As the world entered the 21st century, more green buildings have been appearing around the world. Green Buildings are structures and the application of processes that are environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building’s life cycle. Specifically, more environmentally friendly buildings are being built in the Middle East, with creative designs as well. 

To start with, green buildings are more beneficial than other buildings. They are rented and sold at higher prices, have more commercial interest in green buildings, reduce construction costs, and have lower maintenance costs that can save resources like energy and water. Saudi Arabia, for instance, started its first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified building in 2009. Moreover, the launch of the Vision 2030 Project by the Saudi government has a theme of improving the quality and affordable housing embedded with efficient green and environmentally friendly urban landscaping. 

The future of green building in Saudi Arabia is focused on smart and green buildings. According to Alpin, the country’s one of the biggest projects, NEOM, is planned to be completely powered by renewable energy. Another project is Aramco’s King Salman Energy Park (SPARK), which is the first LEED pre-certified industrial city in the world. Ultimately, Saudi Arabia strives to become one of the advocates in making the cities more green.