We look forward to welcoming you to this year’s Annual Congress on 9^th October which is being held under the patronage of the Ministry of Climate Change & Environment. With the theme Targeting Zero: a vision for future cities, the Congress will bring together international and regional experts for an in-depth discussion on the Net Zero Building movement and its role in achieving net zero carbon cities in the UAE.

We are pleased to introduce the following speakers who will be participating:

• Aisha Mohamed Abdullah Al Abdooli, Director of Green Development, Department Ministry of Climate Change & Environment
• E. Ahmed Muhairbi, Secretary General, Dubai Supreme Council of Energy
• Sanjay Sridhar, Regional Director for South and West Asia, C40 cities
• E. Dr Nasser Saidi, Chairman of Clean Energy Business Council
• Ed Garrod, Principal at Elementa Consulting + Integral Group
• George Berbari, CEO of DC Pro Engineering and Author of Energy Budget
• Dr Waddah Ghanem Al Hashmi, Executive Director, EHSSQ & Corporate Affairs of ENOC & Honorary Chairman, Energy Institute Middle East
• Karim El-Jisr, Executive Director, SEE Institute
• Chris Wan, Head, Design Management at Masdar
• Daniel Render & Mark Rhoads, Expo2020
• Pablo de Agustín, Senior Researcher, TECNALIA Research & Innovation
• Harry Verhaar, Head of Global Public and Government Affairs, Signify
• Ali Al Jassim, CEO of Etihad Energy Services
• Amin El Najjar, Operations Director, Enova

Visit our website to view the full programme for the day.

This carbon neutral event is being held at Pullman Dubai Creek City Centre hotel with the support of Majid Al Futtaim as the official venue sponsor.  EmiratesGBC members and supporting association members can register for discounted rates on both individual and group delegate pass: click here to register today!

We would like to invite you to become a strategic supporter of the Annual EmiratesGBC Congress through tailored sponsorship packages.  Sponsoring a flagship event on a pivotal topic like Net Zero Buildings not only supports your company’s efforts in the net-zero space but also helps it stand out in alignment with the UAE’s commitment to sustainable development.

To learn more click here or contact engagement@emiratesgbc.org.

We are pleased to announce that the data collection phase is complete. Thank you to all the participating hotels, schools and shopping malls! We have begun the data analysis phase and look forward to sharing the findings of our study by the end of 2018.

The Benchmarking Project is being carried out by EmiratesGBC in a partnership with Dubai Supreme Council of Energy and supports the City of Dubai’s participation in the Building Efficiency Accelerator (BEA). Dubai is the only city in the Middle East that has committed to the BEA, a global initiative under the United Nations program Sustainable Energy for All. Learn more about the Benchmarking Project here and in the FAQs.

If you have any questions, please contact the EmiratesGBC office at 04-3468244 or send an email with your interest to BEA@emiratesgbc.org.

BEA Sponsorship opportunities have been updated to accommodate companies interested in supporting this pivotal project.  We invite you to learn more by clicking here or contacting engagement@emiratesgbc.org. Sponsorship will support the analysis and reporting of the project, thus supporting the overall benchmarking exercise and its influence on building retrofit.

As part of World Green Building Week, EmiratesGBC hosted a focus day on Green Homes in the UAE in partnership with Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry to explore how homes and residential communities in the UAE can become greener, healthier and more energy efficient.

Moderated by EmiratesGBC co-founder, Habiba Al Marashi, the focus day included presentations from H.E. Mohamed Ebrahim Al Mansoori, Director of Engineering Affairs at Shiekh Zayed Housing Programme on the steps being taken to make villas and communities more sustainable by replicating the Masdar EcoVilla design. This was followed by presentations from Aref Abou Zhar, Taqati who emphasised the importance of raising awareness amongst individuals on reducing energy consumption. Amer Arafat, Dubai Carbon and Tushant Suri, Multiplex showcased green home projects in the UAE through the Hatta Solar Program and Neighborhood One Residences, respectively. Noura AlHammadi, R&D Technologist from DEWA outlined how the Solar Decathlon Middle East is encouraging students from around the world to develop innovations to make homes of the future sustainable. The event concluded with a lively panel discussion. We extend our warm appreciation to all our speakers and those who attended for their valuable contributions.

Habiba Al Marashi emphasised the importance of making green practices part of all aspects of our lives starting from the home, and attendees joined in making their own personal commitments to sustainability in the home.

We encourage you to visit the EmiratesGBC green home tooltips to learn how you can reduce environmental impact in the home. Join the conversation on social media using #HomeGreenHome.

EmiratesGBC will be hosting a workshop on 2^nd October on the WELL Building Standard at our office in Al Quoz.  Facilitated by Kate Rube, Vice President of Market Solutions at the International WELL Building Institute, the workshop will focus on the launch of WELL v2, the latest iteration of the world’s first health-based certification program for the built environment – the WELL Building Standard.  There will be an in-depth overview describing the suite of enhancements in this new system to help optimize WELL.

The event is open to members and strategic partners (cost: 50 AED) and non-members (cost: 150 AED). Places are limited and registration is on a first come, first serve basis. Click here to register to attend.

Earlier this year, Emirates Coalition for Green Schools launched the pioneering white paper, ‘State of Our Schools’ which provided a definition for green schools in the UAE and provided an overview of the current state of UAE schools in the context of this definition. The paper set out the Coalition’s vision to ensure that every child in the UAE learns in a green school within this generation.

As the national platform for the advocacy of Green Schools in the UAE, the coalition will once again bring together stakeholders in a Roundtable event to be held in November focusing on Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) of Schools in the UAE. The roundtable will be followed by a whitepaper which will explore the factors influencing IAQ in schools, the impact on students and potential solutions for improving IAQ.

To find out more or to register your interest in the event please contact lynsey.crerar@emiratesgbc.org.  Companies can also contribute through sponsorship, please email engagement@emiratesgbc.org or find out more here.

EmiratesGBC is pleased to partner again 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.

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

It is an exciting time of year with a number of industry events taking place, bringing together subject matter experts and providing an important platform for networking and discussion on sustainability and green practices within the built environment in the UAE and beyond. EmiratesGBC is pleased to announce it is a supporting association for the following select group of events:

Middle East HSE and Sustainability Forum: Organised by the Energy Institute Middle East, the Forum will be held in Dubai from 1^st-3^rd  October. The venue will be the Movenpick Hotel, Oud Metha, Bur Dubai. There is no charge for EmiratesGBC members to attend.

Arabia CSR Forum 2018: We are pleased to be a supporting entity for the 8^th Arabia Corporate Social Responsibility Forum at Roda Al Murooj Hotel, Dubai, the United Arab Emirates on 2^nd – 3^rd October 2018. The 2018 forum will cover the theme “Driving Innovation Through the Sustainable Development Goals” and EmiratesGBC Chairman, Saeed Al Abbar, will be participating in the proceeding and sharing information on the Net Zero Center of Excellence.

Dubai Solar Show (part of WETEX): The event will be held on the 23^rd to 25^th October in Dubai International Confrence and Exhibition Centre and is organised by DEWA. As knowledge partners, EmiratesGBC will be introducing a session on Accelerating Net Zero Buildings on 24^th October at 1.15pm as part of the Efficiency & Renewables for Building Sector session. To register to attend, click here or visit the event website to learn about exhibiting opportunities.

CTUBH Middle East Conference: This international event is being held in Dubai and Abu Dhabi from October 20–25. This year’s theme is Polycentric Cities: The Future of Vertical Urbanism. As we approach the new normality of cities housing 10 million or more inhabitants, those best positioned for the future are along polycentric principles with multiple centers of activity connected through well-planned infrastructure.

Each month we showcase a winner from the 2018 MENA Green Building Awards. This month we congratulate the winners of the category Training Initiative of the Year, which recognises the best sustainability training initiative in the MENA region.

Winner: CCC Sustainability Training Initiative by Consolidated Contractors Company

CCC’s Sustainability Training Initiative established a solid internal knowledge framework and a diverse and creative range of training opportunities to promote an advanced understanding of sustainability across CCC. The initiative provided employees with valuable skills and drives behavioural change whilst keeping the sustainability momentum high within CCC.

Congratulations are also extended to the shortlisted applicants in this category: ZMERLY Heating Academy by ZMERLY & CO and Emaar Facilities Management L.L.C.

 To find out more about this year’s awards and category winners, take a look at the post-event press release.  #MENAGBAwards

We are proud to shed light on EmiratesGBC Corporate Members Cundall, Shaw Contract and Majid Al Futtaim for their deliberations during the Global Climate Action Summit and for being three out of 38 co-founding signatories of the World Green Building Council’s Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment.

Cundall, Shaw Industries and Majid Al Futtaim are three of 12 businesses across the world representing US$ 22.95 billion in revenue throughout the building and construction supply chain, that have set ambitious targets to eliminate operational carbon emissions from their building portfolios of over 10.7 million square meters by 2030.  This will create a wider market transformation to enable net zero carbon buildings by 2050.

The Commitment forms part of EP100, a global corporate leadership initiative for energy-smart companies, delivered by The Climate Group in partnership with the Alliance to Save Energy. Businesses signing the Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment become EP100 members.

Read the full story here.

EmiratesGBC is pleased to announce the Advanced Building Retrofit Training Course launched on the 17^th & 18^th September in Dubai. 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 certified Building Retrofit Specialist.

A pilot of the advanced course was attended by 20 employees from the Civil Projects & Engineering team at DEWA earlier this month and we look forward to congratulating them on becoming certified Building Retrofit Specialists upon successful completion of the examination.

Further information about this course and eligibility guidelines can be found on the website or by contacting events@emiratesgbc.org.

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

Please visit the Building Retrofit Training webpage to register for your place in the upcoming courses.

The Building Retrofit Program is in partnership with the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy and Masdar (Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company).

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

‘The BRT course was perfect for me to further understand retrofitting requirements that are in line with The Emirates Green Building Council guidelines, as I plan to be renovating a hotel in the near future’

‘I have learned about aspects of design and maintenance, that impact efficiency in a positive way, as well as minimize the impact on the environment’

We encourage you to improve your lifestyle, not just for today but for all of 2018, by adopting an EmiratesGBC Green Building Tooltip.  This month’s tip focuses on our homes as we reach the end of our World Green Building Week deliberations under the theme of Green Homes.  When building a new home, it is recommended to allocate space at roof level for future installation of renewable energy equipment, rooftop solar panels. Generating onsite energy using sunlight, through solar Photovoltaic systems is an effective means of reducing demand by meeting part or all of a building’s energy needs.

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.

September’s Technical Workshop on Transforming Facility Management (FM) gave an overview of the importance of FM, the challenges and opportunities that FM provides. The workshop included three working groups, where the topics assigned for discussion ranged from requirements for retrofits, and indoor environmental quality in buildings, to benefits of a fully integrated FM process, and innovation and digitisation in FM.

Stay tuned for the brief here.

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 book your space today starting by bringing your 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.

Get inspired by reading our technical briefs from past monthly workshops by visiting the EmiratesGBC website here.

As we gear up for our upcoming Congress under the theme Targeting Zero: a vision for future cities, it becomes vital to measure the impacts of our city and how we can make a deliberate and urgent move toward decarbonisation. This month we look at the report by C40 Cities and Ramboll titled “Urban Climate Action Impacts Framework: A Framework Describing and Measuring the Wider Impacts of Urban Climate Action” which presents an Urban Climate Action Impacts Framework (UCAIF or ‘the Framework’) that can be applied when exploring the wider impact of city climate action. The report functions as a user guide with common principles, taxonomy, and guidelines for approaching the mapping and assessment of those wider impacts.

Click here to read the report.

The 2018 Green Key National Operators Meeting was held last month in Tallinn, Estonia where 33 of the 42 Green Key operators came together to discuss recent developments with the eco-label and review proposed updates to the certification criteria.  As the national operator in the UAE, Emirates Green Building Council was there to exchange best practice and share the successes of UAE’s green hotels.  During the meetings, we heard from Radisson Group and their commitment to the Green Key certification and also learned more about the Drinkable Air technology which supports hotels to provide sustainable drinking water to guests.

Green Key provides a well-proven framework for establishments to operate with a high standard of environmental management on sustainability issues, and the national operators meeting offered time for operators to collectively focus on the program’s growth, its strength, and future enhancements, thus ensuring Green Key’s positive impact across tourism industries globally.

Dubai Tourism has announced their ’12 Steps Towards Sustainability’ manual, which has been developed to guide Dubai hotels to reduce their environmental footprint and improve energy, water and waste consumption. Emirates Green Building Council is proud to have supported Dubai Tourism in this effort and commend the Dubai Sustainable Tourism initiative, where they are taking a holistic approach to ensure sustainable tourism in the emirate.

The manual is free for download here: https://dst.dubaitourism.ae/Home/Programme.

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.

رئيس مجلس إدارة «الإمارات للأبنية الخضراء» لـ«البيان»:

تأسيس مركز للتميز ومسرّع لأبنية الانبعاثات الكربونية الصفرية

المصدر:

دبي – وائل نعيم

التاريخ: 29 سبتمبر 2018

أكد سعيد العبار، رئيس مجلس إدارة «مجلس الإمارات للأبنية الخضراء» أن المجلس أسس مؤخراً مركزاً للتميز ومسرّعاً للأبنية ذات الانبعاثات الكربونية الصفرية، مقدماً للحكومات والمؤسسات الأكاديمية والقطاع الخاص منصة للتعلم ومشاركة المعارف حول كيفية تطوير هذا القطاع في دولة الإمارات 

وقال لـ«البيان»: كان «المجلس العالمي للأبنية الخضراء» قد دعا مؤخراً إلى العمل على رفع نسبة الأبنية ذات الانبعاثات الكربونية الصفرية إلى 100 % بحلول عام 2050، على أن تكون جميع الأبنية الجديدة صفرية الانبعاثات ابتداءً من عام 2030، بما ينسجم مع أهداف اتفاق باريس للمناخ الرامي إلى خفض، ومن ثم إلغاء، الانبعاثات الكربونية الضارة في المدن

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‘Targeting Zero: A Vision for Future Cities,’ is first event in the region to explore move from net zero carbon buildings to net zero carbon cities

Regional and international experts on sustainable built environments will come together at the 7th Annual Emirates Green Building Council (EmiratesGBC) Congress to discuss best practices and strategies to go beyond net zero carbon buildings, and explore the significance of net zero cities in ensuring the viability and liveability of our cities in the future.

Organised by EmiratesGBC, an independent forum aimed at conserving the environment by strengthening and promoting green building practices, the Congress will be held under the theme ‘Targeting Zero: A Vision for Future Cities’, on October 9, 2018 at the Pullman Dubai Creek City Centre hotel.

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Sheikh Zayed Housing Programme raises benefits of green community planning

The UAE government is investing to ensure that future Emirati housing communities are more sustainable.

Mohammed Al Mansouri, executive director of engineering at the Sheikh Zayed Housing Programme, spoke about new projects at the Green Homes in the UAE Focus Day, held at Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The organisation has provided social housing for 59,000 beneficiaries since its inception in 1999. It has completed 36,000 homes for Emiratis, at a cost of Dh31 billion.

The figures were revealed yesterday at the event organised by Emirates Green Building Council as part of World Green Building Weeks

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Saeed Al Abbar, Chairman, Emirates Green Building Council (Emirates GBC), shares how the Building Efficiency Accelerator (BEA) programme, aligned with the ambitious goals of the Paris Agreement, announced a Call for Action to achieve 100% Net Zero Carbon Buildings, which are energy efficient by 2050.

Green Buildings, health and well-being continue to be the focus as indoor air quality is a major factor influencing indoor spaces, said Saeed Al Abbar, Chairman, Emirates Green Building Council (Emirates GBC), while speaking on the benefits of the Building Efficiency Accelerator (BEA) programme by the GBC.

The BEA programme, Al Abbar said, is an initiative by the United Nations Secretary-General, led by the World Resource Institute, in partnership with the World Green Building Council (World GBC), where GBCs engage with leading cities to ramp up the level of energy efficiency of buildings.s

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In the UAE, there is growing momentum to address climate change within federal and local governments, businesses and non-governmental organisations

In the UAE, there is growing momentum to address climate change within federal and local governments, businesses and non-governmental organisations. Government initiatives have taken cognisance of the role of non-state actors. ‘Private Sector-Driven Innovative Diversification’ is among the three key priorities laid down in the UAE National Climate Change Plan. A number of companies are working to curb their electricity and water consumption. Heavy industries like cement have invested in more efficient and less polluting technologies.

In 2015, Dubai joined the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group. The Abu Dhabi Global Environmental Data Initiative has undertaken extensive climate modelling and research. Emirate-level electricity and water authorities, transport and energy regulators, are investing in sustainable technologies and services. Emirates Wildlife Society — WWF has been partnering with both government entities and companies to advance climate action, foster dialogue and build awareness. Business councils, and platforms such as the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Group and Emirates Green Building Council, are enhancing local capacity.

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Dubai Tourism’s commitment to supporting the United Nation’s announcement of 2017 being the ‘International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development’ was the theme of the 2017 awards, which received 151 entries from tourism and hotel establishments ranging from five-star hotels and resorts, to guest houses and desert camps across 10 main awards and seven special awards.

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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