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REPORT ON THE GREEN AND ECO-GRIENDLY KING ABDULLAH UNIVERSITY

FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY BUILDING.

King Abdullah University for Science and Technology (KAUST) is situated at Thuwal,

Saudi Arabia is one of the world’s largest university. However, it is located in an area with harsh

climatic conditions characterized by very high temperatures and short winters. KAUST became

the first building in Saudi Arabia to gain Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design

(LEED) certification.

This report is the summary of the findings of a research conducted on how and why the

KAUST building is a successful model of a green leaf and ecofriendly building which sets an

example to architectures and constructors in the gulf region and the world at large.

Purpose

The purpose of this report is determine the ecofriendly practices and structures in place at

KAUST and how they have helped in the conservation of the environment. This research was

initiated by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) who later awarded the project

the LEED platinum level which is the highest environmental conservation award a building or

housing project can receive. This research focused on various factors before a conclusion to

award KAUST the LEED award. The research began from the construction of the building
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evaluating the type of materials used in the construction. It also focused on how the building uses

water and the available water conservation strategies in place. Source of energy and energy

efficiency was also a factor in consideration.

Methods

The collection of data and information on the KAUST building involved the obtaining of

the buildings records. The architectural plan was obtained including the total estimate cost of

materials using standard materials and the estimates when using recycled, renewable and

sustainable materials for construction.

However, with just the building’s plan, it was not adequate to come into conclusion on

the eco-friendliness of the building to the environment. After construction of the KAUST

building was completed, data on the planned energy and water conservation strategies was

collected from a practical perspective.

Data analysis

After collecting the data, comparisons were made against projects that did not employ

green architectural practices. In evaluating the impact of the construction of KAUST on the

environment during construction, the type of materials used was put against the standard

materials that are normally used.

On energy consumption and efficiency, data on the amount of energy from the energy

from the buildings solar panels was put against the total amount of energy that would be required

to run the building. Data on water consumption with conservation strategies was also analyzed

against the estimated amount of water that would be consumed without conservation.
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The graph below shows the comparison between water usages under conservation

strategies against usage without conservation. (KAUST Industry Collaboration Program).

The baseline bar represents water usage not under conservation and the saving bar

represents the sparingly usage of water.

Conclusions

From the data collected and analyzed after the research, it is evident there is great need to

implement green building strategies when building new building or when renovating the existing

one. As shown in the graph above (under data analysis), application of resources and

environmental conservation measure in our day to day life can facilitate the adequate sharing of

the available resources among people.

From the graph on water usage, it is clear that conservative use of water can save about

50% of the water used. If this measures can be implemented across the country, more people can

at least enjoy the water services too.

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The table below shows a comparison on energy usage of an average household in Jeddah

Saudi Arabia. The first column shows data on conservative energy usage while the second one

shows energy usage without conservation measures in place.

ENERGY TYPE CONSERVATION NO CONSERVATION

Cooling 410.3(69.7%) 853.9(81.7%)

Heating 0.3(0.1%) 12.9 (1.2%)

Hot water 40.4(6.8%) 40.4(3.9%)

Lighting 86.8(14.8%) 86.8(8.3%)

equipment 50.6(8.6%) 50.6(4.8%)

Total 588.4(100.0%) 1,044.6(100.0%)

(KAUST Industry Collaboration Program).

Recommendations

With the research clearly pointing out at the benefits of green buildings in conserving the

environment, it is necessary for laws to be enacted and implemented in order all the building

where possible can be renovated to accommodate green building strategies. If these strategies are

applied across all buildings, we will no longer complain of the hot climate because we can make

good use of the heat by producing solar energy. Water too will not be a big challenge as it is at

the moment because the available water will be used sparing and there by more people.
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CITED WORKS

AlYahya, Sulaiman, and Mohammad A. Irfan. "The techno-economic potential of Saudi Arabia‫׳‬

s solar industry." Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 55 (2016): 697-702.