Sustainability Development Goals

7.2.1: Energy-Efficient Renovation and New Buildings' Policies

KAU has an energy-related policy for ensuring all renovations of old buildings, where all development of new buildings, is based on energy efficient and sustainability standards. Therefore, KAU has a special center, the Center of Excellence for Research in Renewable Energy and Power Systems, which deals with all renewable energy-related items. This policy is reviewed on yearly basis by the center in coordination with other stakeholders of this area like the General Administration for Studies and Designs, and the Ecological Construction Unit.

The General Administration for Studies and Designs

To serve this goal, KAU has created "The General Administration for Studies and Designs" which seeks to be a pilot house in the management of the studies, designs and development of university cities through the application of modern technical standards and specifications to serve the scientific and academic process and the effective application of quality management systems so that quality becomes an integral part of the daily practices and are up to the requirements and expectations of the beneficiaries and support decision-making and contribute to the achievement of the strategic objectives of the administration.

“Towards the creation of a healthy, attractive and sustainable university environment using rational resources”, is the message of the General Administration for Studies and Designs at King Abdulaziz University.

The administration is:

committed to provide an appropriate working environment and activate the principle of participation and effective contribution.
is keen to implement and develop the quality management system according to international standards ISO 9001: 2008, by self-monitoring and administrative follow-up and periodic review of quality objectives.

Its Mission:

The impact of the environment, which is based on shaping the lives of people, goes beyond the material dimension, directly touching the efficiency of performance, leading to the stimulation of creative thinking that contributes to the advancement of nations. From here, its mission is to plan the future of KAU campus and its branches in order to provide an ideal educational, research and practical sustainable environment through future facilities or to rehabilitate and upgrade existing facilities and infrastructure in order to preserve the environment sustainability.

The Ecological Construction Unit

It is not new in the world, but it is, in the Arab world and the Gulf countries, that most cities are now required to obtain prior authorization before constructing any multi-story building, using specifications that affect more than 70 elements and substances like building, part of the waste elimination or reduction systems, the useful life of the building, the quality of the materials, the type of insulating glass & insulating materials, and providing lighting products that do not raise heat such as bulbs, for the sake of obtaining a comfortable indoor environment with the lowest energy costs, saving on electricity consumption.

Relevant Standards in this Area

KAU established a construction policy for the renovation of facilities and new buildings. The purpose of the construction policy for the renovation of facilities and new buildings, is the intelligent design of buildings that implement renewable energy, natural ventilation and lighting, and green building elements to increase energy efficiency in the university buildings.

In this sense, KAU has already implemented various international green/energy-efficient-related standards like the below.

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