The architecture of Al-Ula Heritage Village offers valuable lessons for sustainable strategies adaptable to contemporary architecture. By studying the green strategies employed in Al-Ula Heritage Village, insights into heritage villages’ future preservation and ecological development are gained. This study investigates Al-Ula’s historical buildings’ environmental, cultural, and social sustainable strategies. Ecological design principles include preserving natural conditions, urban design, site planning, and human comfort. Cultural considerations incorporate embracing change, integrating sustainable design strategies, protecting cultural heritage, engaging the community, and leveraging digital preservation tools. Social sustainability involves preserving cultural heritage, community engagement, and promoting social cohesion. A comprehensive conceptual framework for environmental, cultural, and social sustainability is developed and employed. Primary data from the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities and the existing literature on traditional Saudi vernacular architecture are utilized. The findings highlight the effectiveness of ancient design strategies such as topography preservation, non-disturbance of natural hydraulic processes, and the integration of open spaces. Urban design principles like mixed-use development, pollution reduction, and human comfort considerations are prevalent. The study outcomes emphasize the importance of cultural and social considerations. The study concludes that green architecture can be achieved through the thoughtful adaptation of traditional techniques, demonstrating how sustainable design rooted in historical practices can serve as a model for future developments.

Sustainable building design has gained global significance as a strategy to address environmental challenges and promote healthier living spaces. This concept is particularly relevant in Saudi Arabia, where there is a growing emphasis on integrating sustainable practices into the design and operation of buildings, especially in educational settings. Amidst the global push for sustainability in workplaces, this study’s core lies in assessing and comparing the satisfaction levels with the indoor environmental quality (IEQ) of a Saudi Arabian higher education building against those in international green buildings, considering factors that comprise thermal comfort, air quality, lighting, acoustic quality, office arrangement, furnishings, cleanliness, and maintenance. Employing the Center for the Built Environment (CBE) IEQ survey tool, a comprehensive study was conducted among the building’s occupants. A literature review and benchmarking studies complemented this to gather data on international green buildings. This study aims to assess and compare the satisfaction levels with the IEQ of a Saudi Arabian higher education building against international green buildings. The comparative analysis aims to expose the commonalities and differences in satisfaction levels, exploring how various factors influence overall satisfaction with the IEQ. The research found that there is overall satisfaction with the IEQ parameters of the building under investigation, except with two parameters: acoustics and thermal comfort. The building is generally in alignment with the IEQ of international buildings. This research is presumed to contribute significantly to sustainability initiatives in educational buildings, fostering a healthier and more sustainable workplace environment.

This review investigates the role of windcatchers in modern architecture, exploring their optimization through the integration of traditional designs with contemporary technologies. Historically utilized in hot and arid climates for passive cooling, windcatchers offer energy-efficient solutions for improving indoor air quality (IAQ). This study examines the sustainability of traditional windcatcher designs and their relevance in preserving heritage structures. Using advanced tools like computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling, modern adaptations of windcatchers can be optimized for urban environments. This review also explores hybrid systems, combining windcatchers with solar chimneys, evaporative cooling, or heat pumps, to enhance performance in low-wind conditions by balancing natural and mechanical ventilation. Additionally, it addresses the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in heritage planning, facilitating the design and integration of windcatchers into contemporary architecture. The findings suggest that windcatchers, combined with modern design strategies and hybrid systems, continue to be viable and sustainable solutions for passive cooling, contributing to energy-efficient and climate-resilient buildings across different environmental and urban contexts.

Saudi Cities along with their equivalents in Middle Eastern countries are currently undergoing unprecedented development leading to an urban expansion that required a technological revolution to manipulate the complexity of urban data and ensure sustainable urban Governance. Political Visions in these countries aim to promote urban sustainability in its inclusive aspect through developing urban governance strategies that help monitoring their blooming megacities. In this Matter Urban observatories as interactive exhibits aiming to make the world's urban data both understandable and useful play a key role in compiling multilayered forms of information to bring up-to-date consistent data-based urban shreds of evidence utilized by decision-makers to promote in a generic perspective the identification, documentation, and classification of the urban actuality's complexities lived by middle eastern cities inhabitants and make the relevant data reachable in a comprehensive process. The Paper outlines the importance of Urban Observatories in controlling the Urban data complexity in the Middle East through a succinct review of scientific papers, reports, and investigations showcasing the recent progress accomplished in this field and summarizes the funding of the selected literature relevant to this particularly significant topic. We aim to synthesize the knowledge, Identify the new urban data trends, and highlight the cutting-edge revolutionary technologies to be able to contextually evaluate The Urban Observatories' data systems applied in the Middle Eastern region. We intend to set out targets to eventually enhance the UO performance and sustain the Saudi Leadership in Urban data control and Governance. Then, we will provide a roadmap for future technological integration in urban studies.

This study investigates the adoption and impact of LEED certification in Saudi Arabia, aligning with the nation’s Vision 2030 goals for sustainability and environmental stewardship. It analyzes trends over the past decade, focusing on certification growth, building types, rating levels (Certified, Silver, Gold, Platinum), and regional distribution. Data were collected from public directories and official LEED databases to identify patterns and driving factors. Findings reveal a consistent increase in LEED-certified projects, predominantly in major cities such as Riyadh, Jeddah, and the Eastern Province. Commercial and institutional buildings lead in certification, with a noticeable rise in Platinum-level projects. The study concludes that LEED certification is increasingly influencing sustainable urban development in the Kingdom. The insights provided can support policymakers, planners, and developers in advancing green building initiatives and promoting environmentally responsible construction practices across Saudi Arabia.

This study examines the gap concerning occupants’ perceived thermal comfort and objectively measured indoor conditions in a green university building in Riyadh. The purpose is to assess occupant satisfaction with thermal conditions, compare subjective responses with physical measurements, and derive design and operational implications for educational buildings in hot-arid climates. The primary aim was to assess occupant satisfaction with indoor thermal conditions and to measure key environmental parameters to provide a thorough assessment of thermal comfort. A cross-sectional approach was used, combining subjective data from the Center for the Built Environment (CBE) Occupant Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) survey with objective measurements of air temperature, relative humidity, mean radiant temperature, and air velocity, which were documented over five consecutive working days during the mid-winter period in Riyadh. These parameters were explored using the CBE Thermal Comfort Tool to calculate Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) and Predicted Percentage Dissatisfied (PPD) indices. Statistical analyses examined the relationship between occupant-reported comfort and measured environmental conditions. Results showed that only 36% of occupants reported satisfaction with thermal comfort, while 48% expressed dissatisfaction. In contrast, objective measurements indicated stable indoor conditions within recommended comfort ranges (average temperature 23 °C, humidity 30–34%, MRT 24 °C, air velocity 0.5–1.0 m/s), with PMV values near neutral (−0.2 to 0.0) and PPD below 6%. The observed discrepancy highlights the influence of regional climate, individual adaptability, and perceived control. These findings emphasize the need to integrate both subjective feedback and objective measurements to develop occupant-centered strategies that enhance comfort and well-being in sustainable educational buildings in hot-arid climates.