Sustainability and green building rating systems: LEED, BREEAM, GSAS and Estidama critical analysis

In the built environment, a green building rating system provides the project team a framework and a tool to help achieving a better sustainable development. The research presents how Green Building Rating Systems (GBRSs) are environmental-oriented tools and should not be confused with Sustainability Assessment Systems; the latter is defined by the sustainability three pillars; environmental, social and economic. Achieving a green building certification does not necessarily mean that the building succeeded in achieving its environmental targets. The financial-driven and prescriptive implementation of GBRS are reasons behind a masked sustainability outcome. This paper presents an objective analysis between two internationally applied GBRSs; LEED and BREEAM, and two particularly developed for the gulf region; Estidama and GSAS. Those four systems are analyzed with respects to them addressing and prioritizing the sustainability pillars. The study also quantitatively discusses the credit weighting given by these systems, focusing on energy and water criteria. Limitations: of GBRSs' application and possible areas of improvement have been highlighted, such as climate change adaptability and the importance of sustainable communities and cities trend. The aim is to help designers and construction stakeholders in defining the development sustainability targets and objectives, without compromising on the local context and regional agenda.