Environmentally Friendly Building in Kuwait - Literature review Example

Designing an Environmentally Friendly Building in Kuwait Designing an Environmentally Friendly Building in Kuwait For the last few decades, there have been rapid developments in environmentally friendly buildings in the Middle East. The move towards green buildings has been concerned about energy inefficiency, depletion of fossil fuels and the degradation of the environment. Buildings in Kuwait and the entire Middle East region consume high energy levels than those in other areas due to high temperatures and excessive use of glass exteriors (Darwish, 2014). Countries in the Middle East have stepped up efforts to promote energy as a way of ensuring the efficiency of energy for the purpose of energy security. The number of buildings registered with LEED has grown tremendously in the middle east, especially within the GCC. Examples, of environmentally friendly buildings in the region, include Msheireb Downtown Doha, Masdar City in Abu Dhabi, and KAUST in Saudi Arabia. The state of Kuwait is alert to the trend of environmentally friendly buildings in government and local sectors (Zafar, 2017). This also happens among corporate that are interested in social responsibility in society. This region is among the largest construction markets all over the world with significant infrastructural projects. Current statistics show that investment in the construction industry in the Arab Gulf states rose above the US $2,600 billion. Kuwait had $ 250 billion, UAE 700 billion and Qatar $ 300 billion (AlSanad, Gale & Edwards, 2011). This is a literature review of studies done on the topic of designing environmentally friendly buildings in Kuwait. However, due to lack of studies done on the subject and a small number of reference materials, the review did not cover many studies. Environmentally Friendly Building Concept in Kuwait In Kuwait, there is increasing interest and awareness concerning environmental issues and sustainability amongst researchers, professionals, and companies involved in house construction. At the moment only one official green building certification project exists in Kuwait (Darwish, 2014). No legislation exists in Kuwait either at the local or national levels for green construction and sustainability to be implemented. However, developers and professionals have put efforts underway to create some guidelines for the construction industry in Kuwait. To design environmentally friendly buildings in Kuwait, the construction industry in Kuwait needs to respond to such developments and increase its awareness about the development of green buildings. There is evidence that some action has started emanating from the level of the national government. Progress in achieving sustainability in building construction is depended upon awareness improvement and the understanding of the thinking behind people’s actions. A survey to study the awareness levels of sustainability among various construction industry stakeholders in Kuwait was done by Alsanad, Gale & Edwards (2011). The researchers found out that most of the stakeholders showed responsiveness and they had knowledge concerning sustainability in construction; it was not guaranteed that they were going to implement the project. One reason for the insufficient application is because of the lack of improper law enforcement. The government should take the responsibility of ensuring that legislation has been enforced by developing policies and providing suitable incentives to developers interested in applying sustainability in their construction projects. The responsibility does not only lie on the shoulders of the government alone. Other players such as developers and consultants have a significant role to play in ensuring that sustainability concepts are implemented. Presently in Kuwait, many of the stakeholders within the building industry do not pay attention to matters of sustainability. From the survey by Alsanad, Gale & Edwards (2011) the participants said that they did not see the need to implement sustainability practices because they don’t realize any benefit from these practices. The study also found that contractors were not willing to adopt sustainability as long as their clients were not willing to do it. At the moment, it is not easy to sell the sustainability idea to contractors because the concept does not have publicity and potential buyers are also not interested. Through the study, the researchers also discovered that the environmentally friendly building concept had some support among people in Kuwait. The study revealed that 64.75 percent of participants confessed that they had a situation and they were planning to carry out its implementation in coming projects. However, 35.3 percent of those interviewed said that they had nothing to do with the concept at present and even in the future. In Kuwait, some people do not think that productivity increases when a building is built using the environmentally friendly concept. A certain study showed that when respondents were asked to react on whether they believe that there will be an increase or a drop in productivity if the sustainability concept is applied. 50.82 percent of those interviewed believed that there would be an increase in productivity when the sustainability concept is used (Darwish, 2014). Only 29.51 percent of respondents thought that no relationship exists between the green building concept and productivity. A precise study also found that many stakeholders in the construction industry had a positive feeling about environmentally friendly buildings as far as sustainability is concerned. The study revealed that 84.43 percent of those interviewed had the sense that the concept of sustainability could impact positively on the environment. They also believed that the concept is friendly to the environment. Of all the respondents, a mere 15.57 percent confessed that they think the concept is not friendly to the environment and it has no impact on the environment. This is an indicator of the acceptance of those interviewed to the regulations that the government enforces on environmental policies. The study by Alsanad, Gale & Edwards (2011) also showed that the respondents had different expectations about the future of sustainable buildings in Kuwait. Some respondents said that they were not clear about the future of environmentally friendly buildings because government legislation and laws about the concept are unclear. There is the need for increased support and encouragement by the government so that the sustainability concept can be fully applied and the awareness of the public, private and government sectors can be increased (Darwish, 2014). Certain respondents said that the green building concept might encounter severe limitations in the future unless the government increases awareness so that the implementation of the concept will be more welcomed by stakeholders within the construction industry. The remaining respondents said that the idea of sustainability and green building is going to become a standard practice in the coming days in Kuwait’s building industry. Environmentally Friendly Building Design in Kuwait A green building is defined as “a current design attitude which requires the consideration of resources reduction and waste emissions for the period of its whole life cycle” (Zafar 2007). Environmentally friendly building or green building is the process of constructing structures and making use of methods that display environmental responsibility and efficiency for resources in the entire lifecycle of a building (Darwish, 2014). This goes all the way from sitting to the design of the building, building construction, operation and maintenance, renovation and demolition. The green building practice complements and expands concerns about economy, comfort, durability and utility which are necessary for classical buildings. Green building is otherwise called high performance or sustainable building. An ideal environment-friendly building is one where there is preservation and restoration of habitat that is crucial for life sustenance. Instead of consuming resources, energy, and water, it produces and exports them. In a green building, the construction and the operation lifetime of the building guarantee a healthy environment while at the same time achieving efficiency in the use of resources, energy and water, and land. The optimum green building design solution is that which at the end of the project can mimic with effectiveness the all natural systems and conditions existing at the site before development (AlSanad, Gale & Edwards, 2011). Today, including environmentally friendly building technology into the construction industry in Kuwait is essential for helping the country to meet its sustainability goals. Kuwait forwarded to the “UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)” its “Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INCD).” The 20135 vision plan for Kuwait focuses on the diversification of the economy through the aggressive development of infrastructure. A green building includes the construction process environmental considerations in all stages of the development, and its focus is on the design, operation, construction and maintenance stages. The main difference between ecological and conventional buildings is the integration process (AlSanad, Gale & Edwards, 2011). A team composed of building professionals from various disciplines work together through the design to the point of occupation to maximize the benefits obtained from the building for purposes of environmental sustainability, performance and the saving of costs. Green buildings have a myriad of benefits to various stakeholders in the building industry; among them the occupants of the building and the entire society. Environmentally friendly buildings have the high quality of air, plenty of natural light, noise control mechanisms and clear access to external views which is beneficial to the occupants of the building, making the buildings comfortable places to live and work. The primary considerations to bear in mind are developmental efficiency and the lot design, efficiency of water and energy, efficiency of resources, the quality of environment within the building and generally, the impact of the construction on the environment. An important characteristic of an environmentally friendly building is its emphasis on the protection of existing ecologies as well as the improvement of those ecologies that were in existence previously but were damaged. Green buildings are built on lands that are environmentally sensitive or proper that had been developed before (AlSanad, Gale & Edwards, 2011). Therefore, measures are put in place to ensure that plant life is restored. Green buildings also make use of a lesser quantity of materials by ensuring efficiency in design and the reduction of unnecessary materials at the finishing stages. Green building also incorporates the recycling of water and other documents in their lifespan. Energy efficiency is among the most critical factors in most of the green building projects. The careful selection of windows, duct sealing, proper positioning of vapor and air barriers, building envelope air sealing and the use of heating and cooling systems that are powered by clean energy all promote the efficiency of energy in a building. The utilisation of renewable energy sources such as biomass, solar and wind power existing energy needs can reduce carbon footprints in those buildings by a significant margin (Darwish, 2014). Green homes can realize the dream of water conservation through the implementation of highly efficient water recycling and delivery systems. Water use reduction is also a characteristic of environmentally friendly buildings which is critical for the reduction of the negative effects of the use of water and its impacts on the ecologies within the area such as aquatic life. Increased allergies and diseases of the respiratory system and the utilization of chemicals that can produce gas when in contact with certain materials have increased awareness about the quality of air within the home. The focus of green buildings is on the reduction of allergies and respiratory ailments through the control of the source of contamination, diluting it or capturing it by way of filtration (AlSanad, Gale & Edwards, 2011). In green building, the construction is made more sustainable through reduced depletion of resources and carbon dioxide production in the entire lifecycle of the buildings. Sustainable Designs Environmentally sustainable building in Kuwait should be devised in the context of a well planned urban area based on sustainability principles. For sustainability to take effect in Kuwait, there is the need for proper urban planning, especially in an urban setting (Darwish, 2014). A sustainable building should have facilities that support the sustainability of the building. The street blocks of the design should be those that can reduce the consumption of energy as well as cooling. Good roads should be designed so that they reduce the distances traveled and the delays arising in commuting. Well designed pedestrian paths for pedestrian and bicycle riders can reduce car numbers and therefore make people more active (AlSanad, Gale & Edwards, 2011). All the mentioned urban planning elements are meant to add to and enhance the sustainability rate of any building. More so, they are the foundation for environmentally friendly buildings. If a building is a low rise one, they need to have external insulation. Insulation can reduce the loss of heat, reduce the leakage of air and prevent water from penetrating (Darwish, 2014). High rise buildings have bigger challenges because it is not easy to put insulation into such houses especially on the walls. Insulation is just one of the ways to ensure that there is no energy being lost. Environmentally friendly designs should use LED lighting and air fans that consume less energy than what they used to consume before. Modern LED lighting and air fans consume 30% less of energy than they could consume about 15 years ago. The most efficient way of having a sustainable building is the improvement of facility management. A certain study demonstrated that at present, buildings waste about 5 percent to 10 percent of their energy because of poor management. It is also advisable to integrate photovoltaic panels so that they can become part of the environmental friendliness of the building. In Kuwait, designers can think about the development of small scale projects to be done on the roofs of buildings (Darwish, 2014). Developers can also apply recycled countertops for the kitchen. They can use recycled paper and recycled glass among other materials. Given the hot and dry climate of Kuwait in summer, and the very low temperatures in winter, one of the main requirements of a green building is cooling during high temperatures and heating during winter (AlSanad, Gale & Edwards, 2011). This implies that energy consumption is high. Therefore, green buildings should incorporate very elaborate mechanisms of energy conservation. Airtight construction and control of air leakage is very paramount to the design of an energy efficient building (AlSanad, Gale & Edwards, 2011). Efficient consumption of energy goes together with the health and comfort of people indoors. The best way of providing the three requirements is mechanical ventilation systems which can expel used air and bring in fresh air from the outside in a uniquely controlled manner. It is also advisable to design the building with daylighting in mind. Taking advantage of daylighting is important in energy efficiency. Using natural light in an appropriate manner helps to reduce the length of time when electric lights are on. Therefore, any efficient green home should make use of daylighting (Zafar, 2017). Another important measure is landscaping. An environment friendly building must appropriately make use of landscaping. Landscaping takes advantage of the heating and cooling patterns provided by nature. This measure can reduce energy costs by between 10 and 25 percent. Proper landscaping blocks the sun and gives the building protection from high winds. Trees, vines, and bushes ought to be properly positioned so that they can add to the beauty of the building (Darwish, 2014). Although the above measures such as landscaping and other energy efficiency measures are highly recommended, the issue of cost is a big one in Kuwait. A certain study by Zafar (2017) showed that several stakeholders are concerned about the cost of a green building when compared with a conventional one. 70 percent of respondents said that due to cost, they prefer the conventional building because they have no assurance that the benefits of the green building will offset the costs used in its construction. Due to high cost impediments, most studies advise that green construction should become very common and the manufacturers of materials also need to reduce considerably the cost of building materials for green buildings. References AlSanad, S.,Gale, A., & Edwards, R. 2011. Challenges of Sustainable Construction in Kuwait: Investigating level of Awareness of Kuwait Stakeholders, World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology 59. Darwish, A.S., 2014. Eco-Friendly Buildings: The Central Factor in Transitioning to a Net Neutral Community, International Journal of Environment and Sustainability, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 54-62. Zafar, 2017. Green Building Rating Systems in MENA, [Online] Retrieved from http://www.ecomena.org/tag/green-buildings-in-middle-east/. Accessed April 7 2017. Read More