Building Materials and Resources

Building material selection for large projects the size of KAUST can have a large environmental footprint. The design team selected building materials that minimized any detrimental environmental effects. The construction items for KAUST included:

KAUST’s Terra cotta shading system
  • Local concrete and steel with high levels of recycled content
  • Interior finishes with low levels of volatile organic compounds and high levels of recycled content (gypsum board, carpet tile, ceiling tiles, paints, adhesives, millwork)
  • Interior furniture systems that contain no volatile organic compounds (VOC), are Greenguard Certified, and have high levels of recycled content
  • All the wood for the KAUST campus was purchased from sustainability managed forests and is Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified
  • More than 75 percent of all construction waste was recycled for the KAUST campus

KAUST have implemented a comprehensive recycling program to ensure that natural resources are not wasted. This plan will include glass, metals, plastic, paper, cardboard, batteries, compact fluorescent lights (CFL), electronics, and more.