Modeling Sustainable Building Materials in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Green building materials are composed of renewable, rather than nonrenewable, resources. Green materials are environmentally responsible because the impacts of the product are considered over its life cycle. Depending upon projectspecific goals, an assessment of green materials may involve an evaluation of one or more of the following criteria: resource efficiency, indoor air quality, energy efficiency, water conservation, and affordability. Product selection can begin after the establishment of project-specific environmental goals. The main objective of this research is to develop a framework that uses BIM to select optimum sustainable building materials in Saudi Arabia. To this end, a cost model will be developed to take into account initial costs, such as construction costs, and all life cycle costs including the operating costs and energy consumption of a building. The framework integrates the expanded features of BIM technology with an especially designed green building rating system for Saudi Arabia.