An interview with Andrew Michler, LEED AP for Sustainable Design & Construction Saudi Arabia

1.
AN INTERVIEW WITH
ANDREW MICHLER
LEED AP | A SMARTER BUILDING
BAOSOL
&
eVolo MAGAZINE
For
Interview conducted by:
All opinions and statements in this interview are of the interviewee themselves and do not reflect the
opinion(s) of IQPC and/ or its personnel.

2. 1) IQPC: What is the current perception of sustainable construction in the Middle East –
particularly Saudi Arabia – among experts and solution providers in the West?
AM: Construction in the Middle East has been growing at a breakneck pace for the last decade
but happily, state‐of‐the‐art sustainable design has been a part of this growth. Many western
companies have seen a slowdown in building in their native countries and have been grateful to
be involved in developing groundbreaking design for Saudi Arabian projects.
What is taking place is site‐specific design using a global knowledge base. Two projects that
exemplify this are the LEED platinum King Abdullah University of Science and Technology and
the Wadi Hanifa Wetlands, which runs through Riyadh, and will help maintain the local water
resource for many years. Both projects are partnerships between local groups and Western
companies, and both have garnered world acclaim in 2010 for their sustainable design and
impact.
2) IQPC: In your experience, is the private sector more receptive to sustainable construction than
the public sector? By this we mean both in terms of projects by both sectors as well as enforcing
of regulations, if any.
AM: The private sector has long been the primary agent of change in the building industry with
leaders and designers who had the vision to provide a new frame‐work for building design.
Cutting‐edge design and risk‐taking is primarily driven by private groups. The success of
sustainable building standards such as the LEED system though has been very dependent on the
public sector to both implement and mature. Given the scale and central decision making nature
of governments, the green building market has been more insulated from the larger building
market’s ebb and flow, which is critical for private enterprise to make long term investments.
Ultimately sustainable construction is guided by a robust public/private partnership in which
both parties are willing to take risks to benefit from a healthy and well invested population.
3) IQPC: Is there a concerted effort in Middle Eastern and other major governments to inculcate
knowledge about renewable energy and sustainable construction from the grass‐roots level by
starting to educate the younger generation about this necessary sector? Do you see any
hindrances on this front?
AM: Most governments at this point are spotty in their assertion for renewable energy and
sustainable building as complex sociological and financial issues cloud a concise message to their
younger populations. None‐the‐less sustainable technologies and construction are the fastest
growing sectors in many colleges and demand is forcing institutional and leadership responses.
As young Middle Eastern designers and builders see the immense renewable energy resources
of solar for instance they will demand access to the technologies and jobs which entail its
implementation.
All opinions and statements in this interview are of the interviewee themselves and do not reflect the
opinion(s) of IQPC and/ or its personnel.

3.
When we speak about sustainability we are really talking about a massive generational shift. The
implementation of education on sustainable infrastructure will need to engage the entire cross
section of a young population regardless of race, class or gender to be effective.
4) IQPC: How do you see sustainable construction having a positive effect on the Middle East’s
emerging economies?
AM: Sustainable development and construction is being embraced for a multitude of reasons:
health, energy & water security and quality. For a company whose greatest costs are payroll, for
instance, a building that has great IEQ (indoor environmental quality) will immediately see an
increase in employee productivity, with a resulting edge in the marketplace. For a desert region,
water and peak energy load are major long term issues that sustainable building addresses in a
substantial way. The standard of living for a growing population will be based in large part on
how they allocate their resources. They can create buildings that actually provide resources for a
community rather than take from it.
A concerted effort in sustainable development can result in an entire region creating an
economic super‐cluster based on its investment.
5) IQPC: Sustainable construction cannot have the desired effect on an economy’s stability unless it
is accompanied by concerted efforts to also implement renewable energy alternatives. Would
you agree with this statement? Is this becoming a reality on the ground?
AM: Renewable energy production technologies can often be centralized or distributed, but by
their nature buildings and developments are only distributed, meaning that efficiency gains can
be only provided at the source. A flattened peak energy demand presented by sustainable
building is utterly necessary to implement broad use of renewables. Energy efficiency is the
lowest cost of all infrastructures in simple payback when first built but become increasingly
difficult to achieve with existing buildings. As more renewable energy sources come online they
will need an adequate infrastructure capable of properly using the energy when produced.
While much attention has been paid to renewable energy it is only viable when the overall
consumption of fossil‐fuel based energy is reduced and infrastructure can properly use it. Wind
energy for instance has already saturated certain markets which then have to sell the energy at
a loss or shut the turbines down, so a balance of supply and demand is critical for economic
stability.
This interview was conducted for the Cost‐Effective Sustainable Design & Construction Saudi Arabia 2011 conference which takes
place from 13 ‐ 16 March, 2011 at the Riyadh Marriott Hotel, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
For more information on the event or to register, and to download more exclusive content, visit
www.sustainableconstructionsaudi.com or email us on enquiry@iqpc.ae. Alternatively, you may call us on +971 4 364 2975.
All opinions and statements in this interview are of the interviewee themselves and do not reflect the
opinion(s) of IQPC and/ or its personnel.