Deadline to submit applications to the 2016 EmiratesGBC  Awards has been extended to Thursday 3 March 2016 (midnight UAE time). Do not miss your chance to have your project awarded for the following categories:

• Green Building of the Year – 4 sub-categories: Green Hotel, Green Commercial Building, Green Residential Building, Green School;
• Green FM Organization of the Year (UAE only);
• Green Material/Product of the Year;
• Green Building System of the Year;
• Green Research of the Year;
• Green Training Initiative of the Year.

Requirements for each category, terms & conditions and Application Form are available on the EmiratesGBC Awards website.

We are pleased also to announce that Ms. Terri Wills, CEO of World Green Building Council, , as well as other MENA Green Building Councils and local government will be joining us for the Awards Ceremony and Gala Dinner taking place at the Murooj Rotana Hotel in Dubai on 18 May 2016.  You can reserve your early bird seat or table by registering on the Awards Gala website – the early bird discount applies until 18 April 2016.

For questions and enquiries, please contact egbcawards@emiratesgbc.org. For sponsorship opportunities please click here to access our 2016 packages.

The 2016 EmiratesGBC Awards are audited by KPMG.

Thank you to the Awards Silver Sponsor, Dow Chemical, for its continuous support.

Alongside the Annual EmiratesGBC Awards, the Dr. Owainati Student Excellence Award rewards a student from a recognized UAE university who has conducted exceptional research work in a subject related to green buildings in the Middle East.

Deadline for students to submit their research and required documents has been extended to Thursday 17 March 2016 COB.

Requirements, terms & conditions and Application Form are available on EmiratesGBC Awards website.

EmiratesGBC has partnered with the Ministry of Public Works (MOPW) on a building retrofit project. The project will be used as a case study for encouraging retrofits and to promote energy efficiency in existing buildings, and will implement aspects of the EmiratesGBC Technical Guidelines for Retrofitting Existing Buildings.

On the 15^th of January, three of EmiratesGBC’s corporate members (EMS, Taka Solutions and WSP Group) conducted their pre-audit on Ajman Medical Complex in the presence of representatives from Ministry of Public Works and Ministry of Health as well as EmiratesGBC.  We look forward to using the recommendations from the audit to proceed with retrofit works in the coming months.

Emirates Green Building Council is pleased to announce its recent initiative to further educate the industry and community by sharing green building tips through an online toolkit.  The toolkit is being developed with the objective to provide relevant information on green buildings that can be incorporated into the EmiratesGBC website and communicated to those of various levels of technical capacity.

EmiratesGBC is currently in the development stage of this project and we are seeking committed partners to support the project.  Once the Green Building Toolkit is launched online, it will be available for thousands of individuals and businesses to use to assist them with decisions to make their homes, offices or schools more efficient and sustainable.

The Emirates Green Building Council will promote the Green Building Toolkit through its website, newsletter, press release, events, social media and through email announcements to both its membership and non-membership database.  We invite you to partner with us for an initial 2-year or 1-year period, and support EmiratesGBC to extend its reach promoting green building practices.

To gain more information on the sponsorship opportunity for the EmiratesGBC Green Building Toolkit, please contact Rania Haddad at engagement@emiratesgbc.org or 04-3468244.

On February 24^th in collaboration with Heriot-Watt University, EmiratesGBC held its first Green Building Industry Student Forum. Students from Heriot-Watt, American University in Sharjah, Rochester Institute of Technology and other prominent tertiary education institutes in the UAE attended. The successful event was held to encourage undergraduate and graduate students to join the green building industry by providing them with career advice and insights. A special thank you to our corporate members for participating in the panel discussion: Al Futtaim Carillion, Brookfield Multiplex, Dow, HOK, and Trane.

EmiratesGBC is proud to announce its first building tour of 2016 at the Sheikh Zayed Desert Learning Center in Al Ain on Wednesday March 16^th at 10am. Open only to EmiratesGBC members, the tour will cover a presentation on the Estidama 5-Pearl center, followed by a tour and Q&A.  RSVP today: events@emiratesgbc.org

EmiratesGBC will be holding its first ever roundtable workshop open only to the Energy Efficiency Program database members on Wednesday March 23^th from 8:30-10:30am at the EmiratesGBC office. RSVP today: events@emiratesgbc.org

Once again, EmiratesGBC will be teaming up with our strategic partner, Middle East Facility Management Association (MEFMA) to hold a joint networking event about Waste Management on Wednesday April 6^th at Manzil Hotel Downtown starting from 8:30am. The event is open to both members and non-members and details will follow. RSVP today: events@emiratesgbc.org

Members, we want to hear from you: Do you have a professional credential that requires continuing professional development hours to maintain? If so, let us know the requirements and we would be happy to coordinate participation certificates and/or tailor content to better suit your CPD needs. Please email us with info on your credential, required hours and necessary documentation to achieve your hours.

EmiratesGBC would like to thank its members, Griffin Consultants, DSA Architects International, CH2M, PeoPla Green Technologies and BK Gulf for submitting their pledges to support the UAE Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) submission to COP21 to increase the clean energy to 24% of the total energy mix by 2021.

The above members who submitted pledges have received a tailored measurement and verification form to be filled and submitted to EmiratesGBC every 6 months. As part of EmiratesGBC’s commitment, we will   measure and verify their pledges to support the UAE INDC commitment to COP21.

Corporate members can still submit  pledges to support the UAE commitment to COP21! Visit our website or send an email to enagagement@emiratesgbc.org.

EmiratesGBC is proud to present the Energy Efficiency Program‘s online database, which is a publicly available directory featuring reputable ESCOs, Suppliers, Consultants and FMCs serving the retrofit market in the UAE.  The database is officially supported by Etihad Energy Services (Etihad ESCO).

Moreover, the Program’s online database registration form has recently added new and important features:
1) Accredited ESCOs can now upload and showcase their respective RSB logo on the database:2) Companies that have Certified Energy Managers/Auditors among their personnel can also upload their respective logoEmiratesGBC will be holding its first ever roundtable workshop open only to the Energy Efficiency Program database members on Wednesday March 23^th from 8:30-10:30am at the EmiratesGBC office. RSVP today: events@emiratesgbc.orgs:

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.

BUiD wins The Emirates Appreciation Award for the Environment – congratulations BUiD!

The British University in Dubai’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Abdullah Alshamsi received the award at a ceremony held at Grand Hyatt Hotel on January 26, 2016.

BUiD earned the award for its clear sustainability policy, which is being implemented in all aspects of the staff and students’ daily routines. BUiD’s environmental commitments are also reflected in its educational programmes at Masters and PhD level, many of which focus on sustainable construction and consumption.  In the past 10 years BUiD has focused its research work on sustainability, raising public awareness through events and publications, and undertaking its own corporate sustainability initiatives.

Last month, EmiratesGBC members and partners learned about the theory of resilient and regenerative urbanism. Through a selection of excellent case studies and practical workshop exercises, participants learned what it takes to create significant capital cost reductions for sustainable development in the Arab region. Next week, the March EmiratesGBC Technical Workshop will discuss internal comfort through best practices in ventilation design.  To register, please email: technicalworkshops@emiratesgbc.org.

A Summary Brief compiling the discussion points from all 2015 Technical Workshops has been uploaded on the EmiratesGBC website.  We hope the Brief will serve as a valuable reference to our members and partners locally and regionally, as well as to our readers worldwide.

Finally, EmiratesGBC is calling on all its Corporate Members to take advantage of its Technical Workshop program. If your company has a sustainable specialty/technology which can be introduced to other industry members in an interactive and educational workshop format, please let us know! In the past, our topics have run the gamut of the sustainability spectrum, and we welcome the diverse expertise among our members.  Email your topic suggestions to: technicalworkshops@emiratesgbc.org.

Technical Workshops are open to EmiratesGBC members and partners only and subject to limited seating. Please be sure to register your participation early.

The World Green Building Trends 2016, Developing Markets Accelerate Global Green Growth study – which many GBCs and their members contributed to last year and on which WorldGBC is a research partner – was published in February by Dodge Data & Analytics in partnership with United Technologies Corporation.

The study finds that the percentage of companies expecting to have more than 60 per cent of their building projects certified green is anticipated to more than double by 2018, from 18 per cent currently, to 37 per cent. The anticipated growth will largely be driven by countries that still have developing green markets, with firms from Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, China and India reporting dramatic growth in the percentage of their projects that they expect to certify as green.

Have you had the chance to look at our online Academy page? You’ll find there a series of articles, research papers, case studies, standards and regulations… as well as information on our Technical Guidelines.  Is something missing? Let us know and we’ll fix it!

Nearly all of the Green Key certified hotels have received their 2016 certificate and collaterals, and we’re proud to celebrate with them their green achievements and their exciting plans for the year to come! This month we congratulate our Green Key Champions, Novi Gemellia and Humphrey Gichuki from the Radisson Blu Yas Island and Park Inn by Radisson, Yas Island, for their team efforts and initiatives in Abu Dhabi.

We invite all UAE hotel properties to contact greenkey@emiratesgbc.org should they want to receive more information on the Green Key criteria and how to get certified.

As part of its Hospitality Program, EmiratesGBC is reaching out to the hotel industry to help meet ambitious energy reduction targets and promote sustainability as a key component of the hotels’ operations and marketing. To achieve that, a Hospitality Energy and Water Consumption Benchmarking System is being developed to allow the comparison of individual hotel’s energy and water consumption against similar properties in the country and report on sustainability and energy performance criteria. EmiratesGBC is currently collecting hotels’ data and is looking forward to publish the first Hotel Benchmarking Report this year. For more information contact info@emiratesgbc.org

Our first meeting with representatives of Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority in February was fruitful and we are happy to start a new cooperation to green the UAE hospitality industry. This month, we will facilitate a workshop to guide local hospitality professionals along their way to implement green operations and strategies with the objective to be eco-certified. This is the first step for EmiratesGBC to become an active partner in preparing tourism authorities and hoteliers for their green journey. For more information contact info@emiratesgbc.org.

As part of their benefits, Corporate and Individual Members are invited to take part actively in the EmiratesGBC Programs’ content development. Should you be interested and available to volunteer some of your time, we are looking for support in the following:

• Green Key Program: auditors to review the hotels’ performances including documentation review and onsite visits. Contact greenkey@emiratesgbc.org
• Hospitality Program – industry experts to support the development of training modules: content peer-review. Contact info@emiratesgbc.org
• Energy Efficiency Program – industry experts will be selected based on their qualifications and experience in energy efficiency and building retrofit technologies. Contact eep@emiratesgbc.org

Starting in April 2016, EmiratesGBC will add a new section in its monthly newsletter for Jobs/Internship opportunities to help our corporate members find suitable candidates and to help match qualified students with career-developing experience.

We are inviting our members to share their employment opportunities with us! Please send an email to engagement@emiratesgbc.org.

EmiratesGBC offers a series of professional training programs in partnership with British University in Dubai (BUiD). The following courses are scheduled to take place in the first half of 2016. For more information and to register your intent for any of our upcoming courses, please contact our education partner BUiD.

Based on the growing demand, the Certified Energy Auditor (CEA) certification developed by the Association of Energy Engineers is now offered through the EmiratesGBC-BUiD training program. The inaugural three-day Certified Energy Auditor course will be held on March 13-15.   A staple on the EmiratesGBC training calendar, the Certified Energy Manager (CEM) training will be held on May 29 – June 1 in Abu Dhabi.  The CEM qualification is aimed toward engineers and architects working in the areas of energy engineering or energy management. The exam will be held on June 2^nd.

On April 15-16, a two-day LEED Green Associate exam preparatory course will equip participants with an up-to-date understanding of the most current green building principles and practices.  On May 13-14, the two-day LEED Accredited Professional (BD+C) exam preparatory course is geared for professionals participating in the design and construction phases of high-performance, healthful, durable, affordable, and environmentally sound commercial, institutional, and high-rise residential buildings.

In March, the Council will be supporting the RetrofitTech Dubai in its second edition. RetrofitTech Dubai is a specialized conference exploring the challenges and opportunities in Dubai’s emerging retrofit market to achieve greater energy efficiency and sustainability across Dubai’s built environment. The conference will bring together both the public and private sector from across the construction supply chain from 13-15 March to ensure that the targets of Dubai’s Demand Side Management Strategy can be met. Click here to register.

The 4^th Annual Middle East Variable Refrigerant Flow Conference will take place in Dubai from March 22-21 at the Marooj Rotana. The conference will highlight fresh issues that have cropped up and the various solutions and strategies that are being proposed to keep the momentum alive and bristling with energy. Click here to register.

The first LuxLive Middle East conference & exhibition will take place at ADNEC, Abu Dhabi from 13-14 April 2016 and is supported by EmiratesGBC. The event follows the outstanding success s of LuxLive in the UK as Europe’s biggest annual lighting event. LuxLive Middle East 2016 is a show for anyone involved in the specification, installation and maintenance of lighting systems throughout the region. Click here to register.

The 4th Annual District Cooling (DC) Stakeholders Summit 2016 on April 19-20th is bringing together leading DC industry practitioners who have grown the market to what it is today along with solution providers who will showcase their expertise in the DC industry. Click here to register.

The Smart Building Automation Summit 2016 taking place on 26- 27 April, 2016 in Dubai endeavors to create a platform for the building automation industry to collaborate to discuss, debate and deliberate upon the key contextual influences, barriers of the industry and the opportunities on offer in the Middle East region. The summit will see detailed discussions by the domain experts to find viable solutions to the deterrents and chart the way forward for the industry. EmiratesGBC members can receive a 10% discount. Click here to register.

• The hospitality sector in the UAE has begun playing its part in meeting strict green regulations. Fairmont The Palm was the first hotel on Dubai’s man-made island to successfully meet the stringent norms of qualifying for the ‘Green Key’. This achievement was covered in the Hotelier ME.

• The 4^th Annual EmiratesGBC Awards call for entries and sponsorship was covered in Gulf Digital News online, Gulf Property, Al Bayan, Al Sabah-Kuwait, Trade Arabia, Al Bawaba and many more.

• Our Chairman’s participation as a speaker in the Emirates Energy Efficiency Summit 2016 was covered in many publications and magazines including MENAFN, Khaleej Times, Zawya, Al Roeya, Al Bayan and many more.