• Awards in 15 professional categories that highlight built environment sustainability and green building best practices
• The Dr. Owainati Student Excellence Award to honour conducted exceptional research work in a subject related to green buildings in the Middle East
• Deadline for submissions is February 16, 2017, midnight (UAE time)

Dubai, UAE; December 13, 2016: Emirates Green Building Council (EmiratesGBC), an independent forum aimed at conserving the environment by strengthening and promoting green building practices, has opened call for submissions for its Annual MENA Green Building Awards 2017 that aims to identify and recognise organisations for innovative and outstanding sustainable building principles and practices in the Middle East and North Africa region.

Supported by the World Green Building Council and organised in partnership with the Jordan Green Building Council and Lebanon Green Building Council, the MENA Green Building Awards 2017 will be presented in 15 professional categories.

Alongside the professional awards, EmiratesGBC also organises the Dr. Owainati Student Excellence Award specifically to reward a student from a recognised university in the UAE who has conducted exceptional research work in a subject related to green buildings in the Middle East.

The deadline for submissions is February 16, 2017, midnight (UAE time) and the short-listed applicants will be notified on April 30. The winners will be announced at a gala dinner and awards ceremony to be held at the Al Murooj Downtown Hotel, Dubai on May 17, 2017. The event will be audited by KPMG to ensure the highest standards of corporate governance and transparency.

Saeed Al Abbar, Chairman of EmiratesGBC, said: “The Annual MENA Green Building Awards is the first of its kind initiative in the region to honour exceptional and innovative work in driving sustainable building practices and principles. The support extended by JordanGBC and LebanonGBC, and that of WorldGBC, make the awards truly a regional benchmark for excellence in green building practices. Through the awards, we are not only recognising outstanding work but also inspiring the industry stakeholders to innovate and develop path-breaking practices and solutions that will help the region achieve its goals of sustainable development.

“With several new categories being introduced, the annual awards will also facilitate greater understanding of the contributions from the construction and building sector to sustainable development, and lead to exchange of ideas and good practice in sustainability across the MENA region. We are also reaching out to the student community to honour exceptional research work with the goal of encouraging student innovation in green buildings,” he added.

The 15 professional Award Categories for the MENA Green Building Awards 2017 are:

Green Building of the Year in four sub-categories: Commercial, Hotel, School and Residential: for a finalised building in the MENA region, completed between 2014 and 2017, whose construction and completion has respected the highest sustainability standards and included innovation in design and processes.
Sustainable Design of the Year: For the green design of building in planning or under construction in the MENA region, whose plans, characteristics and drawings respect the highest sustainability standards and include innovation and creativity. The design must have been finalised in the past 2 years – between 2015 and 2017.
FM Organisation of the Year: For a Facility Management (FM) organisation that shows excellence in delivering key FM services to its building portfolio and gives sustainability and environmental stewardship a place in its activities.
Contractor of the Year: For the achievements, professionalism and passion of a MENA-based contractor company that demonstrates the highest standards on project sites and within the company, in compliance with the national and international regulations and codes.
Developer of the Year: For the achievements, professionalism and passion of a MENA-based developer, whether public, semi-private or private, which demonstrates the highest standards on project sites and within the company, in compliance with national and international regulations and codes.
Green Building Material/Product: Energy Management, Indoor Air Quality, Conventional, Construction Materials & Water Management: For the successful introduction to the MENA region of a construction material or product/component which addresses green building principles. This Award takes into account the products’ function, its form or the location of its production.
Green Building Research Award: for research that establishes dependable data, in an area not previously available, related to green building performance. Research should deal with the performance of materials, components, equipment or completed buildings and should be applicable to MENA region.
Retrofit Project of the Year: For the successful implementation and achievements of a retrofit project on a building in the MENA region (irrespective of its operational purpose, date of opening and location) that contributed to significant energy/water savings, improved IAQ and contributed to making the building more efficient.
Best Operations & Maintenance (existing buildings): For the successful implementation of an Operations and Maintenance plan conducted by an organization which has led to reducing waste generation, improving efficiency and increasing well-being.
The Awards categories are open to all organisations operating in the MENA region including public and private sector enterprises, associations, consultants and practitioners.

The Dr. Owainati Student Excellence Award is open to an academically accepted thesis and/or research paper submitted for a post-graduate degree or final year undergraduate university research project report or dissertation in the UAE. The research addressed in the paper should be directly applicable to green building design, technology, construction, operations or related life cycle economics. The topic can be expanded to phases of design, construction, commissioning, retrofit and re-commissioning.

All applications must be completed and submitted via online submission (recommended) through EmiratesGBC website or awards email: awards@emiratesgbc.org; or hand-delivered to the EmiratesGBC Head office at: Al Joud Centre, M-20, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai. The application must include a maximum 10-pages synopsis that covers the applicant’s details and project description, and other supporting materials.

For more details and to download the application form, log on to: emiratesgbc.org/awards/2017awards or email: awards@emiratesgbc.org. For Sponsorship opportunities, contact: engagement@emiratesgbc.org; or call: +971(0) 4 346 8244. Follow the Annual MENA Green Building Awards on social media under the hashtag: #MENAGBAwards

EmiratesGBC regularly hosts and participates in multinational events, conferences and forums. It has also developed a suite of activities, inclusive of networking events, technical workshops, focus days and facilitated training based around specific issues related to the built-environment that meet the needs of its members, of the UAE community, and the wider Middle East.

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