Environmental Design as a Pathway to Sustainability in Libyan Schools Based on the Green Building Approach (A Case Study of the City of Derna)

Abstract

This research aims to study the role of environmental design in improving the environmental performance of public schools in Libya within the framework of the green building approach, through the application of sustainability standards in building design and operation. The quality of building design and construction plays a fundamental role in reducing energy consumption while ensuring appropriate comfort conditions. Current Libyan schools are primarily characterized by low architectural quality and poor performance, leading to high energy consumption and an indoor climate that falls short of the required comfort level. The importance of this study stems from the contemporary environmental challenges facing Libyan educational buildings, such as high energy and water consumption and the deterioration of indoor environmental quality in these buildings, which necessitates the adoption of sustainable environmental design strategies that contribute to improving the environmental performance of Libyan schools .

. This paper adopts a descriptive and analytical approach, analyzing environmental design principles—such as appropriate building orientation, natural ventilation, natural lighting, and shading—through a review of the literature and previous experiences related to sustainable educational buildings, as well as an analysis of major global sustainability rating systems such as LEED FOR SCHOOL, and BREEAM, highlighting the standards and strategies adopted in the design of spaces designated for students. This is achieved through a review of the literature, previous studies, journals, and books, as well as an analysis of case studies of schools around the world that have achieved sustainability. The findings are applied by organizing a workshop for students in the Department of Architecture at the Faculty of Technical Sciences in Derna to raise awareness of environmental design concepts as an approach to achieving sustainability in Libyan schools, introducing the assessment indicators adopted in the research, and developing an assessment tool consisting of 31 indicators based on the findings of the literature and previous studies. A field visit was conducted for architecture students to the Ibrahim Bakkar School in the city of Derna, documenting that visit with photographs and conducting interviews, and then distributing a questionnaire consisting of 31 indicators based on a five-point Likert scale to a sample of students to assess study indicators related to their perception of the quality of the educational environment and the characteristics of the building. The data was then analyzed using statistical methods by calculating the arithmetic mean for each indicator, then the mean for each dimension, followed by deriving the final evaluation of the building and converting the results into percentages to determine the level of achievement of the sustainability indicators

The goal is to promote sustainable design and construction strategies that combine high levels of energy efficiency with performance standards and indoor environmental quality, including innovative strategies for integrating the building and its associated systems. Best practices can also effectively encourage experimentation and contribute to the formulation of sustainable building strategies that can serve as a basis for drafting a Libyan code for the sustainability of school buildings.