On March 9^th, EmiratesGBC members had the opportunity to tour the Liberty Automobiles Showroom retrofit project that has been ongoing for the past 5 years. The session, which included a presentation from Tamara Withers of EWS-WWF on the drivers behind retrofitting in the UAE, explored the innovative and low-cost strategies employed to achieve the significant cost savings over the retrofit period. It was an honour to have Sheikh Khaled Al Qassimi and Sheikh Zayed Al Qassimi in attendance as the significant energy, water, and cost savings of the zero capital expenditure retrofit project was revealed, with a payback period of only 8.3 months.

What is a building retrofit? How does it work? On March 21^st, during the Annual Retrofit Tech Summit, EmiratesGBC introduced its upcoming Building Retrofit Training (BRT) program, to answer these questions. The presentation was delivered by Technical Officer Tara Tariq and served as an informative promo to the Program.

The BRT is a training program based on the EmiratesGBC Technical Guidelines for Retrofitting Existing Buildings. The program will provide professional capacity building with certification for the industry to retrofit existing buildings to be more energy-efficient. Candidates for the BRT workshops are comprised of a broad range of stakeholders including building owners, end users and operators. We look forward to officially launching the program in Q2 2017.  Watch this space for more updates.

To register your interest, contact us at eep@emiratesgbc.org to receive notification beforehand.

We are excited to announce the first of two upcoming Seminars hosted in conjunction with Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi that will focus on hot topics affecting the green building industry. On April 26th from 9:30 am – 1:30 pm we will be exploring Alternative Transportation and will be joined by Environmental Agency of Abu Dhabi, Department of Municipal Affairs and Transport in Abu Dhabi and Carpool Arabia to name a few. More details will follow via email. In the interim, you can book your space since advanced registration is required.

The applications are now with the judges and the competition is tough with a record number of applications submitted! The winners will be announced at the 2017 MENA Green Building Awards Ceremony and Gala Dinner held on 17 May at Roda Al Murooj Hotel, Dubai.  Our early bird rate for registration applies until April 20^th so don’t miss this opportunity!  Book your seat or table and join us for an evening networking and celebrating with the green building industry’s finest. We hope that you will join us by registering to attend the Gala event in May.

The 6^th Annual EmiratesGBC Congress 2017 will be held under the theme, Urban Energy: Powering Smart, Happy & Efficient Cities.  The flagship event will be held under the patronage of the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment on 17-18 October 2017 at Pullman Dubai Creek City Centre. The Congress will host expert speakers on three core sub-themes – Powering Smart Cities, Powering Efficient Cities and Powering Happy Cities. We are excited about our speaker line-up, and starting next month, we will be featuring a new speaker in our newsletter every month until the Congress.

Sponsorship opportunities are now open, and we invite you to view the available sponsorship packages.  For more information on how to support this flagship event, please contact us at engagement@emiratesgbc.org.  A special thank you to our Venue Sponsor Majid Al Futtaim who has come on board early showing support for this important industry event.

On March 6^th, EmiratesGBC hosted its bi-annual EEP Town Hall meeting. The topic was the challenges to procurement for LEED v4 projects, which is now the latest version. The Town Hall kicked off with an introduction to the Abu Dhabi Quality Conformity Council and their certification mechanism whereby they have established quality control certification schemes for over 50 building materials and products. This was followed by a presentation and discussion by EmiratesGBC Board Member CH2M, on the challenges to sustainable procurement, in direct relation to the materials and resources category of the LEED v4 BD+C rating system. The issue also focused on how these challenges also likely spill over to non-certified sustainable construction projects.

Participants included a mix of suppliers, contractors and consultants. Concerns were expressed with the lack of experience locally in achieving the new LEED materials category credits and at procurement teams which insist on local certifications that are technically superseded by international certification – also referred to as the ‘tick-box’ issue.

Plausible solutions were methodically shared, where the consensus finally settled on the following as most efficient and lucrative for current as well as continued expansion of sustainable growth in the UAE:

• A need for flexibility and change in procurement mechanisms, such that performance is factored into contracts.
• A need to consider introducing a federal certification body in the UAE to cut back on the current process that is believed to be superfluous and tedious for obtaining certifications separately in each Emirate.
• The need for a comprehensive database of certified products – with clear information provided about the environmental performance/compliance of products available in the UAE.
• Better declarations, to enable decision-making when it comes to designing, specifying and procuring products (decisions based on value and not just price).
• Better training for procurement teams.

The EEP Town Hall meetings are held twice a year. They are open to members of the EmiratesGBC Energy Efficiency Program. If you are an EmiratesGBC Corporate Member and would like to join, please submit your application here. Members are also listed on the publicly accessible online EEP database.

At the end of last month, we said a heartfelt goodbye to our wonderful co-worker Marie Westholm-Knebel, as she leaves Dubai and starts a new adventure.  Marie worked with EmiratesGBC for nearly four years as Senior Technical Officer and has been an asset during her time with EmiratesGBC.  She was instrumental in developing our Hospitality Program and managing the Green Key certification program through her unwavering dedication, creativity and commitment to the Council’s goals and vision.

Marie has not only been a fantastic colleague, but also a true friend to the EmiratesGBC team.  She will be dearly missed, and we wish Marie all the best!

Emirates Environmental Group and Arabia CSR Network, in association with UNEP and Emirates Green Building Council, invite you to the second Panel discussion session for 2017.  The theme explains that Waste-to-Energy technologies consist of any waste treatment process that creates energy in the form of electricity, heat or transport fuels from a waste source. The session will focus on the deep discussion of waste to energy concept in the UAE, and engage the stakeholders in a dialogue to study the feasibility of implementing such a technology in the region.

Speakers include: Dubai Municipality, Be’eah, The Neutral Group, Green Energy Solutions & Sustainability LLC. And Clean Energy Business Council.  Advanced registration is required.

Supported by EmiratesGBC, the 5th District Cooling Stakeholders Summit delves into enhancing operational efficiency in district cooling to up-shoot the financial benefits whilst looking in alternative sources of energy and storage techniques. The summit will host experts from Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, MOE, SEWA, Emicool, amongst others.

The 4th Annual Smart Skyscrapers Summit taking place on 3rd and 4th May 2017 at Sofitel Dubai the Palm Resort and Spa will bring together over 400 senior industry professionals, including architects, high-rise construction experts, engineers, policy-makers, developers, contractors and building managers from across the GCC. As the region’s most prominent high-rise and skyscraper event, the summit will highlight innovations in building facades, design & technology, sustainability in tall buildings & urban habitats, the importance of project management for tall buildings amongst many other topics. More information on the summit is available on http://linktrack.info/.29zpe

In March, our Technical Workshop discussed the importance of building performance simulation software and features of IES <VE>; i.e. testing of different design options, identifying best passive solutions and comparing low-carbon technologies.

EmiratesGBC Technical Workshops are free to members and partners. Spaces are limited so reserve your seat early by emailing: technicalworkshops@emiratesgbc.org

Are you an EmiratesGBC member or partner and would like to facilitate a workshop? Do you have any suggestions for topics to be addressed? If yes, then we’d like to hear from you. Please send an email to technicalworkshops@emiratesgbc.org.

EWS-WWF and Acclimatise launch report titled, ‘UAE Climate Change Risks & Resilience: An overview of climate change risks to 12 key sectors,’, which demonstrates how climate change can affect various sectors such as food, energy and water. Sponsored by Farnek, the report aims to improve awareness and understanding of the risks posed by climate change among public and private sector decision-makers and policymakers. It is hoped that the findings and recommendations will act as a catalyst for action, increasing the prioritisation of climate change in the UAE, and encourage greater implementation of evidence-based adaptation measures. EWS-WWF and Acclimatise will be jointly hosting a webinar on April 10^th, register online to attend and learn more about the report findings.

On Mach 20^th, the TIME hotels in the UAE celebrated the International Day of Happiness with “timers” (i.e.  the group’s staff) and guests.  Cookies with happy faces were shared around and joyful team building activities were organised including painting, games and cake-cutting ceremony. Well done, timers, for your initiatives!  Employee and guest happiness are an important factor to health and well-being in the workplace.  Contact greenkey@emiratesgbc.org for more information on the Green Key Hotel Certification Program in the UAE.

Emirates Green Building Council is pleased to announce the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) to further cooperate on making the hospitality industry in Dubai more sustainable. We look forward to being part of DTCM’s awareness and education campaigns and supporting the Dubai Sustainable Tourism initiative.

We are pleased to continue offering our high calibre exam preparation courses in conjunction with British University in Dubai. Click here to see all training dates for 2017. Upcoming Trainings include: May 7-10 (Abu Dhabi), LEED Accredited Professional (AP) Operations and Maintenance on May 11-14. Email us to learn more.

As part of EmiratesGBC Nearly Zero Energy Buildings (nZEBs) Study, we aim to publish a statistical and analytical report to assist in defining nZEBs in the UAE that can be used as a reference to support future building regulations. The report and its findings will be announced during World Green Building Week in September 2017 aligning with its focus on Zero Energy Buildings.

For this study, EmiratesGBC is approaching corporate members, partners and iconic projects and requesting masked data on best practice low-energy projects. Collected data will include the sources of energy used in these buildings, the design and actual energy consumption, and the possible energy savings.

To participate in this project, contact Technical Officer Majd Fayyad before April 15 at  04-3468244 or send an email to majd.fayyad@emiratesgbc.org.

We are pleased to invite Dubai Hotels, Shopping Malls and Schools to participate in a Benchmarking Project in line with Dubai’s commitment to the Building Efficiency Accelerator, an initiative under the United Nations program “Sustainable Energy for All”, in which EmiratesGBC is working in collaboration with the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy.

Under this initiative, we are aiming to benchmark at least 100 buildings in three focus groups (hotels, schools and shopping malls). To participate in this project, contact the EmiratesGBC office at  04-3468244 or send us an email to BEA@emiratesgbc.org.

Read the latest news on the BEA here.

With more than 30 events held during the year, including networking events, seminars and our flagship events the Annual Awards and Annual Congress, Emirates Green Building Council offers event sponsorship that provides its sponsors with great exposure to stakeholders of the green building industry in the UAE, including local authorities and industry peers.

Some sponsorship opportunities have “early bird” discounts so be sure to submit your inquiries early!

In addition to our events sponsorship is also open for EmiratesGBC publications, research papers and pilot projects.

EmiratesGBC is looking for a qualified green building professional to join our dynamic and energetic team as a full-time Technical Officer.  The role is responsible for planning, organising and implementing elements of EmiratesGBC’s Technical Program and its various projects.  Candidates must have a university degree in a related subject and 2-5 years’ experience with demonstrated working knowledge of the green building industry.  Contact our recruiting agency with a cover letter and CV to apply.

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.

Emirates Green Building Council (EmiratesGBC), will host its 6th Annual EmiratesGBC Congress on October 17 & 18, 2017, at the Pullman Dubai Creek City Centre hotel, under the theme ‘Urban Energy: Powering Smart, Happy & Efficient Cities.’ The overarching theme of the 6th Annual EmiratesGBC Congress reflects on the concepts of energy efficient and energy-centric green building design as a facilitator of smart technology, happiness and well-being. This is further discussed under three sub-themes – Powering Efficient Cities, Powering Smart Cities and Powering Happy Cities. Read more …

Emirates Green Building Council (GBC) and the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy (DSCE) have joined forced for the ‘Benchmarking Project’ of 100 buildings in the city. It will be done under the Building Efficiency Accelerator (BEA) programme, part of the UN’s Sustainable Energy for All initiative and is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF). Read more

With the aim to throw the spotlight on the importance of supply chain sustainability, the Emirates Environment Group (EEG), the UAE’s leading environmental group, and Arabia CSR Network, the regional think tank, recently co-organized a panel discussion on ‘Sustainability of the Supply Chain,’ in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) at the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi. Supported by the Emirates Green Building Council and sponsored by Adeeb Group, the session highlighted insights, experiences and recommendations for ensuring sustainability across the supply chain and mobilizing commitment from various sectors. Read more

Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) today announced the launch of Sustainability Awards that are part of the Dubai Sustainable Tourism (DST) initiative.  The awards have been inaugurated as part of Dubai Tourism’s commitment to supporting The United Nation’s announcement of 2017 being the ‘International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development’, and aim to recognise hotels and individuals who are driving environmental awareness and are adopting tangible measures to ensure enhanced sustainability within the tourism sector. Read more