The building housing WHO's country office in Jordan was the first building in the Region to be awarded LEED certificationThe building housing WHO's country office in Jordan was the first building in the Region to be awarded LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification (rate V2.2). As a "green" building WHO's premises was eligible for this certification, and after receiving 42 points it qualified for gold certification.

The four-storey office building is located in the commercial district of Amman. It is about 4000 square metres and utilizes existing infrastructure to provide close access to both private and public transportation.

LEED certification is an internationally recognized green building certification system, providing third-party verification that a building is designed and built using strategies which improve performance across all metrics: energy savings, water efficiency, reduction of CO² emissions, improvements in indoor environmental quality, conservation of resources and sensitivity of impact on health and the environment.

The following features were incorporated into the design and operation of the building to obtain its gold LEED certification.

• Rainwater harvest for use in the sanitary flushing and plant irrigation systems.
• Low flow rate water fixtures and dual flush sanitary systems installed.
• Potable water use reduced by more than 60%.
• Cool roof fitted.
• Waste recycling programme implemented.
• Energy conservation measures reduce energy running costs by 22.5% as shown by the energy modelling results.
• Highly energy-efficient lighting and cooling systems installed.
• Solar-based hot water supply used.
• Photovoltaic system used for external lighting.
• Indoor environmental quality requirements met to secure a healthy work environment for occupants and visitors.