A Decade In The Making: Studying Indoor Environmental Quality in LEED-certified Projects in Jordan

Genell Ebbini

It has been almost exactly ten years since the U.S. Green Building Council’s “Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design” (LEED) green buildings rating system was adopted as an official standard of sustainable construction in Jordan. To evaluate the impacts of the LEED certification program, a team of researchers, industry practitioners, and members of the Jordan Green Building Council came together in 2017 to conduct a study of the program’s implementation. We examined the extent of industry “buy-in” for obtaining LEED certification, conducted localized cost/benefit analyses of sustainable materials and practices, examined relevant attitudes and cultural challenges, and developed suggestions for incentives that will help to hasten Jordan’s shift toward green construction.

The author of the current paper was a primary member of this research team, focusing specifically on the Indoor Environmental Quality (EQ) aspect of LEED certification. We conducted extensive field research encompassing all projects in Jordan that have attempted to receive LEED EQ credits, as well as a broader analysis of market conditions and industry concerns. The study methods included interviews and surveys of practitioners, as well as an analytical review of financial materials and certification documents. By applying these methods we sought to understand attitudes, priorities, and barriers (perceived and real) toward green certification, the decision-making processes of project owners, and the central economic issues. The study also included an in-depth review of the previous market analysis and recommendations outlined in 2011 by the Jordan Green Building Council.

The analysis indicated that LEED EQ credits can in fact be feasibly attained in Jordan, and that the financial cost/benefit merits of these practices are largely positive within the current market and incentive structure. However, despite this feasibility there was still a very low level of buy-in and interest in industry for attempting to achieve LEED EQ certification. The primary barriers, which were only partially identified in the previous 2011 study, seemed to be sociological and cultural in nature. We concluded that a stronger focus is needed on capacity building in terms of changing attitudes and outlooks, particularly in overcoming a deeply embedded lack of concern for the significance of indoor environmental quality on human health and well-being (a significance that has been well-documented by empirical research).

These findings may reflect a larger trend in which industry has yet to catch up with the incipient human-centric framework in sustainability standards. Jordan became an important regional leader when it surged to the forefront of sustainable development ten years ago, particularly in the area of energy-efficient building performance. Since that time, however, LEED certification and the broader green building movement have expanded to incorporate an additional emphasis on human health and well-being, particularly through an increased focus on indoor environmental quality. These human-centric factors are expected to continue to increase in importance for LEED certification over the upcoming decades, and there will be important work to do in helping practitioners to learn about the need for prioritizing the health and wellbeing of building occupants as an intrinsic part of green construction.

These are learning objectives

1. Analyze how cultural point-of-view may shape the pursuit of knowledge, including theories, methods, and practice.
2. Enhance the value of implementing sustainability metrics in the built environment through research emphasized through culture, behavior, and practices.
3. Build an awareness and respect for local knowledge contributed by cross-disciplinary and international research partnerships
4. Identify challenges of implementing Indoor Environmental Quality (EQ) aspect of LEED certification.

Ebbini is an Assistant Professor in the College of Design at the University of Minnesota. She explores built environments that are environmentally responsive and healthy using evidence-based design and sustainable ideologies predicated on systems thinking.