Building and Environment 44 (2009) 1053–1064

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Building and Environment

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Developing a green building assessment tool for developing countries – Case

of Jordan
Hikmat H. Ali a, *, Saba F. Al Nsairat b
a
Department of Architecture, Jordan University of Science and Technology, PO Box 3030, Irbid 22110, Jordan
b
Department of Research and Design, Greater Amman Municipality, Amman, Jordan

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: The purpose of this research is to contribute to a better understanding of the concept of green building
Received 9 February 2008 assessment tool and its role for achieving sustainable development through developing an effective
Received in revised form 25 July 2008 green building rating system for residential units in Jordan in terms of the dimensions through which
Accepted 25 July 2008
sustainable development tools are being produced and according to the local context. Developing such
system is becoming necessary in the Developing World because of the considerable environmental,
Keywords:
social and economical problems. Jordan as one of these countries is in need for this system, especially
Green building
with poor resources and inefficient use. Therefore, this research studied international green building
Developing countries
Rating system assessment tools such as such as LEED, CASBEE, BREEAM, GBTool, and others. Then defined new
Assessment tool assessment items respecting the local conditions of Jordan and discussed them with (60) various
Jordan stakeholders; 50% of them were experts of sustainable development. After selecting the assessment
items they were weighted using the AHP method. The outcome of the research was a suggested green
building assessment tool (SABA Green Building Rating System) – computer based program – that suits
the Jordanian context in terms of environmental, social and economical perspectives.
Ó 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction enhances building and organizational marketability, increases

occupant productivity, and helps create a sustainable community
Green building has now become a flagship of sustainable [4]. Generally, green buildings are energy efficient, water
development in this century that takes the responsibility for conserving, durable and non-toxic, with high-quality spaces and
balancing long-term economic, environmental and social health high-recycled content materials, which presents solution for large
[1,2]. It offers an opportunity to create environmentally efficient part of Jordan resources problems.
buildings by using an integrated approach of design so that the Cam and Ong (2005) defined the roles of building environ-
negative impact of building on the environment and occupants is mental performance domain that can assure innovative design.
reduced. Rating system provides an effective framework for They argued that there are roles should be taken in concern,
assessing building environmental performance and integrating particularly the following three: first; being an institutional
sustainable development into building and construction processes; setting to raise awareness of building environmental to different
as it can be used as a design tool by setting sustainable design players in the design and construction sectors in delivering
priorities and goals, developing appropriate sustainable design environmental-friendly housing, second; setting benchmarks for
strategies; and determining performance measures to guide the building environmental practice to safeguard the minimum
sustainable design and decision-making processes [2,3]. It can also performances standards, and evaluating architectural design
be used as a management tool to organize and structure environ- against these benchmarks; and finally providing a platform for
mental concerns during the design, construction, and operations inspiring new designs, ideas and technical solutions [5]. Cooper
phases. (1999) on the other hand, clarified the issues that are needed to
Green design does not only make a positive impact on public be defined at first; which are the issue of absolute vs. relative
health and the environment, it also reduces operating costs, assessments – absolute assessments are considered to be more
appropriate and meaningful in assessing sustainability, and the
issue of scale – individual building is considered as too small
* Corresponding author. Tel.: þ962 795205458 (mobile); fax: þ962 2 7201038.
a scale to address sustainable development issues [6].
E-mail addresses: [email protected] (H.H. Ali), [email protected] Using green rating (assessment) system in the design/build
(S.F. Al Nsairat). process can produce significant benefits that are not likely to result

0360-1323/$ – see front matter Ó 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2008.07.015
1054 H.H. Ali, S.F. Al Nsairat / Building and Environment 44 (2009) 1053–1064

from standard practices. Assessment measurements based on 2. Concept of green buildings in Jordan
building life cycle can produce significant long-term benefits for
building owners and occupants [7]; as this system helps for solving According to Agenda 21 (Johannesburg Summit 2002); ‘‘Jordan
existing building problems, limiting environmental impacts, is highly dependent on its poor environment, ensuring that envi-
creating healthier and more productive places, and reducing ronmental resources -water, soil, plants and so on - are used in
building operations cost. Life cycle analysis takes into account all a sustainable manner is one of the most urgent obligation to the
costs of acquiring, owning, and disposing of a building system. It is principles of sustainable development confirmed at the Earth
especially useful when project alternatives that fulfill the same Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992’’ [16].
performance requirements, but differ with respect to initial costs Jordan is a developing country suffering from the global prob-
and operating costs, have to be compared in order to select the one lems of energy and the increasing of pollution, especially with poor
that maximizes net savings. resources of energy and inefficient use of it. In light of this situation,
However, making green building practices easier to implement; the development plan in Jordan which is being implemented to
we should develop technical services and resources for deter- improve the quality of life for the Jordanian expected that the
mining the ‘‘greenness’’ of building based on an appropriate green demand for energy will grow to high levels reaching 3% annually
rating system that suits the Jordanian local context. and around 6% annually for the electric consumption. This situa-
Building sector has witnessed the development of two types of tion, in addition to the regional development of 2003 have pushed
assessment tools. The first group of these tools includes those, the energy bill to around 800 million JD annually constituting 13%
which purely based on criteria system. The second group includes of the gross domestic product (GDP) and around 45% of the value
those tools that use life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. The exported goods which is considered by international standards as
criteria-based tools can be defined as a system of assigning point a heavy burden in addition to the burden of investing in energy
values to a selected number of parameters on a scale ranging production, refining, transport and distribution which amounts to
between ‘‘small’’ and ‘‘large’’ environmental impact. These tools are around 150 million JD annually [16–19]. Due to economic growth
considered as comprehensive environmental assessment schemes. and increasing population, energy demand is expected to increase
Among the criteria-based tools are BREEAM (Great Britain) – by at least 50% over the next 20 years. This state force Jordan to
BREAM (2005); GBTool (Canada) – IISBE (2005); LEED (US)-USGBC adopt a number of policies that enhance energy efficiency, develop
(2005); EcoProfile (Norway) – Byggforsk (2005) and Environmental investment energy proposals, supports the sustainable develop-
Status (Sweden) –Miljöstatusföreningen (2005) [8–12]. However, ment by using clean and environmentally friendly resources, and
since the late 1990s methods for environmental assessment of apply baseline parameters in accordance with international stan-
buildings based on LCA have been developed for the building dards [17].
sector. Most of these methods have aimed to be used for selection of Jordan has a range of geographic features from the Jordan rift
building design, building material, and local utility options (energy valley in the west to the desert plateau of the east, with a range of
supply, waste management and transport type) during the design small hills running in between. It can be divided into three phys-
phase. Within life cycle assessment, different weighting methods iographic regions, each with a distinct climate:
based on different basis for valuation are used. Examples of tools of
this category that contain LCA component are Bees (USA)-OAE 1. The highlands consist of mountainous and hilly regions that
(2004), Beat (Denmark)-DBRI (2005); EcoQuantum (Netherlands) run through Jordan from north to south. Their altitude varies
and KCL Eco (Finland) – KCL (2005) [8–12]. from 600 to 1600 m above sea level. Generally wet and cool,
Another comprehensive framework for classification of green also varies from one area to another. The average temperature
building assessment tools was established according to the in Amman ranges from 8.1  C in January to 25.4 C in July. The
potential functions (applicable areas) of the tools. According to this temperature during the hottest spells reached 42.8 C.
classification there are two types of tools; the first (D-Tool), tools 2. The desert region is an extension of the Arabian Desert, and
within the stakeholder and building activity category that are forms around eighty percent of the country. There is an
designed primarily to optimize, select, check, predict and evaluate extreme variation in the climate of the desert between day and
decisions, they include issues describe the methods of green night, and between summer and winter. Summer temperatures
building practice which lead toward certain performance targets. can exceed 45  C, while winter nights can be bitterly cold, dry
The second (P-Tool), tools within the performance category that are and windy.
designed for performance comparison and rating, they include 3. The Jordan Rift Valley which also runs along the entire length
issues describe the targets of building activities, which are raised of Jordan. The Rift Valley plunges to over 400 m below sea
from building environmental science researches. Such issues are in level at the Dead Sea, becoming the lowest spot on earth, and
nature more general and stable. In existing tools, P issues and D reaches a maximum width of 15 km. The Rift Valley ends in
issues are usually mixed together and listed in one hierarchy the south at Aqaba, a tropical resort surrounded by moun-
framework [13]. tains [20].
Gibberd (2005) stated that sustainable development in devel-
oping countries should address social and economic issues as Jordan is classified among few countries of the world with
a priority; he suggested, that environmental sustainable develop- limited water resources and it is one of the lowest on a per capita
ment objectives should be acknowledged and addressed in basis. The available water resources per capita are falling as a result
interventions designed to address urgent social and economic of population growth and are projected to fall from less than
priorities [14]. Libovich (2005) also believed that nations of the 160 m3/capita/year at present to about 90 m3/cap/year by 2025,
developing world, cannot afford to be looking at environmental putting Jordan in the category of an absolute water shortage. The
performance only. The social and economic problems are at the top scarcity of water in Jordan is the single most important constrains
of these countries’ agendas. As a result, the development of to the country growth and development because water is not only
building assessment methods is becoming necessary in the devel- considered a factor for food production but a very crucial factor of
oping countries in order to diagnose the building-stock’s perfor- health, survival and social and economical development [21].
mance and to encourage the building industry to get into The concern of environment and sustainable development has
sustainable track, and thus by default will directly support social been increased recently in Jordan. Therefore, Jordan established
and economical aspects [15]. different institutions that concern sustainable issues – environmental,
 H.H. Ali, S.F. Al Nsairat / Building and Environment 44 (2009) 1053–1064 1055

social, and economical – beside other non-governmental organi- issues. The review focused on the strength and weaknesses, as well
zations. Even Jordan emphasizes the role of laws and regulations as as the elements of success of implementation of these systems,
an approach ensuring sustainable development through reducing then this research identify the local context of Jordan – the case of
waste and providing adequate supplies at an affordable cost that this research; considering its natural and physical conditions, to
limit human wrong practices. classify the current conditions in to negative or positive aspects.
In the last twenty five years, the construction practices in Jordan This requires fieldwork search – ethnographic approach in which
were shifted toward modern (western) building systems to cope the researcher goes down to the field, observe and meet the
with the modernization style of living. They replaced the mud and different stakeholders of the problem using:
stone as major traditional materials with concrete, glass and steel to
become dominant construction materials and systems. Thus, - Unstructured (informal) interviews with householders, inves-
Construction practices shifted from craft to industry. Accordingly, tors, builders.etc
there is an urgent need to return back to the vernacular systems - Structured interviews (questionnaire) with the integrated
into modern perspective, through establishing new building stakeholders (private, public, governmental agencies)
systems and practices based on green thinking and applications. - Observation of the situation of the residential buildings from
As a result, Jordan in need to develop sustainable or ‘‘green’’ different aspects.
design practices; it needs to improve the environmental and
economical performance of new and existing commercial, institu- The information generated in this pre-test investigation
tional, and residential buildings [22]. Making green building informed the conversational guide and interview process. In
practices easier to implement; we should develop technical addition, it informed the decision to determine the main factors
services and resources for determining the ‘‘greenness’’ of building that should be involved in the new assessment system for Jordan.
based on an appropriate green rating system. The overall approach of the research assumed conducting
This research purposes to contribute to a better understanding of interviews –structured and non-structured – within focus group to
the concept of green building rating system and its role for achieving identify the categories, indicators and parameters that should be
sustainable development. In addition, it aims to provide a frame- involved in the assessment system and to define weighting for each
work model for developing an effective green building rating of them. The focus group includes variety of stockholders; fresh
system for developing world; in terms of the dimensions through graduate architects, designers, contractors, experts, decision-
which sustainable development tools are being produced. And makers, laymen, members of engineering association, member of
finally, this research hopes to develop a green building assessment governmental associations.
tool – computer based program – for Jordan that ensures the right
sustainable development is achieved according to its local context, 3.2. Data collection procedure
stakeholders, buildings types and knowledge and technology. So
this research will provide an analytical study of the key aspects of Individual and group interviews that were employed in this
Jordan’s context that are relevant to the sustainable assessment research are considered as a convenient way to collect data from
framework – infrastructure, building policy, social exclusion several people. This method allows each person to respond to
(needs), social and economic priorities, in addition it will discuss the question, then asking questions, exchanging comments according
limitations and major constrains that face the development to her/his experiences and points of view. The interviews used the
processes such as rapid growth, poor economy, lack of resources, form of questionnaire. The first part of the questionnaire aims to
low income and others. This research has four major assumptions: define the main aspects of green building assessment tool for
residential units that suit the Jordanian local context. The second
1. Developing green building rating system should be based on part defined categories of assessment. The third part defined
studying and analyzing the most famous practices of the assessment indicators and their parameters. In each part, the
developed countries. participant had to rank measures according to importance in
2. The developed system should suit the local context – Jordan establishing a green building assessment for Jordan. By using this
context. technique, the researcher could identify the main aspects, cate-
3. The developed system should be directed toward the residen- gories, indicators, and parameters of the assessment system and
tial buildings only. Other building types were not on the scope their weightings. In addition, the researcher could define new
of this research. assessment measures as participants had the right to add suggested
4. The developed system should be implemented from the measures. This method of data collection is useful in explaining
preliminary stages of design – considering building life cycle: results and examining what people think, how they think and why
pre-design, design, post-design. they think that way as the researcher met the recipients face to face
and discussed the system with them.
3. Methodology The interviews took place wherever and whenever suitable for
the participant, after she or he agreed to be interviewed personally.
3.1. Research design During the interviewing process, the researcher established clear
roles of answering with the respondents.
The research adopted multi-dimensional design strategy that
involves a variety of approaches – quantitative and qualitative. 3.3. Sampling procedure
These approaches include fieldwork approach (pilot study, survey),
questionnaire, interviews – structured and unstructured, empiri- The sample included a group of stakeholders from different
cism approach (experiments) and critical approach. In other words fields; architecture, environment, renewable energy and energy
the research based on interaction between archival ethnographic efficiency, water efficiency, natural resources, urban design and
approach and qualitative interviews. others. All the participants were educated, classified into two main
To determine the initial set of variables that would inform the part groups. The first; experts of sustainable building field –
qualitative interview guide, an analysis of the major green building academicians and authorities, designers and building industry
rating systems which is considered by far the most comprehensive professionals (project managers, field engineers, design engineers,
and methodological tools developed to examine sustainability and others). The sampling frame is a list of experts and professionals
1056 H.H. Ali, S.F. Al Nsairat / Building and Environment 44 (2009) 1053–1064

conducted with the help of Jordan Engineers Association, that

recorded the specialty and achievements of all distinguished
professionals. Purposive sampling techniques were employed to
select the respondents from different branches. The second group
included laymen and architectural, environmental and engineering
students. The students were randomly selected from Jordan
University of Science and Technology based on a list from the
registration office. They should complete at least three courses in
environmental and sustainable design. While the laymen included
general public people such as journalists, governmental agents,
economists, politicians and others. They were selected according to
their role and influence on sustainable development practices. The
total number of participants was (60); (50%) experts and (50%)
laymen (non-professionals). Fig. 1. Steps for developing and applying sustainability items to develop a methodo-
logical assessment tool for green buildings.
The investigation held with participants as an interview in the
form of questionnaire. The interviews included one participant, two
participants, three participants, or four participants each time to Step 2: establishing assessment items
allow interaction as part of the method. The researchers visited the Assessment items should be defined based on expert
respondents on their offices, and if possible, they were invited to the knowledge and scientific research. Three groups of indica-
department of architecture at Jordan University of Science and tors/items are defined and calculated as measurable
Technology. The second group of respondents that included elements for green buildings assessment. Each of the indi-
students and laymen were invited to the department of Architecture. cators represents a certain characteristic of the sector they
A general description of the subject was addressed and discussed, described; they are concerned with the goals and objectives
and then structured questionnaires were delivered. The question- of sustainable development that are applied to buildings
naires were included close and open ended questions. which are defined in stage one. Types of assessment indi-
cators are:
3.4. Developing assessment model  First, environmental indicators
 Second, social indicators
Green building assessment tools offer a means to demonstrate  Third, economic indicators.
that a building has been successful at meeting an expected level of
performance in a number of declared criteria. From the previous, it Step 3: evaluating assessment items
can be concluded that the developed tool should have the following Evaluating indicators is important to ensure their accuracy,
characteristics: reliability and sensitivity. This can be done using empirical or
modeling techniques. However, Reed et al. (2006) suggested
First; the developed tool should be comprehensive approach define a criterion to evaluate sustainable assessment indicators that
building performance from different aspects – environmental, summarizes best practices. This criterion is based upon
social, and economical; respecting different climatic, cultural and defining characteristics of best indicators; so the researcher
economic conditions. can define how much the proposed assessment indicators
Second; the aspects, categories, and indicators of the developed are reliable and valid [22].
tool should acknowledge the local context within which the tool
is developed.
Third; the developed tool should be phase-by-phase method 3.6. Assessment items weighting
according to the construction of building, so it could be feasible
and could tell different information to us. Green building assessment tool is a multi-dimensional method
Fourth; the developed tool should address all stages of a long- respects different environmental, social, and economical issues.
term life cycle with regard to sustainable issues, including Therefore, the process of building weighting system for indicators
a building’s design, construction, operation, repair, renovation, should be comprehensive and flexible. This process should adapt
and demolition. different integrated methodologies such as Experts panel, Endpoint
method, Economy method, AHP method, and others; by consid-
3.5. Assessment items ering the advantages and avoiding the negatives of each method to
build a new compatible method. For the purposes of this study, the
This research suggests an approach to develop assessment items researcher used the AHP method.
for green buildings. This approach consists of three continuously
steps that are cyclic. They are the following (Fig. 1): 3.7. Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP)

Step1: defining the context in which items are developed The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is a mathematical
In order to develop valid assessment indicators for green decision-making technique provides an effective means to deal
buildings; the context within which indicators are developed with complex decision-making, developed by Thomas Saaty in
should be defined. And thus requires identifying the field 1980. AHP allows consideration of both qualitative and quantitative
that is relevant to the assessment tool such as type of aspects of decisions; it can reduce complex decisions to a series of
building being studied – in this research it is residential one-on-one comparisons by assisting with identifying and
building, the climatic conditions, the economic state, the weighting selection criteria, analyzing the data collected for the
local community, the key stakeholders, the practitioners, the criteria and expediting the decision-making process. In addition,
existing and linked systems, future opportunities and future AHP helps in reducing bias in decision-making, and it can minimize
shocks, and other factors. As well as, it is necessary to iden- common pitfalls of team decision-making process, such as lack of
tify the goals and strategies for the process. focus, planning, participation or ownership, which ultimately are
 H.H. Ali, S.F. Al Nsairat / Building and Environment 44 (2009) 1053–1064 1057

costly distractions that can prevent teams from making the right Table 1
choice [23–25]. Assessment categories and indicators of the assessment tool

AHP methodology is based on the principles of decomposition, Assessment categories Assessment indicators
comparative judgments, and synthesis of priorities. Decomposition Site Microclimate
structures the problem according to its main components: focus, Site design
set of criteria for evaluation, and the decision alternatives. Landform
Land use
Comparative judgments are required for pair-wise comparison of
On site energy resources
criteria and investment alternatives to derive the criteria weights Infrastructure efficiency
and relative priorities of investment alternatives. Finally the Relation between the building and its immediate
priorities of alternatives and the criteria for weights are synthe- surroundings
sized into an overall rating based on which the best alternative is Landscape design
Low-impact construction site techniques
decided. Housing density (no. of units/area)
AHP involves the following four basic steps: Transportation

Energy efficiency Building envelope performance

 Step one: model building Renewable energy
 Step two: pair-wise comparison of categories and criteria Natural lighting/lighting
 Step three: pair-wise comparison of alternatives Energy-efficient heating/cooling system
 Step four: alternative ranking. Mechanical systems
Green house gases emission
Machines/appliances
4. Results and analysis
Water efficiency Water conservation
Innovative reduction water technologies/internal
Green building approach should consider three dimensions – Water use
environmental, social, and economical; therefore, the assessment Water efficient landscape/external
tool necessarily to take these three dimensions into consideration.
Material Local/regional materials
Site selection, energy, water, resources, material and components, Renewable material
environmental loadings, transport, emissions, waste, and others Recycle material
can define environmental aspects. Comfort, health, indoor Resource reuse
environment quality, access to facilities, participation, control, Environmental impact of materials

education, safety, and others can define social aspects. Finally, Indoor environment Occupant health and safety
economical aspects can be introduced through economy, efficiency quality Indoor air quality performance
Quality of life
of use, ongoing costs, capital costs, operation costs, durability,
Increase ventilation efficiencies
adaptability, maintenance, and others. Thermal comfort
Daylight
4.1. Categories, indicators and parameters of the assessment tool Acoustic and noise control
Visual quality

Based on analyzing the main characteristics of several building Waste and pollution Waste reduction and management strategies
environmental performance assessment systems in different Cost and economic Site
countries and studying the local context, the researcher defined Energy efficiency
seven main categories for the assessment tool. They are the Material and construction
following: site, energy efficiency, water efficiency, material, indoor Water efficiency
Waste management
environment quality, waste and pollution, and cost and economics.
Each assessment category is identified by a number of indica-
tors. The number and nature of indicators varies from one category
to another according to the category itself and its importance pollution. Respondents were asked to rank the assessment
matching the local context. As well as, each indicator is defined categories according to its importance and the mean of these
through a number of parameters. This section introduces the ranks was calculated as shown in Fig. 3.
criteria for selecting the assessment items of categories. In respect  Assessment of indicators
to these criteria, each category is required to apply main sustain- Each category consists of a number of indicators. The
able concepts according to certain classification of items (Table 1). following presents the results of interviews in terms of
indicators for each category individually. Respondents were
 Assessment of aspects asked to rank the assessment indicators from the highest to
The result of the overall interviews in respect to assessment the lowest according to their importance, the mean of these
aspects revealed that environmental aspects are the most
important aspects then the economical and finally social
aspects. Fig. 2 indicated the mean of the ranking order of the
three assessment aspects that include social, economic and
environmental aspects. Each respondent asked to rank these
aspects according to its importance and the mean of ranks
for each aspect was calculated.
 Assessment categories
Water efficiency is arranged as the most important category
for the assessment system, this seems rational according to
the local context of Jordan. The arrangement of categories
from the most important to the least is the following: water
efficiency, energy efficiency, indoor environment quality,
site, material, cost and economics, and finally waste and Fig. 2. Means of assessment aspects.
1058 H.H. Ali, S.F. Al Nsairat / Building and Environment 44 (2009) 1053–1064

microclimate, site design, on site energy resources, landform,

infrastructure efficiency, land use, landscape design, relation
between the building and its immediate surroundings, low-
impact construction site techniques, housing density, and
transportation.
Building envelope performance argued as the most impor-
tant indicator of energy efficiency, then respectively
renewable energy, natural lighting, heating/cooling system,
gases emissions, mechanical system, and house appliances.
Both the two groups of participants (experts and laymen)
agreed in the ranking of water efficiency indicators; water
conservation is the first, then reduction technologies, water
use, and finally efficient landscape techniques. Additionally,
regional material that is manufactured locally considered
the most important indicator for material in respect to the
Fig. 3. Means and ranking of assessment categories.
two groups of participants.
The ranking of IEQ indicators from the most important to the
ranks was calculated as shown in Fig. 4. They argued that all least takes the following order: occupant health and safety,
the suggested indicators are important and should be quality of life, indoor air quality, ventilation efficiency,
considered in the assessment criteria. There were no addi- thermal comfort, daylight, acoustic quality, and finally the
tions from the respondents. The ranking of site indicators visual quality. Although experts consider energy efficiency
from the most important to the least is the following: cost as the most important indicator of green building

Fig. 4. Means and ranking of site, energy efficiency, water efficiency, materials, IEQ, cost and economic, indicators.
 H.H. Ali, S.F. Al Nsairat / Building and Environment 44 (2009) 1053–1064 1059

economics, the total score of all participants argues that branches that make up the building among the local context of
energy efficiency and site have approximately the same Jordan through the environmental, the social, and the economical
importance, then material and water efficiency, and finally aspects. In addition it is initiated in systematic process based on
waste management cost. reviewing and analyzing practical international assessment
systems. However, the proposed assessment tool framework is
based on the focus of the following categories: water efficiency,
4.2. Weighting coefficient system energy efficiency, indoor environment quality, building material,
site, cost and economics, and waste and pollution. Each category is
Developing weighting system of indicators is considered defined by a number of indicators and each indicator is defined by
a necessary stage for developing assessment tools; it is the a number of parameters.
second stage after establishing the indicator. This system can Overall, most of the respondents assumed that the suggested
define the importance of each indicator according to the local criteria for assessing green building are comprehensive, efficient
context within which the tool is developed. Each assessment item and appropriate for Jordan. They felt that all the proposed assess-
is weighted so that all the weighting coefficients within the ment items are important and should be considered in the
assessment category. The scores for each assessment item are assessment framework. Some participants from the expert group
multiplied by the weighting coefficient, and aggregated into added other assessment items; for example, someone argued that
summation. In this research AHP method is used to determine housing density could be evaluated through geometry, while other
the weightings of items according to participant’s interviews suggested assessing it through building relation to densities of
results. AHP method can transform human subjective judgment surrounding units. One suggested that adding thermostat system as
into quantitative analysis based on the principles of decomposi- assessment parameter for thermal comfort, while other suggested
tion, comparative judgments, and synthesis of priorities. the adding of wind direction (for ventilation purposes) as one
Decomposition structures the problem according to its main assessment parameter of site design. Finally yet importantly,
components: focus, set of criteria for evaluation, and the decision participants granted assessment items – each item was compared
alternatives. Comparative judgments are required for pair-wise with its level – different values according to their importance in
comparison of criteria and investment alternatives to derive the green building assessment tool (residential buildings) in respect to
criteria weights and relative priorities of investment alternatives. Jordan local context. Water efficiency and energy efficiency were
The relative importance (relative weight) of each category and considered the most important assessment categories; they took
each criteria/element within each category was established using half of the total assessment points – about (51%), and the other five
square matrix structure. The values of importance were taken categories weighted the other half. Then indicators of each category
from Saaty’s 1–9 scale. The values of Saaty’s scale relative were weighted in respect to their importance to that category
importance are as follows: (1) equal importance, (3) weak based on total (1) full point. Finally, parameters of each indicator
importance, (5) essential or strong importance, (7) demonstrated were estimated according to their importance to that indicator
importance, (9) absolute importance, (2,4) intermediate vales based on total (1) full point.
between the two, (6,8) adjacent judgments [23,24]. Alternative in After reviewing the results, the final framework of the system
the decision structure is rated with revere to each decision composed of (7) categories, (42) indicators, and (157) parameters.
criterion in the evaluation model using Saaty’s (1–9) scale. The total number of assessment items was (206). Finally, this
Relative scores for each alternative are computed within each leaf framework is translated into assessment system (a computer based
of the hierarchy. Scores are then synthesized through the model, program – SABA Green Building Rating System), that identifies how
yielding a composite score for each choice at every tier, as well as much the assessed building is green in response to the assessment
an overall score. The final step in the process in which ratings of items.
alternatives were combined with the ratings of the criteria to
form an overall rating for each decision alternative. The alterna- 4.3. SABA Green Building Rating System – Jordan
tive of the highest rating is ranked the best choice.
In respect to the results of the interviews and by using the Based on the previous findings that included the assessment
Expert ChoiceÔ Software to calculate the weightings of the categories, assessment indicators, and assessment parameters and
assessment items, water efficiency ranked as the most important their weighting coefficient, a spread sheet was developed. This
assessment category and represents about 27.7% of the total certi- system is classified as a criteria-based tool that defined as a system
fication. Then energy efficiency weighting with about 23%. Water of assigning point values to a selected number of assessment items
efficiency and energy efficiency weightings represent more than on a certain scale ranging among three levels – fully satisfied, not
the half of the total. The weightings of the other assessment cate- fully satisfied, not satisfied. The scope of this system includes the
gories are defined in Figs. 5 and 6 and Table 2. residential building and its near environment (surroundings). This
The process which involves designing assessment tool for green system is implemented during the preliminary stages of design –
building stands on background information about the major considering building life cycle: pre-design, design, post-design.

Fig. 5. Pair-wise comparison of assessment categories with respect to the goal – weighting of assessment items.
1060 H.H. Ali, S.F. Al Nsairat / Building and Environment 44 (2009) 1053–1064

Fig. 6. Priorities of assessment categories with respect to the goal – weighting of assessment items.

X
This system defines environmental, economical, and social aspects Si ¼ Rp
of sustainability. Thus presented in assessment items which clas-
sified hierarchy in three levels; category level, indicator level, and X
parameter level.
Sc ¼ Ri
A computer base program was established to calculate the
overall level of greenness. The excel spread sheet consists of the
main sheet that include building information, site, location, 4.4. Certification criteria
climatic regions and the main green categories. Moreover, seven
other sheets including the following categories: site, energy The certification criterion is based on the summation of points
efficiency, water efficiency, materials, IEQ, water and pollution of the items of the assessment system. The score for each
and cost and economics. Each sheet of categories includes its assessment item is multiplied by the weighting coefficient, and
indicators and parameters with their weights that derived from aggregated into summation. A maximum of 100 points is avail-
the AHP method by using the Expert Choice software. The total able. Three performance levels are considered including very
score of each category come from multiplying the score of each green (100–80%), green (79–50%), not green (<50%). The cate-
parameter (three ordinal scales were used to indicate the appli- gorization criteria of the greenness levels were based on the
cability of greenness for each parameter) the score result multiply analyses of the developed rating systems such as LEED, BREEAM,
by the specific parameter weight. The total sum of each param- and GBTool. In addition, the results of existing residential build-
eter will appear on the indicator and finally the sum of indicator ings in Jordan, that were classified as sustainable buildings, were
level will be shown on the category level with their relative studied and analyzed using the proposed system. These results
weights. These values will be shown on the main result sheet were presented to the respondents/experts who recorded their
that indicates the contribution of each category and the levels of greenness and accordingly defined the certification
summation of all weights. These results will presented graphi- system (Fig. 9, Table 3).
cally showing the overall level of greenness. As shown in Figs. 7
and 8. 4.5. Comparison among LEED, CASBEE, BREEAM, GBTool and SABA
The result obtained in each assessment item level can be
calculated by the following formulas: The concept of developing a tool to evaluate the sustainability of
buildings – how much the building meets green building principles
Parameter resultðRpÞ ¼ Parameter weightingðWpÞ and considered as environmental-friendly – is new and needs
 Parameter ScoreðSpÞ much work and efforts to be comprehensive and includes different
types of Building. LEED, CASBEE, BREEAM, and GBTool; these four
tools are the most green building rating systems valuable for the
Indicator resultðRiÞ ¼ Indicator weightingðWiÞ purpose of this research. They provide comprehensive criteria for
 Indicator scoreðSiÞ their regions, provide a whole building evaluation rather than an
evaluation of an individual design feature, use measurable systems
to reveal how much the building incorporate sustainability prin-
Category resultðRcÞ ¼ Category weightingðWcÞ
ciples, moreover they are the most known assessment tools around
 Category scoreðScÞ the world. SABA as well, is considered comprehensive assessment
system for residential buildings that takes the whole building into
X consideration.
Total assessment result ¼ Rc
The Developed countries such as the United States, Japan and
United Kingdom are more conscious about environmental issues
Sp ¼ ð1Þ or ð0:5Þ or ð0Þ and pollution problems; they achieved high progressing in envi-
ronmental management through developing sustainable practices
and assessment tools. While developing countries, on the other
Table 2
hand are unlikely to have achieved many aspects described for
Weightings of assessment categories a state of sustainability. Addressing sustainable development
objectives is therefore likely to be a priority in developing
Item Assessment categories Weight
countries.
S Site 0.108
There are common concerns between these five green rating
E Energy efficiency 0.231
W Water efficiency 0.277 systems; such as emphasizing the consumption of energy in the
M Material 0.103 building, water efficiency, environmental quality in both indoor
IEQ Indoor environment quality 0.118 and outdoor, resources and material, service quality, site strategies.
W and P Waste and pollution 0.064 At the same time each system focuses on certain aspects more than
C and E Cost and economics 0.099
the other ones according to the country local context; for example,
 H.H. Ali, S.F. Al Nsairat / Building and Environment 44 (2009) 1053–1064 1061

Fig. 7. SABA Green Building Rating System software – result sheet.

BREEAM considers transport and pollution as individual items in five systems appreciate energy efficiency category highly; that it
the assessment categories and gives them high credits; on the other forms more than 20% of the total certification of each system, each
hand LEED didn’t give them this importance, and it included them system appreciates the assessment categories differently in respect
within the major aspects of its assessment. Although in overall the to the local context of its country. For example SABA system

Fig. 8. Hierarchy of SABA assessment items and formulas of assessment items results.
1062 H.H. Ali, S.F. Al Nsairat / Building and Environment 44 (2009) 1053–1064

awarded that can be used for promotional purposes. GBTool

assessed criteria using scales that are based on local benchmarks;
buildings can score between 1 and þ5. All criteria must be scored,
thus providing a complete assessment of the building.
SABA on the other hand, used both checklist and benchmark
such as LEED, but it is different from other systems. It has seven
major categories that are in similar with some systems and
different with others. The main categories are site (10.3), energy
efficiency (23), water efficiency (27.7), material and resources
(10.3), indoor environmental quality (11.8), waste and pollution
Fig. 9. Certification criteria levels of SABA Green Building Rating System. (6.4), and economics (10). It is noticed that economics is not major
factor in other system, while contribute 10 percent in Jordan. The
appreciates water and energy efficiencies very highly – they weighs certification system is also different in SABA tool comparing with
more than 50% of the total – as Jordan lacks water and natural other systems. The main categories on LEED are: sustainable sites
resources, while the other systems don’t appreciate it as well, they (14), water efficiency (05), energy and atmosphere (17), materials
weight between 22 and 47 percent of the total. and resources (13), indoor environmental quality (15), LEED
The five tools use point system (numeric value) for evaluation innovation credits (05). CASBEE rating system consists of the
how much the building is green, but each system has its own following categories: energy efficiency, resource efficiency, local
measurement comparison system. LEED used both checklist and environment, indoor environment. BREEAM has the following
benchmark comparison measurement based on accepted energy categories: energy (21.42), transport (8.56), pollution (14.99),
and environmental principles and strikes a balance between materials (14.98), water (10), health and well being (15.04), land
known effective practices and emerging concepts, according to use and ecology (15.01). Finally, GB Tool has the following cate-
LEED the rating system consists of the following six major cate- gories with their weights: site selection, project planning and
gories and maximum points: sustainable sites (14), water efficiency development (7.8), energy and resource consumption (25.9),
(05), energy and atmosphere (17), materials and resources (13), environmental loadings (21.6), indoor environmental quality
indoor environmental quality (15), LEED innovation credits (05), (15.5), service quality (5.2), cultural and perceptual aspects (21.6),
and the total maximum possible points is 69; the certification level social and economic aspects (2.6). Table 4 indicated the compar-
is based on the total number of points earned by the project, ison among LEED, CASBEE, BREEAM, and GBTool in terms of SABA
determined through a technical review process. criteria assessment categories. Fig. 10 shows the performance
While CASBEE used benchmark measurement system and its sensitivity for LEED, GBTool, BREEAM, CASBEE in terms of SABA
scores are given based on the scoring criteria for each assessment criteria.
item. These criteria applied to assessments are determined taking The five tools provide programs involve the building life cycle
into consideration of the level of technical and social standards at process – pre-design, design and post-design (occupation). In
the time of assessment. A five-level scoring system is used, and general, the four tools are presented for existing as well new
a score of level 3 indicates an ‘‘average’’. Weighting according to constructions for different types of buildings including new
CASBEE means that each assessment item, such as Q-1, Q-2 and Q-3, construction, renovations, and operation and maintenance – but
is weighted so that all the weighting coefficients within the SABA is limited to the residential buildings. Both SABA and GBTool
assessment category Q sum up to 1.0. The scores for each assess- don’t include operation and maintenance of projects. In addition
ment item are multiplied by the weighting coefficient, and aggre- LEED works to develop a program for urban level according to the
gated into SQ (Score for Q category); total scores for Q (Quality perception of the US market that is missing in other systems
category) or LR (Loading category); total scores for LR respectively. including SABA. However, LEED programs are considered the most
fairly comprehensive in scope – from landscaping to renewable
energy to recycling building materials.
BEE ¼ Q =L ¼ 25  ðSQ  1Þ=25  ð5  SLRÞ
5. Conclusions and recommendations
SQ ¼ Score for Q category
An assessment tool for green building is important. It is sug-
SLR ¼ Score for LR category gested that this approach can produce significant benefits that are

Table 4
BREEAM used checklist measuring and awarded its credits in each
Comparison among SABA GS, LEED, CASBEE, BREEAM, and GBTool in terms of SABA
area according to performance – its checklist verifies compliance criteria assessment categories
with minimum core of performance; design and operation
Items of comparison Green building rating system
requirements and environmental credits are granted. These set of
environmental weightings then enable the credits to be added SABA GS LEED CASBEE BREEAM GBTool
together to produce a single overall score. The building is then rated (%) (%) (%) (%) (%)

on a scale of Pass, Good, Very Good or Excellent, and a certificate Site selection 10.3 20 15 9 8
15 21
Energy efficiency 23 25 20 21 26
Table 3 21
Minimum result required to achieve each grade level of SABA Green Building Rating Water efficiency 27.7 7 2 10 –
System Material and resources 10.3 19 13 15 –
Indoor environment 11.8 22 20 15 16
Minimum result required to achieve each grade level (based on 100 full mark points) quality
Very green 100–80 Waste and pollution 6.4 – – – 22
Green 50–79 Economics 10 – – – 3
Not green <50 Others 7
 H.H. Ali, S.F. Al Nsairat / Building and Environment 44 (2009) 1053–1064 1063

Notwithstanding, some categories, indicators, and parameters

were addressed, but they did not have a significant importance to
be used in the system.
Although, there are similarities on the category level between
developed and developing countries, there are differences in the
weighting of each category. Yet, some indicators and parameters
were added and others were omitted, depending on the local
context of Jordan that were ranked according to their importance
and represented through their weights. Because of the shortages
of natural resources, water and energy efficiencies were consid-
ered as the crucial categories in the green construction practice in
Jordan.
This research suggests a number of recommendations to
develop green building assessment tool in general:

First, developing such assessment framework should be based

on scientific research and technical knowledge.
Second, multi-stakeholders should participate in developing
such approach, as it requires participating and collaborative
process. Experts, designers, elected officials, working group,
Fig. 10. Performance sensitivity for LEED, GBTool, BREEAM, CASBEE in terms of SABA agency players, and others should be introduced as key partic-
criteria. ipants in this process.
Third, sustainability strategies and goals should be addressed as
a major aim.
not likely to result from standard practices, as well as it can ensure Fourth; the assessment framework should suit the local context
maximum beneficial social and economic impact, rather than of the country; depending on its culture, issues, players, prac-
merely concentrating on the more conventional approach of tices and institutions. It will be essential for each country to
minimizing environmental impact. If decisions that are made in design its own indicators in its own way to serve its shared
concept and design stages of building process respond to sustain- goals.
ability objectives and targets, many of the negative outcomes can Fifth; countries can learn from each other’s work and ideas and
potentially be prevented, or at least, reduced. Such tool help assure they should use the work of experts as inputs to their discussion.
the building can be more sustainable and adaptive, that it can be an
intelligent building system. Acknowledgements
By integrating criteria from different assessment methodolog-
ical frameworks, this research builds on the strengths of each and The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance of the key
provides a more holistic assessment approach among careful actors who participated in the survey, and the comments of three
attention to local context. The outcome is a green building (resi- anonymous referees on the first draft of this paper.
dential type) assessment tool for Jordan called (SABA Green
Building Rating System). It is recommended that this system is References
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