Resilience and Sustainability Assessment of Alternative Structural Materials

Sustainability assessment (SA) is undoubtedly among the most complex ways of appraisal techniques. It entails multidisciplinary aspects of environment, social, economic and value-based elements. In the recent past, assessing sustainability of materials in construction has become widespread especially in product appraisals. According to Grafakos, Ensenado, and Flamos (2017), sustainability refers to meeting the needs of the current population without affecting or risking the ability of future population to meet their needs. While sustainable materials have been the dominant subject and most preferred for a long time in the construction industry, recent studies have revealed the need to determine the resilience of the sustainable materials. In this case, resilience refers to the ability to bounce back after a tragedy. In other words, it relates to the immediate response of a material and the process of recovery after a disaster (Sala, Ciuffo, and Nijkamp, 2015). With Saudi Arabia being among the leading countries that use alternative structural materials, the need for resilience assessment and sustainability assessment of the materials can only be underscored. Therefore, the circles sustainability and resilience framework will be used to carry out resilience assessment and sustainability assessment.

The framework will examine the resilience and sustainability of alternative structural materials by examining the gaps of the existing frameworks, addressing them and applying the modified framework in the Saudi Arabias context. Saudi Arabia is a unique context due to the high temperatures recorded in urban areas as well as the rapidly increasing population. The table below illustrates the framework which will focus on both domestic and commercial structures. Specifically, the framework will assess the following aspects:

Quality of indoor environment

Energy efficiency

Waste management

Economic aspects

Cultural aspects

Pollution

Site management

Water efficiency

Life cycle of the material and Serviceability

Table 1 Resilience sustainability aspects

Quality of indoor environment Energy efficiency Waste management Economic aspects Cultural aspects Pollution Site management Water efficiency Serviceability

Noise and sound proof Level of need for HVAC system Solid waste management Construction costs Effect on customs Level of greenhouse gasses emissions Contamination of site Water consumption Renewable or Non-renewable

Quality of lighting CO2 emission level Recyclable levels Operation and maintenance costs Ability to provide safety to men and women Fire resistance Mitigation of environmental effects Ability to harvest rain water Functionality, usability, and Environmental impact

Aeration Need for secondary lighting at daytime Management of construction waste Life cycle cost Adherent to Islam religion Protection from sandstorms Protection of biodiversity Durability and Reliability

Thermal insulation Watercourse pollution Support to transport links Flexibility and adaptability

These factors both encompass resilience and sustainability. However, some factors focus more on resilience or sustainability than others. Nonetheless, it is important to understand that resilience and sustainability are inseparable especially in Saudi Arabia, an environment that is uniquely different from other construction environments globally.

All the factors used in the framework will be weighted and the total weight weighting will be used to show the level of resilience sustainability of the material. However, different factors have different weighting depending on their significance and severity of their impacts.

The Need for Resilience Sustainability in Saudi Arabia

Undoubtedly, Saudi Arabia is one of the driest countries in the world. The hot and dry conditions of the regions make it almost impossible to live. In addition, the absence of reliable water sources such as lakes and rivers exacerbate the situation. It has been noted that the harsh climate conditions, unfavorable topography, and inadequate water supply has for a long acted as a barrier to community development and the development of cities in large. However, the countrys leadership has enabled the region to benefit from oil revenues which has in turn significantly changed the living patterns to adopt those of modern, luxurious, and high energy consuming lifestyles (Aljarboua, 2009).

In the recent past, Saudi Arabias administration ahs engaged in a large scale and ambitious construction development program. This program has been marked by replacement of conventional architectural styles that widely use reinforced concrete composites (Taleb and Sharples, 2011). That transformation has necessitated development of new construction materials, vast energy sources, water supply, sewage and drainage systems, among others (Al-Al jlan et al., 2006) to ensure the realization of structures that are connected to necessary utility networks.

Currently, the construction sector of Saudi Arabia has used a lot of natural resources. In fact, Al-Sanea et al. (2012)s study shows that more than 60% of the countrys energy is consumed by the building industry. therefore, conventional construction materials and methods have a huge impact on the environment and the excessive use of energy. This trend is not sustainable. According to statistics, the peak amount of electricity used in 1975 was 300 MW. In 2007, this amount had increased to 34,953 MW. It is predicted that

References

Grafakos, S., Ensenado, E.M. and Flamos, A., 2017. Developing an integrated sustainability and resilience framework of indicators for the assessment of low-carbon energy technologies at the local level. International Journal of Sustainable Energy, 36(10), pp.945-971.

Sala, S., Ciuffo, B. and Nijkamp, P., 2015. A systemic framework for sustainability assessment. Ecological Economics, 119, pp.314-325.

Al-Sanea, S. A., Zedan, M. F. & Al-Hussain, S. N. 2012. E_ect of thermal mass on performance of insulated building walls and the concept of energy savings potential. Applied Energy, 89, 430-442.

Aljarboua, Z. 2009. The National Energy Strategy for Saudi Arabia. World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology 57.

Al-Ajlan, S. A., Al-Ibrahim, A. M., Abdulkhaleq, M. & AlghamdI, F. 2006. Developing sustainable energy policies for electrical energy conservation in Saudi Arabia. Energy Policy, 34, 1556-1565.

Taleb, H. M. & Sharples, S. 2011. Developing sustainable residential buildings in Saudi Arabia: A case study. Applied Energy, 88, 383-391.