The Process of Adapting a Sustainable Building Assessment Method Worldwide: SEAM, A Case Study

Abstract

The evolution of sustainable assessment tools created a competition amongst well-known tools toward international use. However, practical evidence shows that regional and sociocultural variations have been a strong obstacle to the direct use of those sustainable assessment tools. Hence this paper proposes to determine the applicable methodology supporting the adaptation of a sustainable building assessment method for any given region. The adaptation of the Saudi Environmental Assessment Method (SEAM) is taken in this paper as a subject of actual development. Because sustainable assessment tools involve multi-dimensional criteria, a mixed-methodology approach is used in conducting this study, given that the Delphi technique (DT) and analytical hierarchy process (AHP) have a proven record of reaching consensus by a panel of experts. Therefore, DT and AHP have been conducted; involving leading global experts in the domain of environmental and sustainable assessment schemes, as well as professionals and highly informed local experts from academia, government, and industry. The result shows that international sustainable assessment tools are not fully applicable to the Saudi built environment, as reflected in the development of a new building environmental and sustainability assessment scheme (SEAM).