Assessment of Implementation of Green Buildings Strategies: Syria Case Study

Abstract

The world began to recognize the close link between economic development and the environment, it has alerted specialists that traditional forms of economic development are limited to over-exploitation of natural resources, thus the emerged concept of sustainable development which is defined as "meeting the needs of current generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."

In industrial countries, new concepts and methods such as "sustainable design" and "green architecture or green building" and "sustainable buildings" started to develop.  These concepts reflect the growing interest among the urban sectors of development issues economic under the protection of the environment and optimum utilization of natural resources and greater reliance on renewable energy sources. This study will focus on two main points:

1- The concept of Green Buildings as part of sustainable development and its popularity in developed countries.

2- The importance of Green Buildings principles and the current practice of applying those principles in the construction industry in Syria.

The study starts with looking at the main global assessment systems for Green Buildings, which have recently spread widely and then identify the evaluation systems adopted in the Middle East. The main criteria used in those systems have been identified and used to develop a formal questionnaire to determine the importance of these criteria and the current degree of actual implementation in the Syrian construction industry.

Keywords: Sustainability, Green Buildings, Rating Systems, Syria.