In early January, Emirates Green Building Council will be publishing the findings from the BEA Benchmarking Project. In partnership with Dubai Supreme Council of Energy (DSCE), EmiratesGBC has undertaken the benchmarking of energy and water performance on hotels, schools and malls within Dubai.  This milestone report will outline the findings from the project and provide insights to understand the current processes and operations affecting energy and water efficiencies and highlight areas for potential improvements in these building types.

To mark the publication of the report, EmiratesGBC and DSCE will be inviting industry stakeholders and partners involved in the project to a launch event on 10^th January. This invitation-only event will present the key findings of the project and invite discussion and questions. EmiratesGBC will also be presenting the finding in an open forum at the World Future Energy Summit Green Buildings Forum on the 15^th January in Abu Dhabi.

The project supports the City of Dubai’s participation in the Building Efficiency Accelerator (BEA), a public-private collaboration led by World Resources Institute under the United Nations Sustainable Energy for All (SEforAll) program that aims to speed the development and implementation of building efficiency policies and practices in cities around the world.

Earlier this month we invited corporate and individual members to join us for the  2018 Annual General Meeting (AGM). This was an opportunity to look back at the Council’s achievements over the past 12 months and discuss opportunities for 2019. The AGM proceedings were led by Chairman, Saeed Al Abbar, who invited members to give their feedback and suggestions.

We thank all the members who attended for their valuable participation and extend a special thanks to those who contributed to our events and programmes throughout 2018. The involvement and support of our members are central to the Council’s activities. If you have any feedback or suggestions that you would like to share, then please contact us.  We want to hear from you!

On 10 December 2018 following the Annual General Meeting, the EmiratesGBC Board of Directors met and approved the Council’s Priority Areas for 2019.  The priority areas will build on the programs and projects of 2018 with increased industry engagement and growth in deliverables.  Like last year, the priority areas are linked to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and contribute to the global sustainability agenda as well as the UAE’s national priorities.

Strategic Priority Areas of Emirates Green Building Council for 2019 include the following, all of which members can participate and are encouraged to support:

• Net Zero Centre of Excellence – EmiratesGBC to be the focal point in UAE for the Net Zero Carbon Buildings movement
• Building Retrofit Training – Operate and expand professional training that provides capacity building for the industry and encourages retrofit of existing buildings
• Technical Publications – Serve as a hub for knowledge and information, producing technical papers and publications relevant to the green building industry
• Emirates Coalition for Green Schools – Facilitate a coalition of green schools stakeholders to encourage energy efficient operations and retrofits of existing school facilities
• Green Key – Operate and grow the Green Key eco-label in UAE, thus supporting sustainability of the hospitality sector
• MENA Green Building Awards – Operate the Annual MENA Green Building Awards program that honors companies who have demonstrated sustainable design, construction and/or operation of buildings in the region
• Education & Awareness – Host informative events, building tours and workshops to educate and build capacity on green building topics within the industry. Includes the flagship Annual Congress
• Membership – Engage the industry and support member companies committed to sustainable best practices
• Benchmarking – Provide important energy and water benchmarks in UAE for different building typologies

The World Green Building Council has published its annual report for 2017/18: Building a better future.

The report outlines the major achievements of the Green Building Council global movement during the past year, we are proud to be active participants and would like to extend our appreciation to our members and partners to help continue to move to our goals deliberately.

Key highlights of the report include:  Welcoming two new members to the global movement: GBC Iceland and China GBC; Currently 38 of our 68 GBCs have reached Established membership status; The Green Building Council green building movement now covers almost 40% of the global population. GBCs have 36,884 members and almost 890 employees globally; GBCs around the world have currently certified an incredible 2.65 billion m2 of floor space around the world; The ninth annual World Green Building Week reached an estimated total of 155 million people through press mentions and social media for the ‘Home Green Home’ campaign. With 53 GBCs participating, this was the biggest campaign yet. Many thanks to our members for participating; There are 42 signatories of the Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment which have committed to eliminating 221 million tonnes of carbon emissions equivalent (CO2e) from their buildings by 2050 – equal to taking 47.3 million cars off the road

The report is available on WorldGBC’s website and provides a concrete testament to our continuous efforts, achievements and progress.

EmiratesGBC is pleased to again partner with WFES (World Future Energy Summit) as Knowledge Partner for the 2019 Green Buildings Exhibition and Forum. The event is hosted by Masdar and is part of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, taking place from the 14 – 17 January 2019 at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC).

We are inviting corporate members to exhibit with us under the EmiratesGBC Pavilion at the Green Buildings Exhibition, co-located with World Future Energy Summit. Members will be able to access discounted rates on exhibiting as well as receive a special package of benefits.

Co-located with the exhibition will be the WFES Green Buildings Forum which will bring together speakers from across the industry. Join us on Tuesday 15^th January where representatives from EmiratesGBC will be speaking on the latest trends in Green Building in the UAE and globally.

Click here to learn more or contact Reed Exhibitions representative, Carla Fadel on +971 50 653 1940 to book exhibition space under the EmiratesGBC Pavilion.

Throughout 2018, EmiratesGBC continued to see our flagship events grow with the MENA Green Building Awards receiving its highest number of applications and the Annual Congress bringing together speakers and delegates from across the region and the world to discuss net zero cities. In 2019, we look forward to building on this success and deliver an even better programme of events.

This year the timing of our flagship events will change with the 8^th Annual Congress being held in the Spring 2019 and the MENA Green Building Awards Ceremony moving to the Autumn. This is in direct response from the feedback we have received from you, the members and participants of these pivotal events. The application window for the 2019 MENA Green Building Awards will open in Q2. Stay tuned for more announcements on the launch of the 2019 Awards program.

We look forward to building on the success of previous years and delivering an even better programme of events. Details of the Congress theme and the Awards application process will be announced as they become available via our website and newsletter.  If you are interested in getting involved in either of these events through sponsorship, then please get in contact via engagement@emiratesgbc.org

The 2018 MENA Green Building Awards were held in May 2018 and celebrated achievements, success stories and best practices across the region.  Each month we since we have showcased the winner of one category, and this month we look at Green Commercial Building of the Year, which recognized an operational building with a commercial component in the MENA region whose construction and completion has respected the highest sustainability standards and included innovation in design and processes.

Winner: Equate Headquarters by Dar Gulf Consult for Engineering Consultancy

EQUATE Headquarters has successfully obtained LEED Silver certification, one of the first LEED accredited buildings in Kuwait. This project shows that achieving sustainable goals is a process that requires commitment, perseverance and dedication by all the parties involved in the design and construction stages.

Congratulations Dar Gulf Consult for Engineering Consultancy!

To find out more about the 2018  awards and category winners, take a look at the awards brief and continue to support the MENA Green Building Awards through social media by using the hashtag #MENAGBAwards

EmiratesGBC is always looking to its members for their knowledge and expertise within the sustainable development realm.  Knowledge sharing is a key component for enabling our green building movement in the UAE, region and the world.

EmiratesGBC Member Cundall is a leader in the sustainability realm and this is because of a deeply rooted commitment to the environment and the safety of its inhabitants, us!  We are pleased to share Cundall’s sustainability roadmap which is aligned with One Planet Living Principles and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They utilise this roadmap to continue to push our agenda worldwide.

We invite you to read the roadmap here

The Building Retrofit Program is in partnership with Dubai Supreme Council of Energy and Masdar (Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company) and offers two levels of training course:

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 certifed Building Retrofit Specialist.

Introductory Building Retrofit Training: For non-technical professionals looking for an overview of Building Retrofit methods. Led by expert facilitators, this one day course provides knowledge of sustainability to industry professionals looking to understand the fundamentals of building retrofit.

Further information about the courses and eligibility guidelines can be found on the website.  We invite you to visit the Building Retrofit Training webpage to register your interest in the 2019 courses which will be announced in January. EmiratesGBC can also schedule in-house training for groups of 10 or more, please contact events@emiratesgbc.org to request a proposal.

Hear what some of our previous participants had to say about the course:

‘I took BRT because I am a non-technical professional entering the retrofit sector in Dubai, working on demand-side management. This course gave me a solid overview and understanding of building/villa/structure from a retrofit perspective and the current legislation and trends in Dubai.’

We encourage you to improve your lifestyle, not just for today but for all of 2019, by adopting an EmiratesGBC Green Building Tooltip.  This month’s tip is focused on the use of efficient fixtures in the home.  With temperatures dropping this month, the urge to take a nice hot shower increases, we invite you to consider the fixtures you have in place.  This is why we encourage the use of an efficient showerhead- by installing highly efficient shower heads or add aerators to your existing ones, the water flow rate should not exceed 9.5 L/min in line with the ESMA standards.

The EmiratesGBC Green Building Tooltips is a rich 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 Legrand, EmiratesGBC board members underlining their commitment to promoting sustainability, and is supported by Taqati whose mission is tied to achieving Dubai’s sustainability goals.

We urge you to visit the Green Building Tooltips on our website to test out this valuable tool and pursue a greener lifestyle whether it be at home, school or the office.

December’s Technical Workshop was facilitated by Multiplex and focused on workers’ welfare and environmental sustainability in the construction industry.  The workshop highlighted worker vulnerabilities, welfare principles and worker welfare management systems, and discussions emphasised on the ethical recruitment process through the ILO and Building Responsibly. The workshop presented the benefits behind implementing energy and water efficiency within operations and the impact of carbon emission reductions on business/operating margins.

The session was a platform to generate discussion targeting contractors amongst other industry representatives.

The 2018 Technical Workshops were aligned with the principles of the global Net Zero buildings movement by addressing the principles of reducing demand and increasing efficiency within buildings. The 2018 workshops also looked at other global green building movements such as health and wellbeing and sustainable building practices in construction and building management.

For a full overview and technical briefs of the topics addressed in 2018, please click here.

We are looking forward to your participation in 2019 – our technical workshops are a fantastic platform for knowledge sharing, tackling the challenges faced by the industry and finding solutions through already existing technologies and innovations.

Are you an EmiratesGBC member or partner and would like to facilitate a technical workshop? Our calendar is open for 2019; we encourage you to bring your topic suggestions forth.

If you have any suggestions for topics you would like to address, we would like to hear from you.  Email us at technicalworkshops@emiratesgbc.org.

We start the year looking at the recently released report by World Green Building Council, the World Green Building Trends 2018 SmartMarket Report, which is based on a global survey of more than 2,000 industry participants including architects, engineers, contractors, owners, specialists/consultants and investors from 86 countries. Findings from the report illustrate the growing green building movement as organisations across the construction industry continue to shift towards more sustainable products and practices. Additionally, the report also reveals that social impacts are also increasing in their influence on the respondents as a major reason to build green with the top impact cited as improved occupant health and well-being.

Click here to read the report.

If you are interested in using EmiratesGBC office space for a workshop or meeting, please get in touch with us at 04-3468244 or send us an email to office@emiratesgbc.org. The room is fully equipped with AV and provides a nice environment for focused meetings or training workshops.

Click here to learn more about how the Technical Guidelines for Retrofitting Existing Buildings can potentially save your facility and/or home millions in utility bills and reduced operational costs.  Copies are available in both English and Arabic for purchase at the EmiratesGBC office.

EmiratesGBC also offers a free copy of the Technical Guidelines, as part of your registration and participation in the Building Retrofit Training Workshop. For more details, please click here to complete registration.