LEED Scores of Residential Buildings in Poor Cities: Kabul City Case

Najib Rahman Sabory, Tomonobo Senjyu, Adina Hashemi Momand, Hadya Waqfi, Nilofar Saboor, Rabia Mobarez and Farida Razeqi
Additional contact information
Najib Rahman Sabory: Department of Energy Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Kabul University, Kabul 1004, Afghanistan
Tomonobo Senjyu: Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa 903-0213, Japan
Adina Hashemi Momand: Department of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering, Kabul University, Kabul 1004, Afghanistan
Hadya Waqfi: Department of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering, Kabul University, Kabul 1004, Afghanistan
Nilofar Saboor: Department of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering, Kabul University, Kabul 1004, Afghanistan
Rabia Mobarez: Department of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering, Kabul University, Kabul 1004, Afghanistan
Farida Razeqi: Department of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering, Kabul University, Kabul 1004, Afghanistan

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 12, 1-20

Abstract: Urbanization and technology have proven to be detrimental to the environment. Buildings contribute a significant portion of this damage. This issue motivated governments, builders, engineers, and architects to seek ways to reduce buildings’ environmental footprints. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), is one of the most widely used strategies to ensure energy efficiency and a clean environment in buildings. In Afghanistan, where there are no active regulatory frameworks for energy saving and efficiency for the building sector, it is imperative to promote the transformation of the building industry and practices towards sustainability. In this regard, the role of the residential building sector is of utmost importance due to its major share in the country’s energy consumption and GHG emissions profile. Thus, this study assesses the energy efficiency and environmental impact of existing buildings in Kabul city concerning the LEED rating system. This research suggests practical steps to improve the sustainability of the residential building stock in Kabul city. Robust sets of data on existing residential buildings in Kabul are collected, classified, evaluated, and compared to LEED standards. This research reveals and concludes that most of the existing buildings in Kabul city are in poor conditions and do not meet the minimum requirements to be a candidate for LEED certification. A detailed analysis of the results has led to recommendations on how these buildings could improve to meet the LEED criteria. This is the first study of its kind conducted for Kabul city residential building. Considering the cross-sectoral nature of the building industry, the findings of this study will contribute to many other areas such as water, transportation, ICT, health, energy and the environment.

Keywords: Kabul city; residential buildings; LEED; sustainability; green buildings (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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