EmiratesGBC and Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry jointly hosted a successful focus day on 28th May 2014, topic for which was “Challenges & Opportunities to Green Existing Buildings”. It was a very well received event with nearly 100 attendees participating in the knowledge exchange platform. High level authorities from Dubai Municipality, Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, Etihad ESCO and Mabanina talked about the new Green Building Standards & its application to existing building stock, DSM Strategy for building regulations & retrofits, new ESCO guidelines and case studies, respectively. Dubai Chamber having recently been awarded the LEED Platinum certificate for EBOM presented an excellent case study of their building retrofits. In case you missed out on the event, you can access some of the presentations on the EmiratesGBC website by clicking here. Keep following our website for new and exciting events. We look forward to your participation in our future activities!

EmiratesGBC was pleased to support the FM Expo again this year, the only dedicated facility management exhibition in the Middle East, an important event for facility managers, building operators, property owners and free zones managers in the region. The event was held from 19th to 21st May 2014 at the Dubai World Trade Centre collocated with Middle East Waste & Recycling & Commercial Cleaning & Hygiene.

Celebrate World Environment Day on 5th June. The Day is an initiative by United Nations and was created to be a driver for encouraging and boosting worldwide awareness and action for the betterment of the environment. This year, the theme is Small Island Development States (SIDS), the aim for which is to encourage a greater understanding of the importance of SIDS and the urgency to help protect the islands in the face of growing risks and vulnerabilities, particularly as a result of climate change. Take the pledge and support the environment !!

The EmiratesGBC Board of Directors held their 2nd quarterly meeting of the year on 15 May at the EmiratesGBC Headquarter office. The meeting was chaired by EmiratesGBC Chairman Saeed Al Abbar and key points concentrated primarily on strategic discussions for taking the Council forward, such as strengthening partnerships, growing membership and industry involvement, and expanding projects and resources. The board has developed task forces that will help provide
direction for new projects under development.

After a successful commencement of the 1st Annual EGBC Awards last year, the 2nd Annual Awards Gala will be held on 11 June at Grosvenor House Dubai. Registrations are now open and seats are limited. Do not miss this opportunity to be part of this grand event making a mark in the field of Green Buildings and Sustainability. Join us in celebrating the announcement of this years Award winners. Special thanks to Jotun Paints, Al Abbar Group, Caparol Paints LLC and Emrill Services for coming on board to sponsor the EGBC Annual Awards 2014, supporting the success of the event!

The theme for the 3rd Annual EGBC Congress has been set: “Sustainable Cities for the Future”. Active participation and input from the industry is always appreciated, and as development of the program for the EGBC Congress is underway, we reach out to you to get your opinion on topics you would like to hear about. Tell us what subject matter you are most interested in relevant to the congress theme. The 2014 EGBC Congress will be held on 20th and 21st October, the first day of which will be a full day conference and the second day will be comprised of building tours and workshops. Kindly email us with your suggestions at events@emiratesgbc.org or reach us by phone at 04-3468244.

EmiratesGBC with British University in Dubai and in association with the Association of Energy Engineers are offering Certified Energy Manager (CEM) Training and exam to gain CEM qualification. The training course and exam will be held on 8 –12 June 2014 at the British University in Dubai. For more details or to register your interest, please contact BUiD at training.pdu@buid.ac.ae.

LEED AP (BD+C) will also be held this month, taking place on 13-14 June in partnership with EmiratesGBC and British University in Dubai. For more information, please contact training.pdu@buid.ac.ae.

The Green Key National Jury meeting for the 2nd quarter of 2014 took place on 19 May. Following this meeting, the Green Key certification renewals of the Sheraton Deira Hotel in Dubai and Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach Resort in Fujairah have been validated, and their efforts towards sustainable practices strongly commended.

In the coming weeks, EmiratesGBC will actively work with the Federation for Environmental Education, Green Key International and the UAE National Jury to have the baseline criteria reviewed and revised before their implementation from 2015. One of the objectives of this process is to possibly tailor these criteria to better fit the UAE context (climatic conditions, state of the UAE Hospitality Sector…) and therefore better respond to  the needs of the market regarding sustainability.

For more information on the Green Key Programme, feel free to contact Lora or Marie at greenkey@emiratesgbc.org or 04-3468244.

In June, EmiratesGBC is working with Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council (UPC) to offer members a technical workshop in Abu Dhabi, on the topic “Passive Measures in Façade Design and Construction – Abu Dhabi example“. Date and exact time will shortly be communicated on the EmiratesGBC website and by email. The workshop on applying the “new sustainable lighting standard” originally planned for May unfortunately had to be postponed; we will keep you informed on the new date and updated content as soon as possible.

In the meantime, if you are interested in facilitating a workshop, or if you have topics in mind that you wish to have addressed, do not hesitate to let us know. We are currently developing the planning for the second half of 2014 and your inputs will be helpful! Contact Marie in the EGBC office at 04-3468244.

EmiratesGBC is preparing its calendar for the 2nd half of the year and with a wide range of experts in the Council. Your support and participation is always appreciated. Should you be interested to be a part of the Council’s various initiatives in terms of sponsorship, facilitation or support for events like Technical Workshops, Focus Days, Networking Events or Seminars, kindly contact us.

World Green Building Week started in 2009 to create a more connected, more interactive, and more public conversation around the role buildings play in creating our sustainable future. This year’s theme is ‘Get Up, Green Up’ and the dates are 22nd to 27th September 2014. It’s one of the biggest opportunities each year to excel the spotlight on our global movement and our collective mission – to create sustainable built environments.  We are looking for ideas and volunteers this year to support the Green Building Week. Should you be interested to be a part of it, kindly contact us the EGBC office.

Congratulations for Majid Al Futtaim Properties for achieving LEED Gold certification for its head office building, Majid Al Futtaim Tower 2 in Dubai, which was awarded by the United States Green Building Council. It is the 1st building to achieve a Gold rating for LEED EBOM in UAE.