Towards green buildings: Glass as a building element—the use and misuse in the gulf region

The recent economic growth in the Gulf region notably in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) has led to a colossal number of buildings that has been constructed in the past 5 years. In the last decade, a total glazed building's façades became the icon of Dubai. This large area of glazing in each façade needs protection against overheating and sun glare in summer. According to leader in energy and environmental design (LEED) glass selection becomes a main element in this equation to contribute towards achieving a green building. The aim of this paper is to investigate the problems associated with misuse of glass, as a building element in UAE particularly in Dubai. Inadequate design with ill-selected glass/glazing type may lead not only to poor daylighting in building interiors but also contribute significantly to fatigue, insomnia, seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and above all increase CO2 emission.