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.

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 learnt 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.

The Congress is supported by Platinum Partners, Majid Al Futtaim and Knauf and Session sponsors KEO and Saint-Gobain.

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 our 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 July 6^th, EmiratesGBC Corporate Member, Cundall, facilitated a technical webinar on how to best address the global climatic drivers for change and advance decarbonization efforts for assets and organizations. The workshop also showcased some real net-zero carbon case studies and discussed the lessons learned. You can watch the webinar here.

On August 25^th, EmiratesGBC Partner, the Clean Energy Business Council, and EmiratesGBC Corporate Member, Arup, will be delivering a technical webinar on Green Mobility in the built environment. We’ll be sending out the invitations, so be sure to keep an eye to register!

We only have a few booking slots left in our 2021 calendar, so if you are interested in facilitating a workshop/webinar this year please email us at technicalworkshops@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 Frank Knight’s (Y)our Space Report, which highlights the findings of a survey of almost 400 global occupiers and highlights the real business benefit accruing from real estate. The report also shows that there is a clear and increasingly urgent requirement for the form and function of the office to evolve as the pandemic recedes and the opportunity to ‘build back better’ presents itself to business leaders.

To read more, click here.

In June 2021, CEMEX announced that it is setting a new, more aggressive target to be below 475 kg CO₂, an approximately 40% reduction in CO₂ emissions, by 2030. This new goal is aligned to the Well Below Two Degree scenario of the SBTi.

CEMEX is now bringing forward its previous 2030 carbon goal of 520 kg CO₂, equivalent to a 35% reduction in emissions, by 5 years to 2025.

In addition, CEMEX commits to reduce its CO₂ emissions in its concrete business by 35%, reaching 165 Kg of CO₂ per cubic meter, by 2030.

The company expects to invest approximately US$60 million annually to achieve its new 2030 target. These new ambitious goals are a pillar under CEMEX’s Operation Resilience strategy and the core of the Future in Action program designed to reduce its carbon footprint.

In October 2020, CEMEX announced that Vertua^®, its first-ever net-zero carbon concrete, will be available in its major markets worldwide after a successful launch in Europe. Vertua^®, a family of products that ranges from low carbon to the first net-zero CO₂ concrete in the market, places CEMEX at the forefront of the building materials industry’s efforts to mitigate climate change.

CEMEX UAE celebrated the launch of Vertua^® in the United Arab Emirates on July 28th through an online webinar attended by multiple stakeholders and customers. The webinar was hosted by CEMEX UAE Country Director Rafael Villalona and Commercial Director Javier De La Garza. The carbon emissions from the production of Vertua cements are up to 40%+ lower than traditional cements.

CEMEX is a global construction materials company that is building a better future through sustainable products and solutions. CEMEX is committed to achieving carbon neutrality through relentless innovation and industry-leading research and development. CEMEX is at the forefront of the circular economy in the construction value chain and is pioneering ways to increase the use of waste and residues as alternative raw materials and fuels in its operations with the use of new technologies. CEMEX offers cement, ready-mix concrete, aggregates, and urbanization solutions in growing markets around the world, powered by a multinational workforce focused on providing a superior customer experience, enabled by digital technologies.

EmiratesGBC is pleased to support Retrofit Tech Abu Dhabi Summit which is taking place physically on 7 – 8 September 2021 at the Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers to bring the top stakeholders across the Retrofitting, Energy Efficiency and Sustainability sectors together.

Some of the key speakers representing Abu Dhabi’s vision and projects include:

• Stephane Le Gentil, Chief Operating Officer & Acting Chief Executive Officer,Abu Dhabi Energy Services (ADES)
• Ramiz Hamdan Ragheb Alaileh, Sustainability & Energy Efficiency Director, Abu Dhabi Department of Energy
• Majid Ideisian, Project Manager – Financial Sustainability and Investment Department, UAEMinistry of Energy and Infrastructure
• David Andrew Dunn, Projects Manager, Municipal Roads and Infrastructure,Abu Dhabi City Municipality
• Mohamed Dawoud, Advisor – Water Resources and Environment Quality,Environment Agency Abu Dhabi

The summit brochure is now available for download. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from these high-level decision makers on the aspiring visions and latest projects in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, and to see the most innovative technologies and market-leading services across the sector.

EmiratesGBC members can register by emailing us at opportunities@acm-events.com and receive an exclusive discount. Or if you are a non-member register your interest to attend this event.

Keeping in line with Social Distancing guidelines, we will have limited seating and very exclusive complimentary delegate availability. Register your interest now to check your eligibility.