We are pleased to invite Hotels, Shopping Malls and Schools in Dubai to participate in the EmiratesGBC Energy Benchmarking Project carried out in a partnership with Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, a project supporting Dubai’s participation in the Building Efficiency Accelerator (BEA). Dubai is the only city in the Middle East that has committed to the Building Efficiency Accelerator, a global initiative under the United Nations program Sustainable Energy for All.

Under this initiative, we will benchmark at least 100 buildings in three focus groups (Hotels, Schools and Shopping Malls). All participants will receive tailored scorecards to assess their performance metrics against the city average. Learn more about the Benchmarking Project here and in the FAQs. To participate in this project, contact the EmiratesGBC office at 04-3468244 or send an email with your interest to BEA@emiratesgbc.org.

BEA Sponsorship opportunities are also open, and we invite you to learn more by clicking here or contacting engagement@emiratesgbc.org.

The Judging process has concluded and the results are in! Join us on Wednesday 9^th May at Roda Al Murooj, Downtown Dubai where we will be announcing the winners of the 2018 MENA Green Building Awards at the annual Awards Ceremony and Gala Dinner.

This 2018 awards ceremony is carbon neutral for the second year running.  Click here to register to attend the 2018 MENA Green Building Awards Ceremony and Gala Dinner.

We are proud to have our Platinum Sponsor Majid Al Futtaim and Gold Sponsor Jotun on board supporting the Awards and helping make possible this significant regional platform. The 2018 MENA Green Building Awards are also endorsed by WorldGBC and in partnership with MENA Green Building Councils from Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, and Palestine.

On 29^th April, Emirates Green Building Council and the Directorate of Public Works (DPW) Sharjah signed a memorandum of understanding which is a first important step and a demonstration of the commitment both entities have toward sustainable development in the UAE.

EmiratesGBC would like to warmly welcome DPW Sharjah on board as a strategic partner.  We look forward to working closely with the Directorate through sharing best practices and supporting the Emirate fulfill its goals for a sustainable built environment.

Saeed Al Abbar, Chairman of EmiratesGBC said: “Driving a unified ambitious approach towards sustainability across the UAE is a strategic goal of Emirates Green Building Council. At the national level, we are working in alignment with the goals of Vision 2021 and the UAE Clean Energy Strategy 2050 to meet global sustainability targets. It is important to approach sustainability practices in the building sector collectively, and this MOU with the Directorate of Public Works in Sharjah is an important step forward. Sharjah is witnessing rapid growth and expansion, and by working together and sharing best practices and innovations, sustainable built environments can be further strengthened in the emirate and the country as a whole.”

Read the full story here and watch the footage of the ceremony

EmiratesGBC welcomed again Kate Rube, Vice President of Market Solutions at the International WELL Building Institute, who facilitated sessions on the WELL Building Standard.

The morning introductory session on 25^th April covered how the built environment can support human health, wellbeing, and comfort. With people spending on average of 90% of their time indoors and research showing that the physical and social environment is the biggest determinate of health, we learned the impact that buildings can have on their occupants. Workshop attendees were invited to share their own experiences and the challenges they face in making healthy choices at home and at work before discussing how considerations in the design and operation of buildings can promote health and wellbeing.

Kate covered the WELL building standard’s development, structure and certification system and how it draws on evidence-based strategies to harness the built environment for health and wellbeing. Launched in 2014 the standard takes a holistic approach covering seven core components of health: Air, Water, Nourishment, Light, Fitness, Comfort and Innovation.

After the introductory session, EmiratesGBC also hosted Kate to facilitate a capacity building workshop for UAE-based WELL APs.

This month EmiratesGBC held our Level One Building Retrofit Training (BRT) Courses on Tuesday 17^th April in Masdar Knowledge Center, Abu Dhabi and on Monday 30^th April in EmiratesGBC office, Dubai.

The courses were well attended by participants from a range of organisations and professions. Our facilitators gave an overview of Building Retrofit methods drawing on case studies from the region, and in both courses, the participants contributed to lively debate and discussion based on their own experiences.

If you are interested to attend a course, our next Introductory Level 1 courses will be held on 6^th September in Dubai and 25^th September in Abu Dhabi.  Please visit the BRT webpage for full details and  to register your interest

We have received a number of inquiries on the BRT Level 2 (Advanced) course, and rest assured we are working hard to have the course launched and running in summer 2018!

Visit our Meet the Facilitators page for a chance to learn more about our expert facilitators.

The BRT Program is in partnership with the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy and Masdar (Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company) and is designed to teach the fundamentals of building retrofit with emphasis on Audits, HVAC, Envelope, Air Quality, Solar PV/T, Water, Waste, and Management.

On April 12^th, 2018, WorldGBC’s Project Manager, Victoria Burrows, delivered a special workshop on the global Advancing Net Zero (ANZ) project. The session highlighted the urgent need of decarbonizing the built environment towards Net Zero Carbon and provided the roadmap needed to achieve this by 2050. Reducing energy demand, increasing energy efficiency and renewable energy generation were shown as the vital points required to gain traction for Net Zero Carbon Buildings.

The session also provided engaging discussions on how Green Building Councils across the globe are stimulating their respective markets to join this ambitious target. Case studies emphasise that businesses, developers, owners and even governments should go beyond the minimum building codes to pave the way for reducing emissions from the built environment.

To learn more about the Advancing Net Zero project, please visit the World Green Building Council here.

We encourage you to improve your lifestyle, not just for today but for 2018, by adopting an EmiratesGBC Green Building HomeTooltip this month. With the summer just around the corner, we will be spending more time indoors to keep cool.   This month’s tip asks you to check your wall vents:  We spend 90% of our time indoors, hence it is extremely important to test the quality of indoor air. Common contaminants that are typically found in indoor air can include carbon dioxide, formaldehyde, aldehyde, hydrocarbons, mold, pesticides, asbestos, and several known allergens such as dust mites, pet dander, and insect parts.

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.

April’s Technical Workshop was facilitated by EmiratesGBC Corporate Member Spiralite. Paul Groves, Head of Global Business Development at Spiralite, discussed the opportunities for energy savings and environmental sustainability through HVAC ductworks. The workshop discussed the history of ductworks in the UAE, the different materials used and the main factors affecting energy savings. The discussions around the case studies showed the future of ductwork in terms of how innovations in technology can lead to faster installation times as well as reduced energy demand and consumption. Stay tuned for the Technical Brief!

The upcoming Technical Workshop on May 15^th will look at the air-tightness of buildings in the Middle East. The workshop will discuss factors related to air-tightness with a focus on regulations in the UAE. It will also look at the energy saving potential through improving building air-tightness in the region, and solutions that can be adopted to improve the energy efficiency and thermal comfort of the existing buildings.

Are you an EmiratesGBC member or partner and would like to facilitate a workshop? We are open to suggestions for 2018.  If you have any suggestions for topics you’d like to have addressed, we’d like to hear from you – email us at technicalworkshops@emiratesgbc.org.

Get inspired by reading our technical briefs from past monthly workshops,  visit the EmiratesGBC website here

Inspired by the Year of Zayed, the Founding Father of the UAE, we take a look at one aspect that the late Ruler valued: Human Development. Therefore, we have chosen to highlight the report by the UKGBC, Social value in new development, which serves as a guide to help development teams, local authorities and other key stakeholders understand the social value in relation to the built environment. It also outlines some of the current perceived barriers to improving social value outcomes in developments, as well as the opportunities for social value to improve the development process.

Click here to read the report.

This year’s Green Key best practice competition is themed: “informing and engaging guests in sustainability”. Green Key International is looking for the best activity, event, initiative or practice that informs guests about the environmental initiatives of a Green Key awarded establishment and guides them to responsible behavior during their stay in the establishment, in the destination. Submissions are open until 15th August 2018. The winner will be informed by e-mail and announced on the Green Key website and through social media during the World Tourism Day on 27th September 2018. If you work with a Green Key property, click here to learn more and apply.

To support UAE hotel properties in reducing their carbon footprint by improving water and energy performances, waste management, education and awareness, Emirates Green Building Council is now offering Green Hospitality Training.

Training modules have been developed in a format that can be tailored to assist any level of the hotel staff, addressing general facts on green hospitality for those less informed, while covering more technical aspects that can support engineering departments and technical staff. The training can also support UAE tourism authorities and professionals for implementation of best practices.  Selection of training modules include: Water Management, Energy Management, Green Procurement, Waste Management, Indoor Air Quality, Sustainable Food and Beverage, Green Housekeeping Practices, and Community Development & CSR.

Hotel groups or properties interested in some or all of the available training modules should contact the EmiratesGBC office for more details.

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.

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Emirates Green Building Council (EmiratesGBC) says registration is now open for Beginner Level 1 courses of its Building Retrofit Training (BRT) programme being held this month.

The courses are being conducted in partnership with the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy and Masdar with the certification-based training held in Abu Dhabi on 17 April, and in 30 April Dubai.

The Level One workshop is an introduction course to Building Retrofit and EmiratesGBC says it is intended for less technical participants, industry professionals and students, and introduces the purpose and benefits of retrofitting existing buildings and the impact it has on enhancing energy efficiency and in mitigating carbon emissions.

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Statistics indicate that buildings account for nearly 40 per cent of the world’s energy use, 70 per cent of electrical consumption, about 40 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions. Closer home in the UAE, the numbers are equally significant. While piecemeal efforts matter, a software-driven approach could leapfrog the built environment to an era of sustainable sustainability

In the UAE, the numbers are equally significant. A new report, released late last year by the Emirates Green Building Council (EGBC), states that up to 80 per cent of UAE’s electricity is consumed by buildings. All of this has led to a critical focus on sustainability in the built environment, and how optimising efficiencies might hold the key to sustained sustainability.

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Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) is promoting its Dubai Sustainable Tourism (DST) initiative at the Dubai stand at Arabian Travel Market, highlighting the range of events, activities and tools that have helped bring about significant changes in the way hotels in Dubai develop and run sustainability practices and processes.

Dubai Tourism is carrying out its sustainability initiative in collaboration with the following partners: Etihad ESCO, Dubai Carbon, Emirates Environmental Group, Emirates Wildlife Society – WWF and Emirates Green Building Council, as well as the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, DEWA and Dubai Municipality as strategic partners.

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