1 The Application of the Green Building Index (GBI) on Sustainable Site Planning and Management for Residential New Construction: Prospects and Future Benefits NORHANIS DIYANA NIZARUDIN¹, MOHD. RAMZI MOHD. HUSSAIN² & IZAWATI TUKIMAN³ Department of Landscape Architecture, Kulliyyah of Architecture & Environmental Design, International Islamic University Malaysia, P.O. Box 10, 50728 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Email: norhanisdiyana@gmail.com¹, ramzie97@hotmail.com², izawati@iiu.edu.my³ Abstract The Green Building Index (GBI) rating system is developed and wholly-owned subsidiary of Pertubuhan Arkitek Malaysia (PAM) and Association of Consulting Engineers (ACEM) that helps to assess the environmental performance of the buildings. This paper aims to review its application background particularly for residential new construction projects. This paper discussed the structure of this rating system which includes the six criteria of the GBI assessment. In addition to that, sustainable site planning and management criterion is taken out as a predominant focus to be further evaluated. Key words: The GBI, green rating systems, sustainable site planning and management 1. Introduction Malaysia nowadays has gone through lots of development phases especially in the urban area. After the new century commenced, there were technologies for urban area development have been introduced in Malaysia especially the green technology. Under this technology, the idea of green building is introduced as a way of transforming the building market and transfiguring the common way of thinking about design, inhabit and operate buildings (USGBC News, 2005). According to the Green Building Index (GBI) fact sheet, “A green building focuses on enhancing the efficiency of resource use – energy, water, and materials – while reducing building impact on human health and the environment during the building‟s lifecycle, through better sitting, design, construction, operation, maintenance, and removal ”. By all means, the green building aims to develop high performance buildings without causing any harm to the living things and environment. Therefore, the global demand on the green building is increasing from time to time due to its advantage in producing lower development risks (Ting Kien Hwa, 2009). Concerning the idea of green building, an organisation known as the Green Building Index (GBI) organisation under the subsidiary of the Pertubuhan Arkitek Malaysia (PAM) and the Association of Certified Engineers of (ACEM) has introduced the GBI as the local green building rating system to the public. According to Cole (2001), “Green building rating systems are in fact environmental assessment methods applied for buildings that have emerged as a widely adopted way to evaluate the performance of building across a broad range of environmental considerations” (Tuan-Viet Do, 2008). Therefore, the GBI has become the first step in promoting sustainability in the built environment and raising awareness among professionals of the field as well as the public about environmental issues and our responsibility to the future generations. Besides, it is also in line with the teaching of Islam which asked us to protect and preserve the environment. As mentioned by Sheikh Khalifa Ezzat (2008), Islam is the greatest religion and it is a way of life. Islam teaches human beings to respect the environment by conserving it for several reasons as follows: a) The environment is Allah's creation. The creation of this earth and all its natural resources are a sign of His wisdom, mercy, power and His other attributes and therefore serves to develop human awareness and understanding of this creator. (Surah Ar-Ra`d: 2 - 4); b) Muslims should protect and preserve the environment because it is the ign that they protect another Allah's creatures which pray to Him and praise Him. Human kind might not be able to understand how these creatures praise Allah but human kind must believe in it. As Allah says, “The seven heavens and the earth, and all beings therein, declare His glory: There is not a thing but celebrates His praise, and yet ye understand not how they declare His Glory!” (Surah Al-Israa‟: 44); and