaluation
sustainability of residential protection and waste sustainability of residential and
and public buildings” management, public buildings and real estate. It
GOST R 54964–2012 Operation, Training defines the principles, categories,
“Environmental requirements water management, evaluation criteria, sustainability
for real estate” Energy efficiency, indicators of habitat, as well as
Economic efficiency weighting for ratings for buildings
[21]
(http://zvt.abok.ru/articles/47/
Green_Building_Market_Situa
tion_in_Russia)

Excellence in Design for 2012 • World Bank • Buildings Energy Pass/Fail [49] Original The EDGE application helps to
Greater Efficiencies (EDGE) Group Water determine the most cost-effective
• “Internationally” Materials options for designing green within
a local climate context. EDGE can
be used for buildings of all
vintages, including new
construction, existing buildings,
and major retrofits [50]
(https://www.edgebuildings.com/
marketing/edge)
11

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.87135
Green Building Rating Systems as Sustainability Assessment Tools: Case Study Analysis
Tool Year Country Targets Main categories for Certification Development Notes and aim
buildings levels basis

ARZ BRS 2012 • Lebanon • Buildings Energy Performance Gold Edge The ARZ Building Rating System is
Green Building Rating System Thermal Energy Silver designed to measure the extent to
Electrical Energy Bronze which existing commercial
Building Envelope Certified buildings in Lebanon are healthy,
Materials, IEQ Registered comfortable places for working,
Water Conservation projects and consuming the right amount of
Operations and Management energy and water, while having a
low impact upon the natural
environment [51]
(http://arzrating.com/)

Miljöbyggnad MB 2010 Sweden • Buildings Energy, Gold, Silver, or LEED and The MB system are based on the
—“Environmental Building - Materials, and Bronze BREEAM Swedish Building Regulations
system for sustainable IEQ (BBR), which govern the entire
building certification country. It is relatively simple,
includes only 15 items measured
for certification [48]
(http://insight.gbig.org/green-b
uilding-in-sweden-sgbc-miljobygg
nad/
https://www.sgbc.se/certifiering/
miljobyggnad/)

High Quality Environmental 2013 France/International • Buildings Energy, Pass, Original HQE™ is the French certification
(HQE) • Urban Projects Environment, Good, awarded to building construction
standard Health, Very good, and management as well as urban
Comfort [23] Excellent, planning projects. HQE™
Exceptional promotes best practices and
sustainable quality in building
projects and offers expert guidance
throughout the lifetime of the
project [52]
(https://www.behqe.com/)
12

Sustainability Assessment at the 21st Century

Tool Year Country Targets Main categories for Certification Development Notes and aim
buildings levels basis

The WELL Building 2015 USA • Health and Air, Silver, Original It is a performance-based system
Standard® (Well) Wellness of Water, Gold, for measuring, certifying, and
Buildings’ Nourishment, Platinum monitoring features of the built
occupants Light, environment that impact human
Fitness, health and well-being, through air,
Comfort, water, nourishment, light, fitness,
mind comfort, and mind [53]
(https://www.usgbc.org/article
s/what-well)

Civil Engineering 2015 UK/International • Civil engineering Project/Contract Strategy, Pass, Original CEEQUAL is the evidence-based
Environmental Quality • Infrastructure Project or Contract Good, sustainability assessment, rating,
(CEEQUAL) • Landscaping Management, Very Good, and awards scheme that challenges
Assessment and Award • Public realm People and Communities, Excellent projects to deliver better outcomes
Scheme projects Land use and Landscape, in infrastructure sustainability,
The Historic Environment, developed by the Building
Ecology and Biodiversity, Research Establishment BRE, UK
Water Environment (fresh & [55]
marine), (http://www.ceequal.com/)
Physical Resources Use and
Management,
Transport [54]

Table 1.
Summary of the common rating assessment systems around the world (by the author after [8, 13, 19–23]).
Green Building Rating Systems as Sustainability Assessment Tools: Case Study Analysis
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.87135

• Categories: These form a specific set of items relating to the environmental

performance considered during the assessment.

• Scoring system: This is a performance measurement system that cumulates the

number of possible points or credits that can be earned by achieving a given
level of performance in several analyzed aspects.

• Weighting system: This represents the relevance assigned to each specific

category within the overall scoring system.

• Output: This aims at showing, in a direct and comprehensive manner, the

results of the environmental performance obtained during the scoring phase.

Figure 1 and Table 1 present the most common green rating systems all over the
world chronologically. Table 1 summarizes the most important features of those
rating systems, in terms of year of establishment, coverage, main categories for
building rating, level of certifications, its development base, and main aim with the
main link of the source.

3. Case study analysis

In previous researches [56–58], the author of this chapter had set a detailed
methodology to aid the integration of the principles of the sustainability in the early
stages of design (Figure 2). The outputs of these researches have been employed in
several real-life building projects on the regional level. The current research

Figure 2.
Proposed detailed methodology to integrate the environmental assessment in the architectural design
process [56].

13
Sustainability Assessment at the 21st Century

presents one project as a case study analysis. The adopted methodology employs the
environmental assessor “Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design” to mea-
sure the compatibility of the design with principles of sustainability. Also environ-
mental software (Autodesk Ecotect, HTB2, and Weather Tool in addition to
environmental tools such as psychometric chart, Mahoney tables, and Stereograph
diagram and Solar Tool) have been used in order to analyze the context and quan-
tify the effectiveness of proposed passive strategies and measures. By such, design
proposals in the early stages of design (i.e., design concept, orientation of buildings,
using passive strategies and techniques, facade designs and projections, colors of the
buildings, opening size and design, etc.) could be quantified. LEED has 110 credits
which cover all the different disciplines in building design and construction. How-
ever, the current application focuses on the related credits to the early stages of
design which lie directly under the architect responsibility and can affect the total
performance of the building.

4. Target identification

The adopted methodology employs the Leadership in Energy and Environment

Design (LEED) 1 that was developed in USA by the U.S. Green Building Council for
new construction as one of the most known environmental assessors in the market
nowadays. The LEED tool aims to provide building stakeholders with a “report
card” that indicates the health, efficiency, and comfort of the buildings. LEED
recognizes the unique nature of the design and construction of ASHRAE Advanced
Energy Design Guide [59] and addresses the specific needs of building spaces and
occupant’s health issues [60]. LEED is flexible to apply to all project types including
healthcare facilities, schools, homes, and even the entire neighborhoods. LEED for
Core and Shell can be used for projects where the developer controls the design and
construction of the entire Core and Shell base building (e.g., mechanical, electrical,
plumbing, and fire protection systems) but has no control over the design and
construction of the tenant fit-out. Projects could include a commercial or medical
office building, retail center, warehouse, or lab facility. It is designed to be
complementary to LEED for commercial interiors and LEED for Retail: Commercial
Interiors.
The allocation of points between credits is based on the potential environmental
impacts and human benefits of each credit with respect to a set of impact categories.
The impacts are defined as the environmental or human effect of the design,
construction, operation, and maintenance of the building, such as greenhouse gas
emissions, fossil fuel use, toxins and carcinogens, air and water pollutants, and
indoor environmental conditions. A combination of approaches, including energy
modeling, life cycle assessment, and transportation analysis, is used to quantify
each type of impact. The resulting allocation of points among credits is called credit
weighting [61]. These credit weightings are shown in Figure 3. LEED V4 are
awarded according to the following scale in Table 2.
This work aimed at achieving the LEED Rating system (Core and Shell). Most of
the LEED issues could be quantified by analyzing the design input data, while other
issues such as Indoor Environmental Quality needs a quantification tool to be
assessed. This methodology employs thermal comfort and energy efficiency as
environmental design targets. The effectiveness of the proposed measures is deter-
mined according to its ability to passively achieve thermal comfort by using mini-
mum amount of energy possible. This helps the designer to recognize successful
LEED strategies and measurements for achieving credit category goals.
This work had set the guidelines for the architectural and engineering design of
the GREENEDGE building based on analyzing the macroclimate for Cairo city and
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Green Building Rating Systems as Sustainability Assessment Tools: Case Study Analysis
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Figure 3.
The credits weighting of the environmental categories of the LEED, [7].

LEED ratings LEED v3

Certified 40–49 points

Silver 50–59 points

Gold 60–79 points

Platinum 80+ points

Table 2.
Certification scale of LEED [18].

the microclimate data for the GREENEDGE site. This is done through using a
specific scientific computer-based methodology developed by the author of the
chapter through his research [6, 7, 56–58, 62–67] that mainly depends on a number
of environmental design computer-based tools and especially the comprehensive
environmental analysis and simulation tools. These tools are:

• The analysis sustainable building design software (Autodesk Ecotect)

• Climatic analysis software (Weather Tool)

• Solar analysis software (Solar Tool)

• Mahoney tables

• Shadowing analysis (Stereograph diagram)

• Synthesizing hourly climatic data (Meteonorm)

The use of computer software allow the visualization of the unseen environ-
mental attributes in a three-dimensional interface, allowing by such comprehensive
understanding of the issues involved in the assessment process.
15
Sustainability Assessment at the 21st Century

5. Project understanding and location

The New Cairo Business Hub (GREENEDGE) is located at plot 84, First sector,
New Cairo City Center, that is directly overlooking the southern 90 road right
beside BNP Paribas Headquarters (Figure 4). The building is designed to be a class
(A) office building with total plot area of 33,000 m2 of office spaces for banks and
multinational companies at one of the most developed business districts in Egypt
with all required amenities and facilities at place and surrounded by Egypt’s biggest
banks, headquarters, as well as notable multinationals.

5.1 Basic project information

Project name: THE GREENEDGE.

Land area: 7123 Sqm.
Footprint %: 25%.
No. of floors: Three basements + G + six typical floors.
Owner: Katamia for office Buildings—KOP.
Project developer: Redcon Real Estate Development.
Green Architecture and LEED Consultant: The author of the current chapter.

Figure 4.
New Cairo location and the location of GREENEDGE building, after Google maps [68] and new Cairo City
Council [69].

6. Macroclimate analysis

Cairo’s climate is a desert climate, which remains mostly dry and arid year-
round. The hot weather in Cairo means that the humidity can rise at times, partic-
ularly during winter (December to February). At this time precipitation is more
likely, and temperatures drop to 13–19°C. Cairo weather in the summertime (May
to August) sees temperatures of 45–47°C. The Cairo International Airport weather
Station was chosen to most represent the location of new Cairo. The hourly climatic
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Green Building Rating Systems as Sustainability Assessment Tools: Case Study Analysis
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data file generated by the USDOE was used in this report. On analyzing the hourly
climatic data using Weather Tool, Cairo climate is classified as an arid climate
where precipitation rarely occurs. Cairo has a hot desert climate (Köppen climate
classification: BWh). The climate is generally dry. The temperatures are hot or very
hot in summer days and warm or mild in winter days, but warm in summer nights
and cool in winter nights. The temperature varies greatly, especially in summer; it
ranges from 7°C at night to 40°C during the day. While the winter temperature does
not fluctuate as wildly, it can be as low as 0°C at night and as high as 18°C during
the day. Cairo receives less than 25 mm of precipitation annually in most areas and
almost never rains in summer. Air temperatures are being outside the comfort zone
most of the year. Only during 4 months (March, April, September, and October), a
good percentage of the total hours is found to be located in the comfort zone. The
prevailing wind is coming from the north to northwest most of the year with
average air temperature, while hot wind comes from the west-south direction
during specific times of the year. Prevailing wind are coming from the north to
northwest most of the year with average air temperature, while hot wind comes
from the west-south direction during specific times of the year. Rainfall is rare in
Cairo and does not exceed 25 mm/the whole year.
Passive solar heating, thermal mass effect, night purge ventilation, natural venti-
lation, direct evaporative cooling, and indirect evaporative cooling to enhance the
environmental performance of the GREENEDGE in Cairo were tested using Weather
Tool. The analysis revealed that while thermal mass and night purge ventilation can
enhance the thermal performance during the whole year, almost only natural venti-
lation can enhance significantly the environmental performance of the building
during the summer season. While indirect evaporative cooling can enhance the
thermal performance slightly during the summer time, passive solar heating can also
contribute to the thermal enhancement during winter time. Using Mahoney table, it
revealed that it is essential to deal with such climate to use the following strategies:

• Compact plans with interior courtyards

• Dual-targeting buildings that allow air circulation intermittent

• Small, 15 to 25% of the surface of the walls

• Openings in the north and south walls

• Construction heavy for strong thermal inertia for walls and roofs; jet lag more
than 8 hours

7. Results and discussion

7.1 Existing design analysis

In this section, the original design of GREENEDGE building (Figure 5) will be

explained, highlighting the problems, constrains, and potentials.
The GREENEDGE building in its base case was exposed to high incident solar
radiation especially on its west and south facades that receive solar radiation every
single day of the year with no any internal open spaces such as courtyards. This
would affect negatively the building performance. Shaded open spaces are very
preferable in the hot dry zones. They can reduce the daytime air and radiant
temperatures inside the occupied space. The courtyard helps in maintaining cooled
indoor temperatures. It provides a private internal open space that is visually and
17
Sustainability Assessment at the 21st Century

Figure 5.
The simulated GREENEDGE building as it is, done by the author after Autodesk Ecotect.

acoustically separated from the outside environment. The base case material for all
the windows was single glazed that is not appropriate for such climate particularly
for the west-south facades and high intensity of solar radiation.

7.2 Sustainable design enhancements

To deal with the current situation, several traditional and contemporary ideas
have been adopted. The recommended ideas and solution could be classified under
the recommended passive strategies that were raised from the climatic analysis
using Weather Tool and Mahoney tables. This could be listed below.

7.2.1 Vegetation around the building

Maximizing the amount of vegetation inside and outside buildings affects posi-
tively the thermal performance of buildings. This could result in shading of the
external surfaces of the building, shading the opened spaces, reducing and filtering
the dust in the air, and elevating the humidity level [70]. However, vegetation in
such climatic conditions could be expensive because of the limitation in the water
supply for irrigation and by turn could be against the green architecture principles
(Figure 6). Specific types of trees and irrigation technology should be selected to
best suit the climatic context.

Figure 6.
Vegetation around the building (done by the author after Autodesk Ecotect).

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Grass area has been avoided since it needs potable water for sprinkler irrigation
system. According to the WHO guidelines for the use of treated wastewater for
irrigation, gray water could not be used for adjacent area for man activity [71, 72],
also because gray water can affect negatively the sprinkler heads. Moreover, high-
efficiency drip irrigation systems can be 95% efficient, compared with 60–70% for
sprinkler or spray irrigation systems [73]. Also, the use of native or adapted vege-
tation on the project site can assist project teams with earning more credits regard-
ing sustainable sits.

7.2.2 Compact plans with interior courtyards that allow air circulation

A recommended northern courtyard with link between the courtyard and the
backyard at the south orientation has been modified to the design. This can affect
positively the thermal performance of the building. This link could be positioned at
the first floors “called Takhtabush in vernacular architecture.” This could be
achieved by replacing the curtain glazing in this area to contemporary electronic
Mashrabia (Figure 7).
This ensures a steady flow of air by convection [74]. Since the backyard is larger
at the south orientation, and thus less shaded than the courtyard, air heats up more
than in the courtyard. The heated air rising in the backyard draws cool air from the
courtyard through the Takhtabush, creating a steady cool breeze.

7.2.3 Openings in the north and south walls, the exposed side of the human height of the
wind, and interior wall openings

Window height and details have been modified to be in two parts with different
heights. Those of the north direction must be the same in height with the human
being. Opposite ones must be in a higher position to enable the required cross-
ventilation. This will give the occupants the controllability of opening the upper or
the lower parts according to the weather condition.

7.2.4 Heavy construction for strong thermal inertia for walls and roofs: Time lag more
than 8 hours

In the hot dry climate, high heat resistance and high heat capacity of the enve-
lope elements are necessary. High resistance minimizes the conductive heat flow
into the building mass during the daytime. Actually, this would reduce the rate of
cooling the building mass during nighttime, but it could be overcome by employing

Figure 7.
Required opening between the courtyard and the backyard (done by the author after Autodesk Ecotect).

19
Sustainability Assessment at the 21st Century

night purge ventilation strategy and new techniques of sunscreen which allow air
movement [70, 75]. High thermal mass has been achieved traditionally by thick
walls that are made of heavy materials such as stone, brick, adobe, and mud. To
achieve this with the glazing wall, it has been modified to be double-tinted glazing.
A U-value of 1.0 W/m2 K has been used for the external facades. A canopy was
added to the southern facade in the form of glazed sunscreen. Shading devices have
been designed for the west facade to avoid the very hot solar rays of the afternoon.
Firstly, a plan of blocking the solar rays of the summer season from 1:00 pm to
5:00 pm was achieved by 2.4 m depth shading device, which would not be accepted
by the architectural consultant and the city council regulations. Therefore, the time
range has been minimized to be between 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm and combined
between the vertical and horizontal shading devices to minimize the depth of the
devices to be 1.0 m (Figure 8). The same shading devices have been applied to the
east facade for esthetic reasons.

7.2.5 Shaded roof

It also recommended to shade part of the roof, particularly the service area,
with a pergola that can used for the photovoltaic cells to generate green power
(Figure 9).

Figure 8.
Proposed vertical/horizontal shading devices on the west/east facades (done by the author after Autodesk
Ecotect).

Figure 9.
Shading part of the roof (done by the author after Autodesk Ecotect).

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Green Building Rating Systems as Sustainability Assessment Tools: Case Study Analysis
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.87135

7.2.6 Daylight and lighting views

To provide the building occupants with a connection to the outdoors, through

the introduction of daylight and views into the regularly occupied areas of the
building (Figure 10), it has been recommended to achieve a direct line of sight to
the outdoor environment via vision glazing between 30 inches (75 cm) and 90
inches (225 cm) (Figure 11) above the finish floor for building occupants in 90% of
all regularly occupied areas [73]. The floor area of the typical floor plan has been
simulated using Autodesk Ecotect, and the daylight has been calculated on a height
of 30 in (75 cm) above the floor. An interval of 5 foot (150 cm) has been employed
in the analysis grid in the two directions X and Y. The first results did not satisfy the
credit condition with the windows at sill height of 90 cm. Therefore, the height of
the sill height was changed to be 30 in (75 cm).
By calculating the nodes of more than 25 fc (269.1 lux), the calculation showed
that 472 out of 568 nodes are more than 25 fc and less than 500 fc. The percentage of
area under the acceptable condition of the credit = 472/568 = 83.09% which is more
than the required level by LEED (83.09% > 75%) (Figure 12).

7.3 Simulation results analysis

Using Autodesk Ecotect, the base case and the modified case have been modeled
and simulated. The thermal performance of the third floor has been utilized for the

Figure 10.
Regularly occupied spaces to gross floor area (third floor) (done by the author).

Figure 11.
Direct lines of sight to the exterior (done by the author).

21
Sustainability Assessment at the 21st Century

comparison purpose. The same specifications of the zone in terms of air velocity,
number of occupants, latent heat, operation hours, occupant activity and cloth, etc.
were given for the two case scenarios. The passive heat gain breakdown of the
building has been calculated for both the base case of the GREENEDGE building

Figure 12.
Daylight levels at the third floor of the building on the 21st of September for all the occupied spaces (after
Autodesk Ecotect).

Figure 13.
Passive heat gain breakdown of the base case (done by the author using Autodesk Ecotect).

Figure 14.
Passive heat gain breakdown of the proposed case (done by the author using Autodesk Ecotect).

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Green Building Rating Systems as Sustainability Assessment Tools: Case Study Analysis
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and the after modifications. Figures 13 and 14 and show that the passive heat gain
breakdown for the proposed case after modification was almost half the passive
heat gain breakdown of the base case.

8. Conclusion

Although the GREENEDGE building is a mechanical-ventilated building (active

ventilation), passive strategies and measures were followed to minimize the
required energy for cooling and heating loads during the different seasons. The total
hours of the years during energy consumption has been reduced by 12% after
energy modeling analysis. The design recommendations could be summarized as
follows:

1. Maximizing the amount of vegetation inside and outside buildings and using
drip irrigation system to minimize the water consumption.

2. Having a northern courtyard with link between the courtyard and the external
environment (the Takhtabush).

3. Shading part of the roof, particularly the service area, with a pergola that can
be used for the photovoltaic cells to generate green power with the solar
reflective index (SRI) not more than 29.

4. Placing vertical and horizontal shading devices on the west/east facades to

block the solar radiation during the noontime of the day.

5. Windows has been modified to include two parts (lower and upper parts) that
can give the occupants the controllability of opening the upper or the lower
parts according to the weather condition. Those of the north direction must be
the same in height with the human being. Opposite ones must be in a higher
position to enable the required cross-ventilation.

6. Heavy construction for strong thermal inertia for walls and roofs: time lag
more than 8 hours. To achieve this with the glazing wall, a doubled glazing
with a U-value of 1.0 W/m2 K has been used at the south and west facades.

7. A canopy has been added to the south facade in the form of Mashrabia,
shading devices, or glazed screen.

The GREENEDGE building imitating the LEED goal for a golden certificate is
packed with good design potentials which can lead for such project to be one of the
first office buildings in Egypt to be certified with a Golden certification using the
newly announced LEED for Core and Shell. It is worth mentioning here that the
building has been achieved a Preliminary Platinum Certificate.

Acknowledgments

The author wishes to thank GREENEDGE owner, management bodies, and the
design teams for their cooperation and efforts.

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Sustainability Assessment at the 21st Century

Author details

Mady Mohamed1,2

1 Effat University, Jeddah, KSA

2 Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt

*Address all correspondence to: [email protected]

© 2019 The Author(s). Licensee IntechOpen. This chapter is distributed under the terms
of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/
by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium,
provided the original work is properly cited.

24
Green Building Rating Systems as Sustainability Assessment Tools: Case Study Analysis
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.87135

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