Under the patronage of the President of the Northern Technical University, Prof. Dr. Alia Abbas Ali Al-Attar, and under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Omar Khalil Ahmed, Dean of the Hawija Technical Institute, the Water Resources Technologies Department organized a scientific course on (the construction of sustainable buildings). The lecture was delivered in the course:

• Assistant teacher Dr. Hussain Muhammad Issa
• Assistant teacher Tahrir Ahmed Ibrahim

It was attended by a number of employees and students of the Institute.

The course dealt with the general concept of sustainable building and the foundations of designing the building as a sustainable building. The course also showed the negative effects of traditional buildings on the environment and on humans in general.

The session indicated:

• One of the biggest causes of environmental pollution is buildings, where buildings produce about 40% of waste
• Buildings consume about 40% of the world’s energy
• It also showed that buildings produce 15% of greenhouse gases
• It, also, indicated the global trend towards reducing greenhouse gases through measures, foremost of which is the trend towards green and sustainable construction.

The course aimed to:

1. Introducing the individual and society to the methods and techniques used in green buildings, such as (the use of green roofs – the use of natural ventilation technology – and the use of clean energy technology in the production of electricity).
2. Statement of the benefits of sustainable and green buildings (reducing environmental pollution – economy and savings – a healthy and productive society – lower energy consumption)

The session came out with the following recommendations:

• Political will and the issuance of laws to increase green investment and sustainable construction.
• Increasing community and environmental awareness and building capacity towards sustainable construction.