A comparative study of local and international green building rating systems

Abstract

This research is conducted to compare local green building rating systems (Al Sa’fat v1.1 by DM) and established international green building rating systems (LEED v4 by USGBC) in Dubai, in order to find the effect of both green building rating systems on the buildings. In addition, the effect of proximity from public transportation network on a project certification, the additional cost to upgrade the project to different LEED and Sa’fat tiers, to the effect of both Green building rating systems on a projects Electricity and Water consumption are investigated. Furthermore, the research looks into the regional benefits of using local green building rating systems versus established international green building rating systems. A sample of sixteen representative commercial quality buildings was selected for the study. A model was created for each project to estimate the cost of upgrading the project to different LEED and Al Sa’fat tiers. The model was optimized to select the alternatives that earned the tier at the lowest financial investment. Moreover, the models are optimized for Dubai to enhance the regulations and requirements for new buildings set by Dubai Municipality (including the green building regulations and specifications). All the project’s costs and respective upgrade costs are based on estimates and quotations attained from the local market.