The Annual MENA Green Building Awards celebrates and recognises achievements, success stories, and best practices across the region. Organized by EmiratesGBC, the awards are endorsed by the World Green Building Council and held in partnership with regional Green Building Councils from Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, and Qatar.

This year the Awards have 17 categories: Net Zero Building Project of the Year, Green Building Project of the Year, Sustainable Design Project of the Year, Healthy Spaces Project of the Year, Facility Management Organization of the Year, Developer of the Year, Green Contractor of the Year, Green Consultant of the Year, Green SME of the year, Green Building Product of the Year – Indoor Air Quality, Green Building Product of the Year – Energy Management, Green Building Product of the Year – Water Management, Green Building Material of the Year – Construction Material, Green Building Research Award, Training Initiative of the Year, Retrofit Project of the Year, Best Operations & Maintenance (Existing Building).

Applicants have until the 19th of August 2021 to submit their applications. To find out more, please visit the MENA Green Building Awards website and download the applicant guidelines.

To encourage academia engagement, the awards also include the Dr. Owainati Student Excellence Award, an award eligible for students who showcase outstanding work in sustainability. The Student Excellence Award is sponsored by Dr. Sadek Owainati, Co-Founder of EmiratesGBC.

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.

EmiratesGBC is excited to announce the 10th Annual EmiratesGBC Congress will be held on the 22nd September 2021 under the Patronage of the Ministry of Climate Change & Environment with 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 2030 and the pathway to a net-zero built environment within the UAE.

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. You can relive the excitement of last year’s event here.

Spaces are limited due to social distancing, make sure you that register early to secure your place.

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.

Registration will open later this month – if you are a developer, contractor or labour supply company in the UAE and would like to find out more about this free training programme and how you can get involved please contact training@emiratesgbc.org.

On June 8^th, EmiratesGBC Corporate Member, Trane, facilitated a technical webinar on the new generation of refrigerants as a result of the regulations to apply the Kigali amendments. This workshop also discussed how the introduction of these new generation refrigerants provides opportunities for energy efficiency improvements. You can watch the webinar here.

On July 6^th, EmiratesGBC Corporate Member, Cundall, will facilitate a technical webinar on how to best address the global climatic drivers for change and advance decarbonization efforts for assets and organizations. The workshop will also showcase some real net-zero carbon case studies and discuss the lessons learned. You can register directly for the event here.

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).

You can view the updated criteria 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 IEA’s Net Zero by 2050 A Roadmap for the Global Energy Sector. This special report is a comprehensive study of how to transition to a net zero energy system by 2050 while ensuring stable and affordable energy supplies, providing universal energy access, and enabling robust economic growth. The report also examines key uncertainties, such as the roles of bioenergy, carbon capture and behavioural changes in reaching net zero.

To read more, click here.

EmiratesGBC is partnering with Dodge Data & Analytics on the fifth version of the seminal World Green Building Trends Study. We encourage all who are involved in building design and/or construction (as architects, engineers, consultants, contractors, or building owners) to participate by taking the survey.

To begin the survey, click here: https://survey.euro.confirmit.com/wix/0/p651172662520.aspx?mode=1&l=9&ks=99&samp=2&ASC=1

This study is a landmark measure of green building activity, drivers, and benefits, and your participation is essential to its success. All survey responses are completely confidential, with results only analyzed in aggregate.

The survey should take approximately 12 to 15 minutes to complete.

By completing this survey, you will be helping EmiratesGBC access important market data that will be available to us if enough responses are collected.

All interested participants will receive a copy of the World Green Building Trends 2021 Smart Market Report when it is published August–September 2021.

Thank you for joining in this effort and sharing your insights and experiences to help us achieve sustainable buildings for everyone, everywhere.

Majid Al Futtaim, the leading shopping mall, communities, retail, and leisure pioneer across the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, has released its 2020 Sustainability Report, highlighting key milestones and initiatives launched throughout the year. Despite the business and economic disruption brought about by the pandemic, the company achieved 97% of the targets set out in its annual sustainability strategy, further demonstrating the company’s dedication to driving the sustainability agenda forward in the region.