Dear Members and Industry Supporters,
A brief look back to last month, Emirates Green Building Council hosted its 5th Annual EmiratesGBC Congress held under the patronage of the Ministry of Infrastructure Development, which took place over two days from October 25th to 26th. This year, the Congress was under the theme ‘UAE of the Future: Looking Backwards as a Way Forward’ and was an exercise in back-casting, which was used as a spring board to highlight and discuss past and present challenges faced by the industry, and then present new and innovative solutions for the future. The Congress also explored the achievements made to date in sustainable urban development and how we can use this as a roadmap for the future to achieve the UAE Vision 2021 and the Paris COP21 Climate Change objectives.
EmiratesGBC would like to thank all its members and strategic partners for joining us during this pivotal event. We are also thankful for the brilliant speakers who took the time to share their expertise and assist in creating meaningful debates and discussion about the future of the green building industry. I would also like to thank our sponsors Caparol Paints UAE, Jotun and Multiplex for their ongoing support and dedication to the Council’s efforts and goals.
Also during October, I had the honour to participate in the World Green Economy Summit (WGES) 2016 which underlined the UAE’s thought leadership in promoting sustainable development with a focus on ‘driving global green economy’. I had the privilege of joining the WGES dialogue amongst my peers and support the event by offering insight on utility scale and demand side management, which also underlined the value that public-private partnerships can bring in promoting energy use efficiency. I am confident that the deliberations of the Summit will further contribute to achieving the green vision outlined by the UAE leadership.
Looking ahead, I am looking forward to attending COP 22 & CMP 12, UN Climate Change Conference 2016 in Bab Ighli, Marrakech, Morocco from 7-18 November 2016 and representing the Council at this decisive event where global environmental challenges will be discussed and tackled amongst our world leaders & influencers.
The EmiratesGBC team is working hard towards the Council’s other flag-ship event, the 2017 MENA Green Building Awards. EmiratesGBC will receive applications for the Awards starting 1st December 2016.
A series of networking events and technical workshops are also on the agenda for November and December 2016, and I encourage you to please take the time to visit the EmiratesGBC website for more details.
Sincerely,
Saeed Al Abbar
EmiratesGBC News and Updates
EmiratesGBC 5th Annual Congress 2016: A Success!
Held under the patronage of the Ministry of Infrastructure Development, the 5th Annual EmiratesGBC Congress was held across two days on October 25th and 26thwith the theme ‘UAE of the Future: Looking Backwards as a Way Forward’.
Day 1 conference proceedings included keynote addresses by Eng. Anwaar Al Shimmari, Director of Design, Ministry of Infrastructure Development and Ahmed Bukhash, Director – Urban Planning, Dubai Creative Clusters Authority, who presented compelling sketches on the UAE’s experience in driving built environment sustainability and the future vision of Dubai to build a smart & sustainable city. The program was expertly moderated by Holley Chant of KEO.
Keeping in line with the event theme, Day 2 of the Congress featured a guided tour of Al Fahidi Historic Neighbourhood (Bastakiya) in Bur Dubai, putting the spotlight on architectural and cultural influence on the built environment. Scott Coombes, Director, AESG facilitated a discussion on architecture heritage. Check out the photos on our social media platforms.
A special thank you to Platnium Sponsors Caparol Paints UAE and Jotun and to our Silver Sponsor, Multiplex.
EmiratesGBC Participates in COP 22
EmiratesGBC participated in COP 22 & CMP 12, UN Climate Change Conference 2016 in Bab Ighli, Marrakech, Morocco from 7-18 November 2016 and represented the Council at this decisive event where global environmental challenges were discussed and tackled amongst our world leaders & influencers.
The World Green Building Council which homes a “network of national green building councils in more than one hundred countries, making it the world’s largest international organisation influencing the green building marketplace” also held a number of events alongside COP 22 which Emirates Green Building Council participated in.
Please click here http://www.cop22.ma/en/dates to view the timeline which led us to COP 22.
Stay tuned for next month’s newsletter to receive some in-depth insight into the Council’s participatory role at such a pivotal global event.
After LEED: Building Tour Series
We’re happy to announce two upcoming building tours of iconic LEED Certified buildings in the UAE. Both tours will engage the dedicated sustainability teams who worked to ensure the buildings’ original LEED Certification and will delve into the challenges and lessons learned post certification. The tours are open to members only and are limited in space. Email events@emiratesgbc.org to reserve your spot.
ESAB Building Tour (Jebel Ali, Dubai): November 16th
Cleveland Clinic (Abu Dhabi): December 6th
EmiratesGBC Trainings Schedule
It’s not too late to round out your year with a green building industry recognized credential. EmiratesGBC offers a series of professional training programs in partnership with British University in Dubai (BUiD). For more information and to register your intent for any of our upcoming courses, please contact our education partner BUiD.
- Certified Energy Manager (CEM): November 6-9/Exam November 19
- LEED Green Associate: November 11-12
EmiratesGBC Supports Upcoming Industry Exhibitions & Conferences
GCC HVAC Summit 2016 is taking place on 2-3 November 2016 at the Dusit Thani in Dubai. With the construction business on in full swing across the GCC, the need for an efficient HVAC system that can bring down the energy consumption is the need of the hour. With events such as Dubai Expo 2020 and the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the demand for HVAC technologies is on the rise and trends indicate that it will continue rising. The GCC HVAC Summit 2016 for the first time brings the leaders in the industry together for discussions and deliberations on technological advances and landmark events that are helping shape this industry for the better. EmiratesGBC members can receive a 50% discount on delegate rates using the coupon code EGBC50.
The Big 5 is an annual meeting place for the international building & construction community in Dubai. Presently running in its 37th year, the international exhibition and conference brings together buyers and sellers together from all over the world to conduct business, forge relationships and exchange knowledge. Scheduled 21 to 24 November, the event will take place at Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai. EmiratesGBC will be exhibiting throughout the four days of Big 5 so be sure to visit us at Zabeel Hall, S202.
Join the EmiratesGBC Pavilion at Energy Efficiency Expo (WFES 2017)
EmiratesGBC is inviting its corporate members to exhibit with us under the EmiratesGBC Pavilion at the Energy Efficiency Expo, co-located with World Future Energy Summit. EmiratesGBC is a founding partner of the Energy Efficiency Expo dedicated to promoting energy efficiency across buildings, transportation and manufacturing sectors. The event is hosted by Masdar and is part of Abu Dhabi Sustainability week, taking place from the 16 – 19 January 2017 at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.
In order to showcase the green, sustainable and energy-efficient products and solutions for its members, EmiratesGBC is managing a dedicated pavilion at the Energy Efficiency Expo. EmiratesGBC corporate members exhibiting within the pavilion are eligible for special rates and benefits and will have access to around 30,000 plus visitors including Government Authorities, Architects, Building Contractors, Engineers and Consultants.
Contact Reed Exhibitions lynish.menezes@reedexpo.ae if you are interested and be sure to let them know you are an EmiratesGBC Corporate Member.
EmiratesGBC Technical Workshops
Last month, EmiratesGBC members and partners focused on the myriad ways poor power quality management can contribute to significant utility costs in buildings and cause electrical appliances to underperform or malfunction. The facilitators walked through the different types of power disturbances and the industry methods deployed to mitigate these disturbances.
The upcoming session on Tuesday, November 11th (8.30 to 10.30 am) will focus on Energy Modelling & Building Energy Performance Analysis. Registration is already at capacity and there is currently a waiting list for this workshop, but please email technicalworkshops@emiratesgc.org if you are interested in a future workshop on the same subject.
Technical Workshops are open to EmiratesGBC members and partners only and subject to limited seating. Please be sure to register your participation early.
Academy Feature of the Month
In October, Dubai Supreme Council of Energy (DSCE) released its Demand Side Management 2015 Annal Report under the theme “the future is efficient”.
The report, in its second year of publication, presents the status of performance of the Demand Side Management (DSM) strategy for the year 2015. The strategy comprises 9 main programs, each having a responsible government entity for execution, under the supervision of DSCE the report also introduces TAQATI, a new dedicated office established within Etihad Energy Services to support stakeholders in planning and managing their relevant DSM programs, monitoring and verifying performance as well as delivering specific cross-program enablers in the fields of awareness, capacity building, and financing.
For hyperlink: http://taqati.ae/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/taqati-annual-report-english.pdf
Green Key Spotlight
The time is now! UAE hotel properties are invited to submit applications to cover their 2017 Green Key certifications. Properties requiring Green Key audit will be contacted directly to plan our visit.
The 2016-2020 Green Key Application Form and its Explanatory Notes are available on the EmiratesGBC website. These criteria and notes for hotels and hostels have received ‘GSTC-recognition’ status.
If you want to learn more about the Green Key eco-certification and find out how your property can be awarded for its green practices, please contact greenkey@emiratesgbc.org.
EmiratesGBC invites its Corporate Members to join the Green Key Program and become Official Auditors. Review the auditor criteria and contact the office for more information.
Hospitality Program Update
After the well-received launch of the EmiratesGBC Energy and Water Benchmarking 2016 Report for UAE Hotels last month, we are pleased to say that some of the participating properties have already used their scorecards to review their performance and implement corrective measures and best practices to improve energy and water consumptions. Well done to them!
We are also reaching the end of the line as the Green Hospitality training modules are now complete and undergoing final internal review. These modules have been developed to help hotels and hospitality professionals raise awareness among staff and guests and address key operations that have an impact on a hotel’s environmental footprint.
Contact the EmiratesGBC Office for more information and to register your interest in the hospitality training sessions: office@emiratesgbc.org
EmiratesGBC Building Retrofit Training Program (BRT) – Update
The BRT curriculum is nearing completion with the final round of curriculum reviews wrapping up.
The Program aims to be a formally accredited building retrofit educational program that is designed to impart knowledge and awareness of the numerous industry-wide methods and systems available which can be utilized to retrofit existing buildings. The Program will consist of two workshop modules, totalling 32 hours of instruction. The EmiratesGBC Technical Guidelines publication will be used as a textbook for the courses.
To keep the format interesting and motivational, the curriculum creators are focusing on a strategy known as ‘action mapping’. Action mapping is essentially quizzes strategically placed and worded in the curriculum which allow participants to learn a substantial amount of information within a short period of time by encouraging trial and error and most importantly classroom discussion.
It is a way of identifying and defining what the workshop participants should be able to do once they are trained; what change in behavior is required, and what information they need to know to be able to confidently take action with regards to their buildings. Try it out with our sample question below.
Sample Action Mapping Question
Hussein lives in a building with a split air-conditioning system. He has noticed his energy bills are rising steadily…nothing has changed except for the season – it’s summer time now. What is the best solution that would help reduce his energy bill without impacting his comfort?
A: Increase his air conditioning thermostat – to 24◦C.
B: Cook less frequently.
C: In addition to A), Hussein can also use a ceiling fan or a floor fan.
D: All of the above.
Scroll to the bottom of the newsletter for the answer!
Emirates Green Building Council Annual Meeting
Attention EmiratesGBC Members! Emirates Green Building Council is pleased to announce that it will be holding its Annual General Meeting on December 8th, 2016 at Manzil Hotel, in Downtown Dubai. Kindly, save the date.
For further information or queries please contact: engagement@emiratesgbc.org
Well Done Members!
EmiratesGBC would like to congratulate Atkins for winning the Identity Design Award’s Public Building Award and Design of the Year for the Dubai Opera!
For more information please follow the link: http://www.identitydesignawards.com/winners-list-2016
EmiratesGBC Technical Guidelines for Retrofitting Existing Buildings
Click here to learn more about how the Technical Guidelines can potentially save your facility or home millions in utility bills and reduced operational costs.
EmiratesGBC Office Room M-21 is now available for meetings and workshops!
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.
EmiratesGBC in the News
Global sustainability experts share blueprint for future green development at 5th EmiratesGBC Congress in Dubai
Global sustainability experts share blueprint for future green development at 5th EmiratesGBC Congress in Dubai
Held under the patronage of the Ministry of Infrastructure Development, the two-day event opened with keynote addresses by Eng. Anwaar Al Shimmari, Director of Design, Ministry of Infrastructure Development; and Ahmed Bukhash, Director – Urban Planning, Dubai Creative Clusters Authority, who presented compelling sketches on the UAE’s experience in driving built environment sustainability and the future vision of Dubai to build a smart & sustainable city. Read more …
Interview with Habiba Al Marashi, Founder & Treasurer, EmiratesGBC
Click here to view the interview
A recent Climate Action webinar welcomed Saeed Alabbar, Chairman of the Emirates Green Building Council … to discuss the barriers and opportunities for sustainable innovation in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Read more …
Council notches several firsts as it builds momentum in sustainability initiatives relating to green building efficiency
The EmiratesGBC 10th Anniversary celebration was supported by the event’s main sponsor Majid Al Futtaim, a founding member of the Council since 2006. The event was also sponsored by EmiratesGBC’s long-standing and active corporate members, Legrand, Jotun and WSP|Parsons Brinckerhoff. Read more …
EmiratesGBC provides guidance on water, energy use for UAE hotels
Speaking to the Gulf News Journal Thursday, EmiratesGBC Chairman Saeed Al Abbar revealed more about what’s happening in the regional hospitality industry.
“The hoteliers have responded positively to the study, as the findings will serve as a reliable indicator for the industry to reduce its carbon footprint by improving water and energy performances,” he said. Read more …
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