The issues of environment protection, energy efficiency and water management have been specifically identified in one of the five Guiding Principles published in the recent Dubai Strategic Plan (2015) Welcome to the PhD in Architecture and Sustainable Built Environment Programme The decision made in 2012 to offer a PhD programme in the area of ASBE was a natural evolution to the highly successful SDBE MSc programme that has been running at BUiD since 2005. The ASBE PhD programme is built on BUiD’s unique position of being able to draw on the experience of Cardiff University, one of BUiD’s UK partner universities and one of the top UK universities in the area of sustainability; Cardiff University provides support to both the SDBE MSc and ASBE PhD sustainability programmes. The ASBE PhD programme meets an important skill/knowledge need in the increasingly important area of environmentally aware design requirements where sustainable and environmentally conscious designs, practices and policies are becoming a major factor in the evaluation of new designs worldwide. Most large projects require an environmental impact assessment before proceeding with them and although this assessment process is currently voluntary for small projects many countries are taking steps to make it mandatory across a broad range of new and old buildings and developments. The issues of environment protection, energy efficiency and water management have been specifically identified as major focus points in all recent local and federal strategic plans in the UAE, e.g. Dubai 2015 and the UAE Vision 2021 Strategic Plans as well as Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050. Keeping in view the aspirations of Dubai and UAE, the proposed addition is an effort to fulfil BUiD goals which are to:

• Make a distinctive British contribution to the higher educational system in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) through the creation of a high quality research-led university
• Develop leading-edge research capabilities in key disciplines
• Offer the highest international competitive level of research-informed education in key modern disciplines
• Interact with regional industry and play a leading role in stimulating a knowledge-based economy in Dubai and the Emirates
• Provide opportunities for study and research for the purpose of gaining degrees in arts and sciences
• Apply the systems of study and research that are used in distinguished British universities with the aim of enhancing the standard of university education in the UAE
• Qualify and educate nationals who are scientifically and practically trained in all fields of knowledge, through advanced educational and training programmes
• Serve the various sectors of society, especially the commercial and industrial sectors, by providing consultation, technical services and research in the various fields of science and technology and the other disciplines, which will be offered by BUiD
• Consolidate educational, scientific and cultural links with distinguished British universities and institutions, and with other internationally distinguished universities.

Required Credit Hours: minimum hours