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 order to drive actions towards net zero carbon buildings, the Commitment has been expanded to include Embodied Carbon Targets for signatories. The newly introduced Whole Life Carbon Pathway sets targets to achieves both net zero Operational and net zero Embodied Carbon by 2030!

If you would like to demonstrate your leadership, sign the commitment and become a Frontrunner to join the Race To Zero!

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.

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.

One Click LCA Planetary has been officially launched and is available in nine languages and covers the ten most carbon-intensive and significant materials categories in construction. It provides both materials efficiency and embodied carbon metrics at once. Through our partnership with Bionova Ltd, the One Click LCA Planetary is available for all UAE companies for free!

Emirates Green Building Council in partnership with Business Finland is pleased to invite you to a webinar on ‘Improving Indoor Air Quality in the UAE: Sharing global case studies & expertise from Finland’ on the 9^th June at 10 am GST.

COVID-19 highlighted the importance of indoor environmental quality, especially indoor air quality, on the health and wellbeing of building occupants. Bringing together expert speakers the webinar will provide insights and explore case studies relevant to the UAE, highlighting the innovations and technologies that can be employed to maintain high air quality inside buildings.

Finland is a global leader in technologies monitoring and improving healthy indoor environments and the speakers will highlight the problem and solutions. Speakers include:

Technology as an Enabler for World-Class IAQ – Finnish Know-How and Clean Air Solutions
Mr. Aimo Taipale, Senior Scientist | VTT – Technical Research Centre of Finland

Innovative digital tools for Built Environment and International Cooperation Opportunities – Singapore Case Study
Ms. Irma Ylikangas, Senior Business Advisor |Helsinki Business Hub

Air quality research in a restaurant: towards COVID-19 -safe indoor air

Mr. Antti Hyvärinen, Senior Research Scientist | Finnish Meteorological Institute

Visit the webpage to register to attend on the 9^th June or to receive a recording of the webinar.

EmiratesGBC is excited to announce the 10th Annual EmiratesGBC Congress will be held on the 22nd September 2021 under the theme: 15 years of EmiratesGBC: From Green Buildings towards Sustainable Cities 2030

The Congress will take you on a journey through the UAE’s past, present, and future as we celebrate the growth of the green building movement from humble beginnings to a driving force shaping the nation’s built environment.

Our speakers will reflect on the challenge & impact of rapid population and urban growth and what has been learned from the achievements and success stories over the years. The Congress will discuss the current trends and drivers influencing the sector as the world continues to recover from COVID-19, before looking ahead to the next 50 years and highlighting the innovation and vision needed as we strive towards net zero carbon cities.

Held during World Green Building Week, the Congress will contemplate the role of the UAE in the global movement for climate action as all across the world governments are gearing up for COP26.

Be sure to save the date and sign up for our newsletter to receive updates and announcements. You can relive the excitement of last year’s event here.

EmiratesGBC is pleased to offer organizations the opportunity to partner on this prestigious event – with different tiers of sponsorship packages ranging from AED 55,000 to AED 10,000, with extensive benefits, it’s an opportunity to demonstrate sustainability leadership and support the work of EmiratesGBC. Click here to find out more and contact events@emiratesgbc.org for more information.

Emirates Green Building Council in collaboration with HSBC Middle East, is developing a capacity building training programme to support Socially Responsible Practices relating to worker welfare, labour practices and policies, for companies involved in delivering construction projects & building services within the UAE. The training programme will be delivered throughout 2021 by Equidem, a leading consultancy and expert in the field and is supported by knowledge partner Multiplex. The training focuses on two streams: Stream 1: Socially Responsible Labour Practices and Stream 2: Worker Financial Capability.

To support the development of the training, EmiratesGBC would like to hear from EGBC members regarding the training and development requirements in the industry. If you are a developer, contractor or labour supply company in the UAE and would like to find out more about this programme and how you can get involved please contact training@emiratesgbc.org.

On May 25th, EmiratesGBC corporate member, Farnek, facilitated a technical webinar on why adopting the circular economy approach to the built environment is important for the UAE. This workshop also discussed how the construction sector can provide the biggest opportunity to reduce waste and move the economy in a ‘circular’ direction.  You can watch the webinar here.

On June 15^th, EmiratesGBC Corporate Member, Trane, will be facilitating a technical webinar. More information on the webinar will be sent through an email invitation, so be sure to keep an eye out and register through the link!

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.

Green Key International has updated the Green Key criteria, which will become effective starting from 1 January 2022 – 31 December 2025. The new standard is approved by the FEE Board of Directors and the Green Key International Steering Committee, and the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) has recognized the new criteria/explanatory notes for the accommodation categories (hotels & hostels, campsites & holiday parks, and small accommodations).

If you would like to know more about the updated criteria, please contact us. To find out more, click here.

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 Oxford Principles for Net Zero Aligned Carbon Offsetting, which outlines how offsetting needs to be approached to ensure it helps achieve a net-zero society. The principles are:

1. Cut emissions, use high-quality offsets, and regularly revise the offsetting strategy as best practice evolves
2. Shift to carbon removal offsetting
3. Shift to long-lived storage
4. Support the development of net zero aligned offsetting

The report also highlights the need for a credible approach to nature-based carbon offsets, such as forest restoration.

To read more, click here.