Green Construction in the Middle East: Challenges and Opportunities

Burj Khalifa, the Makkah Royal Clock Tower, Qatar’s new stadiums, and soon the Saudi smart city of NEOM; each of these are great symbols of the Middle East, representing a new era of innovation and architectural design. Yet what is the environmental cost of such projects?

According to the World Green Building Council, the construction industry is responsible for 39% of carbon dioxide emissions, 36% of global electricity consumption and 50% for the extraction of raw materials. In addition to this, construction works and buildings contribute to noise pollution, landscape alteration, and biodiversity damage. It is thereby evident how conventional techniques used in the construction sector are not in line with environmental efficiency and only worsen the already worrying level of smog in the air.

A HIDDEN POLLUTER

One staple of modern society is cement. It’s highly versatile, meaning it works in all manner of environments, including underground (as well underwater) in desert and arctic conditions and even on the top floors of skyscrapers. Cement is so ubiquitous as it resists fire and acts as a natural air conditioner by absorbing and releasing heat. Cement is so effective that it is the third most used substance after air and water globally. But there is a catch to this. The production of cement makes 600-700kg of CO2 per ton, it generates 8% of global carbon dioxide emissions against 12% of agriculture and 2.5% of aviation. Moreover, about half of the emissions come from the chemical reaction involved in the creation of clinker, one of cement’s main components.

While it’s true that over time the average emissions per unit of the product have decreased thanks to the pursuit of energy efficiency, it is also true that the process of creating materials has never been radically changed. In fact, the extraction of raw materials, the use of high-temperature furnaces and the creation of clinker continue to have a huge impact in terms of gaseous emissions.

Green Building

The answer to environmental challenges resulting from contemporary construction is a new model of sustainable architecture: green building. In essence, green building includes the utilization of renewable energies, new energy management philosophies, recyclable materials and zero-impact buildings. The term ‘green building’, or ‘green architecture’, indicates several ways of designing, building, and constructing technologies that aim at preserving the environment by reducing negative impacts on the planet.

Being the main source of pollution, building materials are the first element we must re-evaluate. Green construction pivots on the utilization of eco-friendly natural materials instead of heavily processed or potentially toxic ones. Recycling materials is one valid option in the attempt to reduce the use of cement and the heavy impact of extracting more raw materials from the earth.

In this view, the construction industry has also recently increased its employ of alternative fuels whose ashes are used as raw material in cement production. An example is a green cement, produced using fly ash – a byproduct of coal – or slag left behind in blast furnaces during the manufacturing of iron. To further enhance the deployment of alternative fuels, access to waste and biomass and the benefits of co-processing are increasingly promoted by ad hoc States legislative measures.

Another key element of sustainable building is modular construction. This process involves using components that have been prefabricated or made in an off-site facility resulting in less material waste, reduced energy consumption and higher quality builds. Modular construction potentially reduces material waste by up to 30%. Ultimately, 3D printer technology provides a valid option to avoid tons of construction waste. Once the design is finalized, the printer knows exactly how much material is needed, meaning zero wastage. 3D technology also allows us to cut down transportation costs, as well as transportation emissions, as the printing can be made on-site.

Green Building In The Middle East

The Middle East faces a unique set of challenges with regards to sustainable building. Issues such as water shortages, the region’s historical reliance on fossil fuels, the dramatic pace of physical expansion, and temperatures that can reach highs of 50 °C make it challenging to implement meaningful change. Yet,

Middle Eastern countries are making great efforts in the field of sustainability by creating rating systems that set a framework for green building. Several key bodies that have been created include the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council’s Estidama; Dubai Municipality’s Green Building Regulations; and the Lebanese Green Building Council’s ARZ. In Qatar, the GORD’s GSAS: Global Sustainability Assessment System contributes to the gradual shifting towards more sustaina- ble practices in design and construction. Furthermore, the region is making efforts to reach the ambitious target set by The World Green Building Council to reach 40% less embodied carbon emissions by 2030 and achieve 100% net zero emissions by 2050. More recently, Middle Eastern countries are pursuing sustainability trends by redefining the concept of urbanization. This is perhaps best demonstrated by the mega project of NEOM, the new smart city in Saudi Arabia. In doing this, the country is conceiving a revolutionary way of life.

Masdar City is another good example. It has been developed by Abu Dhabi and will be another smart city in the region and there is also the Red Sea Project presently under construction by The Red Sea Development Company. This provides a sanctuary of sustainable tourism. Nevertheless, data keep suggesting that more needs to be done. The region still has a long way to go when it comes to anchoring the construction sector to green practices.

The lack of key infrastructure in most of the Middle Eastern countries still represents a barrier to achieving certain urban sustainable targets. For example, due to a lack of collection sites and recycling companies, only 10% of all metal and plastic waste in the GCC is recycled, reused or recovered, while the global average is 32%. These hurdles, combined with the expected increase of population by 2050, the growing urbanization and volume of travel will place an added strain on costly green building practices. A combination of process efficiency, raw material choices, sustainable fuel sources, continuous innovation, and breakthrough technology will all contribute to the accomplishment of the final objective: to improve human lives and