Environmental sustainability assessment method for Moroccan residential buildings

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Sustainable Architecture
• Building Performance Evaluation

Background:

• Developing sustainable building practices is crucial for mitigating environmental impact.
• Existing green building rating systems may not fully address local contexts and specific regional challenges.
• Morocco faces unique environmental and climatic conditions necessitating tailored sustainability assessments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a comprehensive sustainability assessment framework for residential buildings in Morocco.
• To create detailed description sheets for 29 subcategories within the environmental dimension of the Moroccan Building Sustainability Assessment Framework (MBSAF(Env)).
• To establish a rating scale and thresholds for assessing the sustainability of new and existing Moroccan residential buildings.

Main Methods:

• Identification of relevant indicators and their potential measures for building sustainability.
• Review of national standards and existing international green building rating systems.
• Expert panel discussions to consolidate criteria, indicators, and assessment thresholds, incorporating climate change adaptation.

Main Results:

• The Moroccan Building Sustainability Assessment Framework for environmental dimensions (MBSAF(Env)) was developed, covering 29 subcategories.
• A rating scale from -1 to 5 points was established for criteria and indicators.
• Thresholds for assessment were identified based on national and international standards, integrating climate change indicators.

Conclusions:

• The MBSAF(Env) provides a robust tool for assessing the environmental sustainability of Moroccan residential buildings.
• The framework is adaptable for both new and existing buildings, considering regional specificities.
• The developed assessment procedure effectively integrates risk management and climate change adaptation into building sustainability evaluations.