Green Building Standards in the Gulf

Standards will play a large role in generating sustainability in the future. They will serve not only pave the way for international environmental regulations, but also to establish designs and specifications for building systems that reduce energy. Given the importance of sustainability to areas in extreme temperatures, such as the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), engagement in the standards-setting processes is key. This thesis explores the likelihood of the GCC's six member states collectively adopting one set of green building standards. iv The research and writing of this thesis is dedicated to my academic advisor Dr. Linda Garcia, for opening mind up to new ways of thinking and for her ongoing support. I would also like to thank my thesis reader Dr. Evan Barba for his continued encouragement and guidance throughout the writing of this research. Lastly, I would like to thank my parents Mark Zimmermann and Cynthia Anthony for their unwavering encouragement of my ideas and academic pursuits over the many years. We live in a globally networked society. No longer are nation states' actions without consequence to countries located geographically far away, nor are the productions and technological advancements emerging in one region difficult to transfer to another part of the world (Giddens, 1990). As technology continues to advance, governments and businesses' abilities to communicate and operate beyond their geographical barriers also expand. As this occurs, networks become entangled; geographical boundaries become blurred; and markets, businesses and cultures become intertwined (Bauman, 1998). Another word to describe this phenomenon is " globalization. " Globalization is increasing at a fervent pace. One example of increased globalization can be seen in the amount of collaborative scientific research that has been produced. According to a study by the United Kingdom's Royal Society (2011), more than 35 percent of scientific research articles are the product of international collaborations — representing a 25 percent increase from on Trade and Development (2012) reported an increasing proportion of international production of goods and services being traded across national borders rather than sold in home countries (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, 2012). For globalization to take place requires coordination across a variety of arenas including the economic, technical, political and cultural. This is a complex process with coordination intertwined at many levels including the " global, transnational regional, nation-state and sub national regional levels " (Hollingsworth, 1998). One example of a company that coordinates 2 globally …