Date of Award

7-17-2025

Thesis Type

Masters

Document Type

Thesis

Divisions

Faculty of Engineering

Department

Department of Civil Engineering

Institution

Universiti Malaya

Abstract

In Saudi Arabia, public school buildings are largely constructed using outdated materials and conventional methods, contributing to high energy consumption and unsustainable CO₂ emissions. More than 70% of these buildings lack thermal insulation compliant with the Saudi Building Code, and HVAC loads alone account for up to 80% of their total energy use. Compounding this issue is the limited adoption of Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), which restricts the country’s progress toward achieving its Vision 2030 sustainability goals. This research addresses these challenges by proposing a BIM-LCA framework tailored to the Saudi context, using a Medina school as a representative case study. A framework of simulation tools, including Revit, DIALux, HAP, PVSYST, Tally, and ETABS, was applied to optimise energy systems, material use, and design. As a result, DIALux reduced lighting demand by 44.99%, HAP lowered HVAC-related CO₂ by 42%, and PVSYST showed solar PV could offset 6,524 tons of CO₂ over the building’s lifecycle. Structural optimisation and the use of 50% slag in concrete cut embodied carbon by 31.5%, as confirmed by Tally LCA. Overall, the building’s total lifetime emissions were reduced from 14.62 million kg CO₂ to 3.14 million kg CO₂, a 11.79 million kg reduction. These findings validate the proposed framework’s potential to transform school design and the early construction stage in Saudi Arabia by shifting design priority to supporting low-carbon construction, renewable energy adoption, and data-driven sustainability, aligned with LEED principles and national code and Vision 2030 energy objectives.

Initial

khm

Additional Information

Thesis (M.A.) - Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaya, 2025.

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