Health and well-being are vitally important aspects of people centric building design and are the roots of productivity. Sick building syndrome (SBS) is a collection of factors that can negatively affect physical health in several ways. Besides physical health is also related to psychological well-being because the human body is one interactive biological system. This paper focuses on reviewing the current state of knowledge on building sickness syndrome which has been prevalent as a building illness since the 1970s especially in offices and schools. While the concepts of intelligent, smart and sustainable buildings have gained considerable attention during recent decades, there is now increasing attention being given to designing healthy buildings. This study provides a review about SBS symptoms. Several negative effects of SBS are identified and potential solutions are advocated. Finally, the study stresses the role of built environment and concludes that ongoing research towards tackling SBS and developing healthy indoor environments should not be limited to a single formula as any health-related building design approach is dependent on several interacting factors.

Over the past few decades, Oman is experiencing a rapid economic growth associated with the flourishing and maturity of the oil production. The construction sector has seen to be the primary beneficiary with the blooming of many new infrastructure projects that serves the rapid urban development. In line with the booming awareness of the sustainable development of its neighboring countries, many proactive actions from the government and professional bodies attempts to introduce the sustainability concept to the industry. However, the lack of evidence on sustainability progress suggests that these values are not yet at the top of the construction industry agenda.This paper reviews the current application of sustainability in the construction industry in Oman. Informative challenges and opportunities have been identified through market surveys and a qualitative observational research method of current eco-house construction project conducted by Sultan Qaboos University within a competition initiated by the research council in Oman. The proposed recommendations of this study shall help promoting and improving the sustainability application in the Omani construction practices in the future