An Information Model to Facilitate Sustainable Design of Building Projects in the UAE

As urbanization increases in UAE, the demand for housing and infrastructures also grows. The challenge is to continue to build but in a different way considering more energy-efficient sustainable buildings. Producing a sustainable design is highly dependent upon effective participation among the diverse parties involved. In the construction industry in the UAE, these parties are fragmented due to the multistage nature of construction projects and multidisciplinary participants, particularly during the design stage. The decisions made during this stage have an extensive impact on subsequent stages of a project's life cycle. Having a sustainability expert during the design stage is important and the awareness of sustainability requirements by all design participants is of equal importance. In this research, recent advances in information technology are used to develop an information model that will improve the sustainability of building during the design stage. An information framework for storing design information and sustainability performance criteria is developed, allowing design participants to collaborate in an integrated environment. This research is expected to help designers produce sustainable designs for building projects.