Using AHP method for development of existing building green assessment system in Jordan

Recently, there is an increasing concern towards the principles of sustainability, especially with the growing concerns regarding the environmental aspect. Most of the green building research focuses on the future rather than presenting a solution for existing surroundings. Therefore, this research aims to develop a green assessment system for existing buildings in Jordan. Developing such a tool concerning environmental sustainability is becoming essential in developing countries. Hence, the international green assessment systems, like Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM), Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), and Jordan Green Building Guide (JGBG) were studied to determine a group of assessment criteria in relation to the local context of Jordan. New assessment criteria were identified with respect to the local conditions of Jordan through questionnaire surveys, which were distributed to 400 respondents, who are specialists in sustainable construction. After determining the assessment criteria, they were weighted using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). The results of this research were a proposed green building assessment system for existing buildings that suits the Jordanian context. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.