Developing a framework for assessing sustainability of tall-building projects

The main goal of this research is to develop a Sustainability Rating System‟ that specialised for tall-building projects. The System can be used as a managing tool to compare and improve the sustainability features of tall-building design schemes; or can be used to evaluate the sustainability of existing tall-building projects. The name of the System is: TPSI – Tall-building Projects Sustainability Indicator. The TPSI Rating System comprises of two components: the Technical Manual‟ (in form of a booklet) and the Calculator‟ (in form of an Excel tool). The users will claim credits‟ for their tall-building project by demonstrating compliance with the assessment criteria that are detailed in the Technical Manual.‟ The achieved credits will be inputted into the Calculator‟ accordingly. The Calculator‟ will then produce assessment results in form of ratings (percentage), charts, graphs, and issues checklist. The market place of the design and construction of high performance buildings is dynamic and evolving. Professionals throughout the building industry use assessment/rating systems to evaluate and differentiate their products or designs. After more than 20 years of development, sustainability rating systems have become inevitable, as sustainable development is now the global trend. Among the extensive development of hundreds of rating tools, tall-buildings' sustainability evaluation is a neglected area. As there is no specialised rating system for tall-buildings so far, most of the existing systems are used for all type of projects, which causes major inappropriateness and inaccuracy. This research aims to improve the quality of tall-buildings' sustainability assessment activities by filling these gaps in the new developed system. It is expected to be an original and practical contribution to the development of sustainable architecture in general and tall-building sustainable design in particular; as well as other academic, social and commercial benefits.