Sustainable Building Program

The Sustainable Building Program is one of the initiatives under the Housing Program, supervised by the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing. It aims to achieve sustainability standards in residential and commercial buildings and community neighborhoods, increase the homeownership rate among citizens, enhance energy and water efficiency, and improve quality of life. The program relies on three fundamental pillars: environment, economy, and society.

The Sustainable Building Program aims to reduce the operating and maintenance costs of real estate units, enhance quality of life standards in buildings and communities, reduce environmental pollution and carbon emissions, and improve the quality of residential and commercial buildings and communities.

The Sustainable Building Program offers several services, including: sustainability assessments for residential and commercial buildings, and communities, as well as quality inspection pathway. Some of the features of the sustainability assessment system include recognizing geographical differences and allowing for regional priority setting, reducing water waste by using recycled alternative water for irrigation, focusing on local culture and prioritizing local design, emphasizing priority themes for Saudi Vision 2030 such as energy, water, human health, and comfort, and adapting to the local climate and environmental characteristics of the Kingdom. It also includes energy efficiency measures such as careful selection of windows, good insulation to maintain temperature, and using clean energy for heating and cooling. Additionally, it supports the Saudi economy and employment by rewarding projects that use local materials and services, enhances human health by improving indoor air quality, provides suitable environments for physical activity, and reduces carbon dioxide emissions.

The Sustainable Building Program evaluates projects based on the total points they achieve. There are five levels of assessment: (Diamond, Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Green).