Growth and sustainability trends in the buildings sector in the GCC region with particular reference to the KSA and UAE

The building sector in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region is experiencing a rapid expansion owing to factors like economic growth, burgeoning population and modernization. The GCC countries are amongst the highest in the world in terms of per capita energy consumption and environmental emissions. The growth in the building sector is therefore having adverse implications on their energy and environmental scenarios. The article reviews the building sector in the GCC region focusing on two of its most important countries: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and United Arab Emirates (UAE). In terms of ongoing investment in the building sector, population and size of economy, KSA and UAE have a collective share of 72%, 80% and 79% respectively in the entire GCC region. The article provides an insight into the policies and practices in the developed countries towards sustainable buildings. In order to drive their building sector towards a sustainable future, the present work recommends that given the wide ranging close ties between the GCC countries, European Union׳s joint action on sustainable development - as is reflected from the 20-20-20 target, a set of legal binding to seek: a 20% reduction in EU greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 levels; raising the share of EU energy consumption produced from renewable resources to 20%; a 20% improvement in the EU׳s energy efficiency - can be an interesting model to be considered.