A Framework for Building Sustainability Assessment for Developing Countries Using F-Delphi: Moroccan Housing Case Study

International building sustainability assessment tools (BSATs) offer a comprehensive framework for assessing environmental, economic, and social sustainability. However, these tools cannot fill the gap between their standards and the regional needs of developing countries such as Morocco. This paper presents a new framework to assess the sustainability of buildings in Morocco. The methodology proposed is the Fuzzy Delphi method to minimize the list of indicators with the help of 14 local experts and give an appropriate weight to the indicators and sub-indicators. The two-round analysis found a balanced weighting for the environmental, economic, and social dimensions, with the social pillar ranked highest in importance. A hierarchical framework of six consensus-based categories and 63 sub-indicators was developed. Consensus was measured using the dispersion threshold approach ≤ 0.2. The results show that waste and pollution (0.80), adaptability and resilience (0.78), and resources (0.75) are prioritized over the innovation category. Notably, sewage management, water reuse, and public infrastructure emerged as critical sub-indicators. A comparative evaluation against local BSATs from the region—Ethiopia, Sub-Saharan Africa, Saudi Arabia, and Oman—revealed convergence in core indicators like energy and water, yet divergence in economic and resilience criteria, reflecting regional specificities. This work contributes to the literature by presenting a validated, expert-driven assessment tool that aligns with local needs, offering a practical basis for national green certification and sustainable housing policy in Morocco and similar contexts.

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Journal
Sustainability
Published
2025-10-21
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/su17209338
Primary Topic
Sustainable Building Design and Assessment
Type
article
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article

A Framework for Building Sustainability Assessment for Developing Countries Using F-Delphi: Moroccan Housing Case Study

Noussaiba Rharbi, Abdelghani El Asli, Safae Oulmouden, Hicham Mastouri et al.
Sustainability
Sustainable Building Design and Assessment
article

A Framework for Building Sustainability Assessment for Developing Countries Using F-Delphi: Moroccan Housing Case Study

Noussaiba Rharbi, Abdelghani El Asli, Safae Oulmouden, Hicham Mastouri, Antonio García Martínez
article en

Abstract

International building sustainability assessment tools (BSATs) offer a comprehensive framework for assessing environmental, economic, and social sustainability. However, these tools cannot fill the gap between their standards and the regional needs of developing countries such as Morocco. This paper presents a new framework to assess the sustainability of buildings in Morocco. The methodology proposed is the Fuzzy Delphi method to minimize the list of indicators with the help of 14 local experts and give an appropriate weight to the indicators and sub-indicators. The two-round analysis found a balanced weighting for the environmental, economic, and social dimensions, with the social pillar ranked highest in importance. A hierarchical framework of six consensus-based categories and 63 sub-indicators was developed. Consensus was measured using the dispersion threshold approach ≤ 0.2. The results show that waste and pollution (0.80), adaptability and resilience (0.78), and resources (0.75) are prioritized over the innovation category. Notably, sewage management, water reuse, and public infrastructure emerged as critical sub-indicators. A comparative evaluation against local BSATs from the region—Ethiopia, Sub-Saharan Africa, Saudi Arabia, and Oman—revealed convergence in core indicators like energy and water, yet divergence in economic and resilience criteria, reflecting regional specificities. This work contributes to the literature by presenting a validated, expert-driven assessment tool that aligns with local needs, offering a practical basis for national green certification and sustainable housing policy in Morocco and similar contexts.

SustainabilityVol. 17(20)
Université Mohammed VI Polytechnique (MA), Al Akhawayn University (MA), Universidad de Sevilla (ES)
Openalex Percentile: Top 68%
Sustainable Building Design and Assessment
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