PROJECTS

Green building rating systems measure how effectively sustainable construction, management, and operations of buildings blend into their environments. Green building principles require a long term view, taking into account a building’s environmental impact throughout its life. It should include all stages from the design and construction of a building through to its use, demolition and finally the recycling or disposal of the building materials. Studies have shown that green rated buildings all around the world tend to:

• Have lower operating costs for building owners
• Protect owners and tenants from higher utility costs
• Increase worker productivity by affording them a healthier working environment
• Demonstrate a company’s corporate social responsibility
• Command higher rents
• Attract higher volumes of clients seeking to do business there
• Carry a sense of prestige

Green buildings are not new to Lebanon. Many sustainable technologies, such as natural ventilation, rain water collection and storage and the exploitation of thermal mass for cooling have been used for centuries in home building in the region. However, few of these traditional techniques are applied in the construction of modern commercial building and, in common with buildings across the globe, commercial buildings in Lebanon have become increasingly energy and resource intensive.

Green buildings challenge the notion that modern construction needs to be energy-intensive and demanding on the local environment. However, there are many misconceptions as to what a green building is, what the most significant environmental impacts are and whether or not the green claims made by suppliers are based on good science, or are simply unfounded marketing claims. Clients and tenants, as well as other non-technical actors, are increasingly calling for ways to objectively determine if a building is environmentally friendly.