Green building - also known as sustainable or high performance building - is the practice of:

• Increasing the efficiency with which buildings and their sites use and harvest energy, water, and materials; and
• Protecting and restoring human health and the environment, throughout the building life-cycle: siting, design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation and deconstruction.

A green building is a structure that is environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout its life-cycle. These objectives expand and complement the classical building design concerns of economy, utility, durability, and comfort.

Green buildings are designed to reduce the overall impact of the built environment on human health and the natural environment by:

• Efficiently using energy, water, and other resources
• Protecting occupant health and improving employee productivity
• Reducing waste, pollution and environment degradation

The built environment has a vast impact on the natural environment, human health, and the economy. By adopting green building strategies, we can maximize both economic and environmental performance. Green construction methods can be integrated into buildings at any stage, from design and construction, to renovation and deconstruction. However, the most significant benefits can be obtained if the design and construction team takes an integrated approach from the earliest stages of a building project. Potential benefits of green building can include:

Environmental Benefits

• Enhance and protect biodiversity and ecosystems
• Improve air and water quality
• Reduce waste streams
• Conserve and restore natural resources

Economic Benefits

• Reduce operating costs
• Create, expand, and shape markets for green product and services
• Improve occupant productivity
• Optimize life-cycle economic performance

Social Benefits

• Enhance occupant comfort and health
• Heighten aesthetic qualities
• Minimize strain on local infrastructure
• Improve overall quality of life

Good green buildings often cost only a few percentage points or no more to build than conventional designs. Integrated design processes that identify the most efficient, holistic approaches to building green can reduce these initial costs. For example, in some cases, when buildings are carefully designed to be energy efficient, heating/ventilation/air conditioning (HVAC) equipment can be downsized for significant savings. There are also many green products and materials that cost the same or even less than conventional ones.

The LEED green building certification program is an internationally recognized system for providing third-party verification that a building or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at improving performance across all the metrics that matter most: energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts. LEED is an acronym that stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. LEED is transforming the marketplace by providing a recognized certification system to promote integrated, whole-building design practices in the building industry. Learn more about the suite of LEED rating systems at http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CategoryID=19

As part of the World Green Building Council (WGBC), the Jordan GBC has identified different types of membership as follows:

Full Membership:

Open to members who want to benefit from all the services offered by the Jordan GBC and their businesses are directly related to the Green Built environment.

Associate Membership:

Open to members who get an abbreviated list of benefits from the Jordan GBC at no charge. They do not have voting power; these members are supporters and they do not have businesses directly related to the Green Built environment. Associate members include students and supporters who are keen on the idea of Green Buildings from an environmental and ethical stand point and who want to help without truly being a beneficiary from the Green Built cluster.

Honorary Membership:

Open to members who have supported the Jordan GBC and the Green Built environment in Jordan. They do not pay the membership fee nor do they pay for any of the benefits and services. They also do NOT have voting rights.

** Full Membership is opened to both individuals and businesses. Associate and Honorary Memberships will be open only to individuals.

In order to establish a membership for your company, you must first establish a primary point of contact. The primary contact will receive communication from JordanGBC and are encouraged to share relevant information. Please, fill out the application form and submit it to membership@jordangbc.org

Jordan GBC has Four standing committees that are identified as corner stones in supporting the operation of the Council and considered to be a major resource for pioneer green ideas:

• Technical Development Committee
• Education Committee
• Awareness, Communication and Outreach Committee
• Membership and Networking Committee

Our Committees are headed by board members and each committee holds regular meetings normally every other week (evening) and meets in whatever venue members see fit. Kindly review the list of committees, check the link http://www.jordangbc.org/committees to learn more. Once you identify the committee/s of interest in, kindly contact: membership@jordangbc.org

You can donate time, services and money. All donations will support JordanGBC’s mission to introduce, promote and advocate for appropriate green building concepts and practices in the Jordanian building & construction sector. Thank you for your interest and commitment to JordanGBC. To know more kindly contact: jordangbc@jordangbc.org or call +962 6 5520893