An Integrated Assessment of Environmental Performance in Sustainable Public Buildings in the Mediterranean Context: A Case Study from Morocco

Abstract

Achieving high environmental performance in public buildings extends beyond the mere integration of advanced energy-efficient technologies; it requires the adoption of a coherent and structured governance framework capable of guiding design, implementation, and operational decisions throughout the building lifecycle. From this perspective, the present study develops an integrated assessment framework for evaluating the environmental performance of sustainable public buildings in the Mediterranean context. The proposed approach is applied to a representative case study located in northwestern Morocco (34.26° N), within RTCM Climate Zone Z2 (Tangier reference zone), which is characterized by a humid Atlantic-Mediterranean climate. The investigation focuses on the new headquarters of the Kenitra–Sidi Kacem–Sidi Slimane Agency (AUKSS), a four-story public administrative building with a total floor area of 4,394 m², providing a comprehensive, multidimensional evaluation of its environmental performance. Unlike comparable studies that focus on output-based performance indicators, such as primary energy consumption, thermal comfort exceedance, and photovoltaic energy production, this research adopts an input-oriented perspective. It emphasizes the certification methodology, decision-making logic, prioritization strategies, and governance mechanisms that shape environmental performance outcomes. Using the Environmental Performance Profile for Buildings (PPEB) developed by Bureau Veritas as the primary analytical framework, the study systematically compares two certification scenarios: Excellent (10 stars) and Exceptional (13 stars). This approach highlights how different levels of certification ambition influence environmental priorities and decision-making. The analysis is conducted across fourteen environmental criteria organized into four domains: Environmental Construction (C1–C3), Environmental Management (C4–C7), Comfort (C8–C11), and Health (C12–C14). For each criterion, the study identifies the associated technical, architectural, and regulatory requirements necessary to progress from one certification level to the next. It further evaluates design-related risks and maps critical decision points across key project phases, including pre-design, preliminary design, and final design. The findings indicate that four criteria -- energy performance (C4), hygrothermal comfort (C8), natural lighting (C10), and water management (C5) -- play a decisive role in achieving higher certification levels. These criteria are governed by early-stage design decisions that become effectively irreversible after the preliminary design phase, underscoring the need for strategic prioritization during the initial stages of project development. This research contributes a structured responsibility matrix that allocates roles across six technical domains, together with a critical-path-based prioritization schedule. The proposed framework offers a process-based methodology that can inform future studies of environmental performance in public buildings, particularly in developing countries and Mediterranean regulatory contexts, although further validation across multiple case studies and climate zones is recommended.