Table of ContentsThesis Aims and ObjectivesMethodologyExpected Results/ContributionsKey Literature ExamplesThesis Aims and ObjectivesIn its report on the Global Water Assessment Program water resources, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO, 2009) stipulated that water conservation is the most important global problem, and that this issue will only grow in importance. importance given continued population growth and the effects of global warming (Cheng et al., 2016). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Qatar is an arid country that faces a unique set of water scarcity challenges (Darwish and Mohtar, 2012). For example, renewable natural water resources such as rainfall are scarce in Qatar, as Qatar only receives seven inches of rain per year. Furthermore, it is estimated that the demand for water in Qatar will only increase as the country develops its agricultural and industrial sectors in the coming years (Al-Kuwari, 2016). As a result, Qatar has an urgent need to manage water resources efficiently and effectively (Al-Kuwari, 2016). Reducing water consumption and improving water sustainability on construction sites are strategies to achieve water stewardship (Waylen, Thornback, & Garrett, 2011). Studies (see Ali and Nsairat, 2009; Das et al., 2015; Cheng et al., 2016; Latief et al., 2017) indicate that green buildings can significantly increase water efficiency by reducing water consumption. of water. Increasing water efficiency is one of the most effective processes towards sustainable water management that also effectively combats global warming and climate change (Cheng et al., 2016). Therefore, this thesis aims to examine green building criteria related to sustainability and water efficiency currently. used for individual buildings in Qatar. Despite the development of environmentally friendly construction criteria in Qatar, efforts to implement these criteria are hampered by several natural and operational challenges, such as lack of awareness of sustainability and environmental issues (Issa and Abbar, 2015) and renovation of existing buildings, as well as with other social and cultural challenges such as lack of positive attitude towards water reuse (Ahmad, 1991; Ibrahim, 2012). This is a matter of concern as it is estimated that there will be an increase in demand for non-residential and residential construction space in Qatar in the future (Kemp, 2017). water consumption, both in terms of water consumption for construction purposes and once people move into the building spaces. This will affect Qatar's already scarce water resources. As a result, it is important to ensure that individual buildings constructed in the future will have maximum water efficiency. Water scarcity and increasing demand for construction space in Qatar, in addition to the natural, operational and cultural challenges Qatar faces when implementing green criteria, motivate the present study. The main motivation in evaluating green building criteria is to understand whether an update of green building criteria is necessary to increase the water efficiency of individual buildings (Issa and Abbar, 2015). To achieve this understanding through this study, the following research question will be examined: to what extent current criteria forgreen building need to be modified to help improve the water efficiency of individual buildings in Qatar? Considering these points, the main objective of this thesis will be to evaluate green building criteria related to improving water efficiency for individual buildings currently used in Qatar. The objectives of this thesis are: To identify the factors in Qatar's building criteria that need to be improved to increase the water efficiency of buildings. Based on the results of the thesis, suggest ways to improve the water efficiency of individual buildings in Qatar. To answer the research question, interviews with two officials from the Gulf Research and Development Organization ( GORD) will be carried out. GORD is a non-profit organization that develops sustainability and green building standards and works towards the sustainable development of the Middle East and North Africa region. In addition to GORD officials, interviews with officials from Qatar's Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics (MDPS) and officials from the Ministry of Municipalities and Environment will also be included in the study. To achieve the objectives of the thesis and answer the proposed research question, the construction criteria of individual buildings in Qatar will be assessed based on environmental assessment methodologies such as the Building Research establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) and the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system. These environmental assessment methodologies are known for addressing environmental and sustainability issues and have been selected because they focus on key design areas such as water savings, material selection, development sustainability of sites, indoor environmental quality and energy efficiency and (Abdullah et al., 2016). .However, these methodologies need to be evaluated to take into account the unique needs of Qatar (Ibrahim, 2012). Therefore, the selection of the two rating systems will help determine whether both systems can lead to increased water efficiency in individual buildings when implemented in Qatar (Gomaa, 2016). Additionally, using methodologies to assess individual building construction criteria in Qatar can also provide crucial information on whether Qatar needs to develop new building systems with green building assessment criteria or it should simply add to the existing green building framework.This thesis also aims to present recommendations for developing and updating the current green building criteria in Qatar to increase the water efficiency of individual buildings. These recommendations will be drawn from the study results as well as literature analysis on green building criteria used to increase the water efficiency of individual buildings in developed countries. These recommendations could be considered as suggestions to develop green building criteria to conserve water and meet the unique water needs of Qatar. Methodology A qualitative research methodology will be used to conduct the study. Interviews with officials from GORD as well as interviews with officials from government agencies such as MDPS and the Ministry of Municipality and Environment will be used as primary data for this thesis. Secondary data in the form of a literature review of studies examining different criteria of..