I must also unequivocally mention that without the unfailing fervor, encouragement, and wisdom of Mr. Kenneth McCombs, Senior Acquisitions Editor, Elsevier Science and Technology, this book would still be on the drawing board. It is always a great pleasure working with Elsevier. Likewise, I must acknowledge the wonderful work of Mr. Peter Jardim, Editorial Project Manager, Elsevier Science and Technology and thank him for his unwavering commitment and support. I would especially like to salute and express my deepest appreciation to all of the Elsevier team for seeing this updated edition through production and to Mark Rogers for the excellent cover design.

I am particularly indebted to the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and its staff for their assistance, continuous updates, and support on the new LEED Version 4 Rating System and to Ms. Anica Landreneau of HOK for reviewing the original Chapter 5 on Building Information Model. I also wish to express my deep appreciation to Mr. Rob Watson, CEO of EcoTech International for reviewing the original Introduction and Chapters 1 and 2, in addition to his informative comments. And I would be amiss if I failed to acknowledge my wife Ibtesam, for her loving companionship and continuous support and for helping me prepare some of the original line illustrations. Last but not least, I wish to record my gratitude to all those who came to my rescue during the final stretch of this work—the many nameless colleagues, architects, engineers, and contractors who kept me motivated with their ardent enthusiasm, support, and technical expertise. To these wonderful professionals, I can only say, “Thank you.” I relied on them in so many ways, and while no words can reflect the depth of my gratitude to all of them for their assistance and advice, in the final analysis, I alone must bear responsibility for any mistakes, omissions, or errors that may have found their way into this Handbook.