Our Net Zero Centre of Excellence was launched in 2018 as a think tank and accelerator to advance net zero carbon buildings in the UAE as part of its commitment to World Green Building Council’s Advancing Net Zero Project. We invite you to explore our website to see the work we are doing. We have also summarised our objectives and actions in the EmiratesGBC Snapshot.

In the lead up to COP26, we invite the industry to join the Race To Zero — a global campaign rallying leadership and support for a healthy, resilient, zero carbon recovery that prevents future threats, creates decent jobs, and unlocks inclusive, sustainable growth. Currently, the Race to Zero, mobilizes a coalition of leading net zero initiatives, representing 471 cities, 23 regions, 1,675 businesses, 85 of the biggest investors, and 569 universities. Collectively these actors now cover nearly 25% global CO2 emissions and over 50% GDP.

Organisations, cities and regions/states can pledge to reach (net)-zero in the 2040s (or sooner), or by 2050 at the latest, in-line with global efforts to limit warming to 1.5C by one of the following routes:

• Businesses are invited to contact: Business Ambition for 1.5 C – Our Only Future, The Climate Pledge and Exponential Roadmap Initiative
• Small and Medium-sized enterprises are invited to contact: SME Climate Hub
• Certified B Corporations are invited to contact: B Corporation
• Chambers of Commerce are invited to contact the International Chamber of Commerce Chambers Climate Coalition
• Cities are invited to contact: Deadline 2020, Science Based Targets for Cities and ICLEI- Local Governments for Sustainability
• Exponential Roadmap Initiative
• Investors are invited to contact: Net-Zero Asset Owners Alliance
• Regions/States are invited to contact: Under2Coalition
• Universities are invited to contact: Global Universities and Colleges for the Climate, Second Nature

The run-up to COP26, the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, gives reason for renewed optimism, with several countries committed to achieving net-zero by 2050.

Buildings play a vital role in achieving net zero cities and we invite the industry to improve their performance through the International Living Future Institute’s Zero Carbon and Zero Energy Certifications, which promotes the design of high performance, climate-positive buildings that account for their total carbon impacts by reducing and offsetting both operational and embodied carbon.

If you are working on a net-zero project and would like to learn more about the certification, email us at netzero@emiratesgbc.org and we will be happy to schedule a call to discuss the benefits and process of the certification. The first 10 pilot projects in the UAE that apply to ILFI’s ZE and ZC certifications receive a discounted rate.

World Green Building Council’s Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment now has 135 signatories! We now have ten EmiratesGBC members, AESG, Arup, Buro Happold, Cundall, JLL, Majid Al Futtaim, Mott MacDonald, Multiplex, Siemens, and Shaw Contract committed. You can find the full list of current signatories here. The case study library also showcases industry leaders who have signed the Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment: 98 businesses and organisations, 28 cities, and 6 states and regions.

If you would like to join the lines of these pioneering organizations, please contact us at netzero@emiratesgbc.org.

EmiratesGBC has partnered with Bionova Ltd, developer of One Click LCA. The partnership is based on raising awareness around embodied carbon with an objective of transforming the market towards low carbon design, construction, and manufacturing practices. To facilitate this, Bionova is offering the One Click LCA Planetary free of charge for companies in the UAE. The software has several capabilities which allows the calculation of material and carbon efficiency (A1-A3 stages).

On April 6th, EmiratesGBC corporate member, Enova, facilitated a technical webinar on How to address sustainability performance of an operating building & focus on Energy and IEQ. This workshop discussed how best to go beyond conventional EPC & FM to an integrated and holistic approach catering to the different facility and building occupant needs. You can watch the webinar here.

On May 25^th, EmiratesGBC Corporate Member, Farnek, will facilitate a technical webinar. More information and the registration link will be sent soon!

Our 2021 calendars are getting booked quickly, so if you are interested in facilitating a workshop/webinar in 2021 please email us at technicalworkshops@emiratesgbc.org.

Please consider supporting our education and technical programs in 2021 by partnering with us and coming on board as a sponsor to one of our knowledge-sharing initiatives. Opportunities range from webinars and workshops on our priority areas such as Net Zero Carbon Buildings, Energy Efficiency, Green Schools, Health & Wellness and Building Retrofit to our flagship Annual Congress and Annual MENA Green Building Awards.

Partnership opportunities are a great way for members to get involved and showcase your organization’s leadership and commitment to sustainable development initiatives. We invite you to find out more – please view our sponsorship packages and contact us to learn more.

EmiratesGBC hosts multiple events throughout the year in a variety of formats and covering a wide breadth of topics. Drawing on our members’ expertise and knowledge, we curate panel discussions, webinars, presentations and conferences that go beyond the current conversation and discuss the latest innovations and issues in the sector. If you are a member with a story to tell or interested in getting involved through speaking opportunities or would like to share ideas, please contact us at events@emiratesgbc.org with details of the topic and nominated speaker.

EmiratesGBC corporate members can fill out the speakers form and submit to events@emiratesgbc.org.

We would like to congratulate The H Dubai as a newly certified Green Key property. We would also like to congratulate all the properties that have recently renewed their Green Key certification. Well done to The Radisson Blu Residence Marina, Radisson Blu Deira Creek Dubai, First Central Hotel Apartments, TIME Oak Hotel & Suites, Address Dubai Marina Hotel, Sheraton Jumeirah Beach Resort and Sheraton Dubai Creek.

Are you interested in certifying your hotel property with Green Key? If you would like to find out more about the Green Key certification and how we can support you, please contact greenkey@emiratesgbc.org.

Visit the UAE Green Key webpage to see a list of the UAE’s Green Key certified hotels.

Learn the fundamentals of Building Retrofit, Energy Efficiency, Indoor environmental quality and much more through EmiratesGBC’s Building Retrofit Training Introductory course or learn how to undertake a retrofit and become a Certified Specialist through the Advanced course, now internationally recognized through TUV Middle East. Each course has been divided into 4-hour modules and will be led by our expert facilitators through an online platform that can be accessed from anywhere in the region.

The program is in partnership with Dubai Supreme Council of Energy and Masdar (Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company) and is endorsed by Etihad ESCO. The Building Retrofit Specialist certification is now also recognized by RSB Dubai as part of its ESCO accreditation scheme.

The Advanced Building Retrofit Training is endorsed by TUV Rheinland Middle East Those and participants who pass the examination conducted by PersCert TÜV will receive the ‘Building Retrofit Specialist with TÜV Rheinland Certified Qualification’, an internationally recognised certificate for building retrofit.

The program offers two levels:

• Advanced Building Retrofit Training Course: This two-day course is perfect for engineers and technical experts with prior experience or currently undertaking retrofit projects who wish to enhance and streamline their knowledge of retrofit principles and methods. Participants of the course will undertake an examination which will allow them to become an EmiratesGBC certified Building Retrofit Specialist. EmiratesGBC are partnering with a global recognized organization to provide certification to the qualification. Contact us for more details on training@emiratesgbc.org.
• Introductory Building Retrofit Training: For non-technical professionals looking for an overview of Building Retrofit methods and provides knowledge of sustainability to industry professionals looking to understand the fundamentals of building retrofit.

Further information about the courses, dates and eligibility guidelines can be found on the Building Retrofit Training webpage. EmiratesGBC can also schedule in-house training for groups of 10 or more, please contact training@emiratesgbc.org to request a proposal. EmiratesGBC members and partners will receive a 20% discount off the registration fees.

“Architectural features such as clerestories and atriums bring in adequate light into deeper centers inside buildings and rooms.”

The above is one of many useful tips available through the EmiratesGBC Green Building Tooltips. The Tooltips is an 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 Rain Bird and is supported by Taqati.

This month, we look at the World Economic Forum’s Net-Zero Challenge: the supply chain opportunity insight report.  The report highlights addressing supply-chain emissions enables many customer-facing companies to impact a volume of emissions several times higher than they could if they were to focus on decarbonizing their own direct operations and power consumption alone – and achieving a net-zero supply chain is possible with very limited additional costs.

To read the report, click here.