The Secretary-General of the Saudi Green Building Forum, Engineer Faisal Al-Fadl, confirmed in an exclusive statement to the newspaper “Amlak Real Estate” that the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Initiative for Green Buildings, overseen by the Forum, has made remarkable progress in establishing and spreading the culture and concept of green buildings, thanks to the significant efforts the Forum has consistently made through its various activities, Al-Fadl added that since the initiative’s launch in 2010, the Forum has been committed to fulfilling its duty toward all sectors involved in construction by keeping them informed of the latest developments in green buildings.
Regarding the definition of green buildings, Engineer Al-Fadl explained that they are buildings that are energy- and resource-efficient and environmentally responsible, adding that they take into account design, construction methods, and operational practices that significantly reduce or eliminate the negative environmental impacts of construction, while at the same time maintaining a healthy environment for their occupants.
In his interview with ”Amlak,” Engineer Al-Fadl discussed the role of the Saudi Green Building Forum, which is to promote and facilitate the adoption of green buildings in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by raising public awareness, providing training and education, assisting the construction sector in transitioning toward green buildings, and encouraging building material manufacturers and suppliers to produce and supply environmentally responsible products, and adapting, developing, and implementing a green building rating system that meets local environmental requirements while taking international best practices into account.
In an interactive engagement with the public, the Forum’s official and verified Twitter account surveyed participants" opinions on their level of knowledge about green buildings, The survey revealed that 60% respondents agreed that green buildings are only those buildings and neighborhoods certified by the Saudi and American councils, while 30% believed they were buildings designed in specific ways, featuring extensive landscaping, planting, and hanging flowers—indicating that the concept of green buildings, while 5% of participants identified them as buildings painted green.
It is worth noting that the Saudi Green Building Forum is a non-governmental, non-profit endowment foundation with independent legal personality and financial autonomy that promotes employment and investment opportunities in green building and sustainability projects aimed at developing the construction sector, and serves as a professional reference that certifies green workers, projects, services, and products that are people- and environment-friendly to protect consumers, in light of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s efforts to emphasize the importance of self-sufficiency in natural resources, reduce consumption, adopt clean energy, and recycle water , and the use of local, people- and environment-friendly building and construction materials to foster the prosperity of the local economy in the service of the nation. The Forum focuses on cultural, economic, and urban aspects and seeks to preserve Saudi identity and environmental heritage to mitigate the negative impacts of urban development, thereby protecting and strengthening the foundations of sustainable development and the green economy for the sake of human and environmental security, safety, and health for generations to come, with the aim of empowering its members—including scholars, writers, engineers, specialists, businesspeople, and institutions—to achieve optimal solutions, raise performance standards, and encourage creativity, innovation, and investment in green building technologies to strengthen efforts to transfer and localize knowledge-based economy industries in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The Forum’s Secretary General explained in an exclusive statement to Emlak newspaper, ”Forum members are discussing on social media their surprise at what some investors are doing—painting their existing and historic buildings green—either out of sympathy or based on the assumption that ‘green buildings’ are simply buildings painted green, in line with the characteristics of ‘green buildings’.”
