We are pleased to announce 70% of the project’s data collection is complete. We’ve had a tremendous amount of support from the hospitality sector and would like to use this opportunity to invite more Shopping Malls and Schools in Dubai to participate. All participants will receive tailored scorecards to assess their performance metrics against the city average. Learn more about the Benchmarking Project here and in the FAQs.

The Benchmarking Project is being carried out in a partnership with Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, a project supporting the City of Dubai’s participation in the Building Efficiency Accelerator (BEA). Dubai is the only city in the Middle East that has committed to the Building Efficiency Accelerator, a global initiative under the United Nations program Sustainable Energy for All.

Participation is free.  Data collection ends mid-June so act now to ensure your property is included in the analysis. Participation is simple and only requires completion of a short questionnaire. To participate in this project, contact the EmiratesGBC office at 04-3468244 or send an email with your interest to BEA@emiratesgbc.org. Don’t miss out!

BEA Sponsorship opportunities are also open, and we invite you to learn more by clicking here or contacting engagement@emiratesgbc.org. Sponsorship will support the analysis and reporting of the project as well as the development of an online platform.

This month we announced the winners and shortlisted applicants of the MENA Green Building Awards at the 6^th Annual Awards Ceremony and Gala dinner in Dubai.

We were joined by participants, members, partners and stakeholders to celebrate success and best practice within the industry. This year we received the highest number of applications to date and announced winners in 17 categories, a testament to the growing importance and implementation of sustainable development and best practice within the industry. The quality of the applications was exceptionally high this year and all the shortlisted applicants should be applauded.

The regional significance of the event was highlighted through the partnership with six Green Building Councils (Palestine, Morrocco, Kuwait, Jordon, Lebanon and Egypt) and the endorsement of the World Green Building Council. The Awards Ceremony opened with welcoming addresses from Saeed Al Abbar, EmiratesGBC Chair, Mohammad Asfour, Regional Manager of WorldGBC MENA Network, and Ibrahim Al Zu’bi, CSO Majid Al Futtaim, who recognised the contribution of applicant organisations and the importance of the awards to raising awareness and promoting excellence in the industry.

This year’s awards were with the support of Platinum Sponsor Majid Al Futtaim and Gold Sponsor Jotun.

We congratulate all of this year’s winners and shortlisted applicants and look forward to building on the success for an even bigger and better awards cycle next year.

• Professor Bassam Abdel-Karim Abu-Hijleh, The British University in Dubai (BUiD), Dean and Atkins Chair Head of the Sustainability MSc & PhD Programmes, Faculty of Engineering and IT ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­
• Mohammad Asfour, World Green Building Council, MENA Regional Manager
• Michael Schmidt, BASF, Board Member of EmiratesGBC; Head of Development, Construction Chemicals Division, ORA: Middle East, West Asia, CIS & Africa
• Sarfraz Dairkee,A.H.Y. Khoory & Co. LLC, Secretary of EmiratesGBC Board of Directors; General Manager Corporate Development & Engineering
• Raya Ani, founder and Design Director of RAW-NYC Architects and the 2017 President of the American Institute of Architects – Middle East Chapter
• Michel Abi Saab, Manager of Sustainability, Masdar City
• Hassan Younes, Board Member of EmiratesGBC; Technical Director & Partner of Griffin Consultants
• Ghalib Y. Kahwaji, Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), Dubai, Professor and Head of the Mechanical Engineering Department,
• Professor Kheira Anissa Tabet Aoulm, UAE University, Chair of Architectural Department
• Faisal Ali Hassan Rashid, Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, Director, Demand Side Management
• Hana Alamuddin, Lebanon Green Building Council, Board of Director
• Karim Elgendy, Founder and Coordinator of the Carboun initiative and Senior Sustainability Consultant at Dar Al-Handasah
• Karim Farah, Vice President / Co-founder Egypt GBC, Sustainability Manager Dar Al-Handasah
• Amjad Alkam, Board Member of JordanGBC, Business Development Manager at ECOSOL
• Shifa’a Al-Khatatbeh, Board Member of JordanGBC , Energy Efficiency Manager at Izzat Marji Group
• Maysoon Al-Khuraissat, Board Member of JordanGBC, Founder Adaa, Sustainable Development Consultants
• Kenza El Araki, MoroccoGBC, Senior Project Manager at Yamed Captial
• Afif Akel Hasan, Chairman of PalestineGBC, Birzeit University, Chairman of the Mechanical Engineering Department
• Khaled Al-Mashaan, Chairman of Kuwait’s Green Building Council, Vice Chairman and CEO, ALARGAN International Real Estate Co.
• Jeffrey Willis, ARUP, Board Member of EmiratesGBC; Associate Director
• Sanjeev Coelho, HOK, Board Member of EmiratesGBC; Senior Associate
• Farah Yassine, Buro Happold, Board Member of EmiratesGBC; Sustainability Associate
• Toufik Jabbour, Atkins, Board Member of EmiratesGBC; 6D BIM Specialist
• Nazly Asadollahpour, MAF, Board Member of EmiratesGBC; Sustainability Manager

To find out more about this year’s awards take a look at the press release or click here to see all the photos from Ceremony and Gala Dinner.

On May 9^th, Emirates Green Building Council and Ras Al Khaimah Municipality signed a Memorandum of Understanding outlining their commitment to work together for advancing green buildings in the Emirate.  EmiratesGBC is pleased to have Ras Al Khaimah Municipality on board as a new strategic partner of the Council.  We look forward to working closely with the Municipality as a strategic partner and sharing best practice to support their goals for a sustainable built environment.

Our collaboration with the Municipality commenced with participation in a consultation panel for RAK green building regulations. Participants representing different stakeholders have been highly engaged in the panel and provided valuable input on the approach and design measures to be considered in creating the anticipated regulations. RAK municipality is currently developing the first draft of regulations which is expected to be launched before the end of 2018.

EmiratesGBC Corporate Member and French multinational Saint-Gobain has broken ground on its first Multi Comfort House in the Middle East at Masdar City, Abu Dhabi’s flagship sustainable urban community.

The Multi Comfort House at Masdar City is one of 30 similar projects around the world. It is the first in the Middle East and in a hot region. On completion at the end of next year, it will demonstrate technology aimed at improving health and well-being by optimizing the human experience within the built environment.

EmiratesGBC salutes Saint-Gobain’s strides toward promoting sustainable development in the UAE.  We are looking forward to the completion of the project and its ultimate demonstrable growth through innovative sustainable practices.

Read more here.

Steel Wood Industries has been recognized Leaders in Wood Panel Production – 2018 and Award for excellence in sustainable production awarded by MEA Markets.

A warm congratulations to Steel Wood Industries.

Read more here.

Earlier in the month, Dar engineer Ibrahim Kronfol was recognised with the international 2018 Standout Leader award by the U.S. Green Building Council at the annual Green Apple of Service Day conference for his contribution and commitment to healthy, sustainable learning environments.

Since 2012, Kronfol has led Sustainability Movement, an initiative to spread awareness about green living in schools through presentations and activities as well as an online page to maintain student interest and participation. To date, the initiative has gathered almost 80 volunteers and has engaged with over 1,250 students.

Dar strives to promote sustainability in its work and prides itself on the dedication its employees demonstrate to instilling that spirit in younger generations.

Watch it here

The next Building Retrofit Training (BRT) Level 1 courses will be held on 6^th September in Dubai and 25^th September in Abu Dhabi.  This introductory course is led by expert facilitators and is designed to teach the fundamentals of building retrofit with emphasis on Audits, HVAC, Envelope, Air Quality, Solar PV/T, Water, Waste and Management. Please visit the BRT webpage for full details and to register your interest.

Hear what some of our previous participants had to say about the course:

‘The BRT course was perfect for me to further understand  retrofitting requirements that are in line with The Emirates Green Building Council guidelines, as I plan to be renovating a hotel in the near future’

‘I have learned about aspects of design and maintenance, that impact efficiency in a positive way, as well minimize impact on the environment’

The BRT Program is in partnership with the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy and Masdar (Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company).

We are also finalizing the BRT Level 2 (Advanced) course and new course dates will be announced during the summer.

On 28^th May we jointly hosted a corporate Iftar with Trane.

The Iftar was held in Anantara Eastern Mangroves Resort and Hotel in Abu Dhabi and we were joined by our members and partners to break the fast.  It was a great opportunity to enjoy the tradition of iftar while networking with members and meeting some new faces in the industry.

Wishing a Ramadan Kareem to all our members and industry partners.

The EmiratesGBC Green Building Tooltips is a rich online platform serving to further educate the industry and community on simple green building practices. The interactive designs cover three different building typologies, showcasing home, school, and office buildings.  The initiative is powered by BASF and Legrand, EmiratesGBC board members underlining their commitment to promoting sustainability, and is supported by Taqati whose mission is tied to achieving Dubai’s sustainability goals.

We urge you to visit the Green Building Tooltips on our website to test out this valuable tool and pursue a greener lifestyle whether it be at home, school or the office.

May’s Technical Workshop on the airtightness of buildings in the Middle East discussed factors related to airtightness with a focus on relevant regulations in the UAE. The workshop also looked at the common issues found in the Middle East and solutions that can be adopted to improve the energy efficiency and thermal comfort of existing buildings.

Click here to read the Technical Brief from the workshop.

There are two exciting upcoming workshops planned for the summer:

• On June 26^th, EmiratesGBC will host a workshop which will give an overview on ASHRAE 90.1.
• On July 17^th, the Living Building Challenge workshop will give an introduction to the Living Building Challenge and its applicability in the UAE.

Are you an EmiratesGBC member or partner and would like to facilitate a technical workshop? We are open to suggestions.  If you have any suggestions for topics you’d like to have addressed, we’d like to hear from you – email us at technicalworkshops@emiratesgbc.org.

Get inspired by reading our technical briefs from past monthly workshops by visiting the EmiratesGBC website here.

This month we look at a recent study conducted on the carbon footprint created by global tourism and published in the Nature Climate Change Journal.  The study shows that the carbon footprint is much higher than previous estimates and that it accounts for about 8 percent of global carbon emissions and is four times larger than previously estimated. Researchers from the University of Sydney, University of Queensland and National Cheng Kung University worked together to assess the entire supply chain of tourism. This includes transportation, accommodation, food and beverages, souvenirs, clothing, cosmetics and other goods.

Click here to read the study.

As the UAE national operator of Green Key, the team at Emirates Green Building Council has long recognized the importance of building the business case for hotels to participate in the global eco-certification program.  Although cost savings from resource optimization typically leads the financial benefits argument, enhanced brand value from sustainable management, operations and behaviours is also a valuable benefit but can be tricky to validate.

This month we are pleased to announce that Booking.com is testing a feature of highlighting accommodations that are actively working with sustainability – and Green Key awarded establishments are included in the test.

Click here to read more about the collaboration and see what the new filter for sustainable properties will look like on the site.

To support UAE hotel properties in reducing their carbon footprint by improving water and energy performances, waste management, education and awareness, Emirates Green Building Council is now offering Green Hospitality Training.

Training modules have been developed in a format that can be tailored to assist any level of the hotel staff, addressing general facts on green hospitality for those less informed, while covering more technical aspects that can support engineering departments and technical staff. The training can also support UAE tourism authorities and professionals for implementation of best practices.  Selection of training modules include: Water Management, Energy Management, Green Procurement, Waste Management, Indoor Air Quality, Sustainable Food and Beverage, Green Housekeeping Practices, and Community Development & CSR.

Hotel groups or properties interested in some or all of the available training modules should contact the EmiratesGBC office for more details.

If you are interested in using EmiratesGBC office space for a workshop or meeting, please get in touch with us at 04-3468244 or send us an email to office@emiratesgbc.org. The room is fully equipped with AV and provides a nice environment for focused meetings or training workshops.

Dubai, UAE; May 10, 2018: Emirates Green Building Council (EmiratesGBC), an independent forum aimed at conserving the environment by strengthening and promoting green building practices, honoured the winners of the 2018 MENA Green Building Awards, at a gala ceremony held at Roda Al Murooj Downtown Dubai.

The MENA Green Building Awards recognise innovation, creativity and excellence in promoting best practice in sustainable built environment. The event this year was the largest yet in the number of award categories as well as partnerships from across the region, demonstrating the growing commitment to sustainable building practices in the Middle East and North Africa.

The carbon-neutral awards ceremony was attended by government officials, industry leaders, representatives of academia and media, and gained significant traction online under the hashtag #MENAGBAwards.

Read more

Aldar Properties, has won “Green School of the Year” at the 2018 MENA Green Building Awards for Al Mamoura Academy, operated by Aldar Academies.

The MENA Green Building Awards are organised by the Emirates Green Building Council and endorsed by the World Green Building Council. In winning the award, Aldar was able to demonstrate that the Academy’s construction and completion has respected the highest sustainability standards and included innovation in design and process, as well as showing excellence in terms of design, construction site management, waste and green standards.

Read more