Post-2000 Building Industry in Kabul City from Sustainability Perspective

Edris Saeedi,Tomonobu Senjyu,Najib Rahman Sabory,Mir Sayed Shah Danish,Arash Ahmadi,Sayed Maqbool Sayed

doi:10.3390/su13147833

Edris Saeedi, Tomonobu Senjyu + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/su13147833

Copy DOI

Journal: Sustainability	Publication Date: Jul 13, 2021
Citations: 4	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Kabul University, University of the Ryukyus

Abstract

Buildings are one of the major consumers of energy and producers of greenhouse gases globally. Reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions from buildings helps decrease global warming and enhances the natural environment. This can only happen by transitioning from traditional to sustainable architecture and urban planning. For decades, sustainable architecture and urban planning have been applied in many countries’ building sectors, but others among the poor and least developed countries are left behind. Kabul, the capital of one of the least developed countries, Afghanistan, has experienced a remarkable growth rate in population and building since 2001. This rapid and uncontrolled growth of building construction caused problems from different perspectives, especially from the sustainability perspective. In this paper, the current state of the building industry in Kabul is evaluated from a sustainability perspective, especially those constructed after the year 2000. This assessment helps to rate and see how sustainable each type of building is. Analysis of the collected data clarifies that buildings’ sustainability level in Kabul city is significantly low. Based on the results, recommendations provide a better future for the building industry and ensure that existing and future buildings are sufficiently sustainable to protect the environment of Kabul city and of the globe.

Highlights

The building industry is one of the most significant greenhouse gas emitters and energy users
The results have shown that less than 30% of sustainability principles are applied to
Considering the lifetime of high- and mid-rise buildings, they need to be audited from a sustainability perspective, and require measures to solve them

Summary

Introduction

The building industry is one of the most significant greenhouse gas emitters and energy users. According to the National Institute of Building Sciences (USA), buildings account for 35% of the carbon dioxide, 49% of the sulfur dioxide, and 25% of the nitrogen oxide found in the air [1]. This fact has imposed the immediate requirement of making buildings more sustainable and energy-efficient. This will render a sustained environment and a healthy ecosystem. In sustainable buildings’ design, careful consideration is given to water, energy, building materials, and waste [2]

Objectives

Results

Conclusion