We are proud to announce the launch of the 2020 MENA Green Building Awards.
The Annual MENA Green Building Awards celebrates and recognises achievements, success stories and best practices across the region. Organized by EmiratesGBC, the awards are endorsed by the World Green Building Council and held in partnership with regional Green Building Councils from Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Kuwait, Morocco and Palestine.

This year the awards has 17 categories: Net Zero Building Project of the Year; Green Building Project; Sustainable Design Project; Facility Management Organisation; Contractor; Developer; Consultancy; Green Building Product – Indoor Air Quality, Energy Management, Water Management, Green Building Material – Construction Material; Green Building Research Award; Training Initiative of the Year; Retrofit Project of the Year; Best Operations & Maintenance (existing building); Healthy Space Project of the Year and SME of the Year. KPMG has been selected as the official Auditor of the Awards to support a fair and transparent process of determining the short-listed and winning organisations.

Applicants have until the 22nd August 2020 to submit their applications. To find out more please visit the MENA Green Building Awards website and download the applicant guidelines.

To encourage academia engagement, the awards also includes the Dr. Owainati Student Excellence Award, an award eligible for students who showcase outstanding work in sustainability. The Student Excellence Award is sponsored by Dr. Sadek Owainati, a Co-Founder of EmiratesGBC.

EmiratesGBC is excited to announce that two industry publications; the annual Green Building Market Brief and a study on Deep Retrofits in the UAE, both which will launch in the second half of 2020. Sponsorship opportunities are available for companies wishing to align themselves with the technical studies and gain brand exposure and media coverage. The sponsorship packages have been created to reflect the new opportunities now available.

To find out more, please view our sponsorship packages or contact engagement@emiratesgbc.org.
To find out more, please view our sponsorship packages or contact engagement@emiratesgbc.org.

EmiratesGBC has officially launched its new website! We invite you to take a few minutes to visit it and browse through the informative pages we have created just for you. All our events, technical and educational offerings now easily accessible on a new and more user-friendly platform. Be sure to check it out!

Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan Al Nahyan who became the Honorary President of EmiratesGBC in January 2020, has been named as a member of the board of advisors of the Yale Centre for Environmental Law and Policy. Her appointment makes her the first representative of the Middle East and North Africa region to be part of the board in the centre’s history.

Sheikha Shamma came through an extensive selection process overseen by leading global experts in the field. Click here to read more about her new position.

We extend our sincere congratulations to Sheikha Shamma for this prestigious and well deserved appointment.

Our Net Zero Centre of Excellence was launched in 2018 as a think tank and accelerator to advance net zero carbon buildings in the UAE as part of its commitment to World Green Building Council’s Advancing Net Zero Project. We invite you to explore our website to see the work we are doing. We have also summarized our objectives and actions in the EmiratesGBC Snapshot.

Through our partnership with Bionova Ltd, the One Click LCA Planetary is available for all UAE companies for free! One Click LCA Planetary has been officially launched and is available in nine languages and covers the ten most carbon-intensive and significant materials categories in construction. It provides both materials efficiency and embodied carbon metrics at once.

The International Living Future Institute’s Zero Carbon and Zero Energy Certifications can be used to verify the design of high performance, climate-positive buildings and help projects account for both operational and embodied carbon.

If you are working on a net-zero project and would like to learn more about the certification, email us at netzero@emiratesgbc.org and we will be happy to schedule a call to discuss the benefits and process of the certification. The first 10 pilot projects in the UAE that apply to ILFI’s ZE and ZC certifications receive a discounted rate.

WorldGBC has released the Advancing Net Zero (ANZ) Status Report 2020, which highlights leadership action from GBCs and the building and construction sector towards achieving total sector decarbonisation. The report showcases action from across the Green Building Council (GBC) network including the 27 GBCs participating in WorldGBC’s global Advancing Net Zero project, as well as signatories to the Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment (the Commitment).

Click here to read the report.

WorldGBC’s Commitment now has 89 signatories, and you can find the full list of current signatories here. The case study library also showcases industry leaders who have signed the Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment: 61 businesses and organisations, 28 cities, and 6 states and regions.

If you would like to join the lines of these pioneering organizations, please contact us at netzero@emiratesgbc.org.

On June 9^th, as part of the Net Zero Webinar Series, we hosted a webinar with our recent partners, Bionova Ltd, on Embodied Carbon. The session gave an overview of the global impact of embodied carbon and also showed the capabilities of the One Click LCA Planetary tool, which will be offered free-of-charge for UAE companies as part of the partnership with EmiratesGBC. You can watch the webinar here.

Consistent Engineering Consultants (CEC) facilitated June’s technical webinar on the optimization of cooling loads and ventilation Rates. Through a case study, the session highlighted the energy consumption patterns in office buildings and showed how proper and detailed engineering reduced the air conditioning load by 20-25%. A recording of the webinar can be found here.

This month, we have two technical webinars scheduled: Building Automation Control Design Assist on July 7^th and Lowering Embodied Carbon: The key role of acoustic comfort on July 21^st. The webinar on July 7^th, being facilitated by EmiratesGBC Corporate Members, Trane, will be a live demo of the Trane Design Assist, a freely available tool that assists in designing Building Automation Control easily and effectively. The webinar on July 21^st is being facilitated by EmirateGBC Corporate Members, Saint Gobain, and will showcase how building acoustics can support the reduction of embodied carbon.

We will be sending registration links through emailers to our members and partners. Be sure to keep an eye out. You can check our upcoming webinars and events here.

We are still monitoring the situation and will be providing technical webinars moving forward. If you are interested in facilitating a webinar in Q4, 2020 please email us at technicalworkshops@emiratesgbc.org.

On June 23^rd & 24^th EmiratesGBC representatives attended the Virtual WorldGBC MENA Regional Green Building Congress.

Organized by World Green Building Council under the patronage of the Minister of Climate Change and the Environment H.E. Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi and in partnership with Majid Al Futtaim Holding, the WorldGBC MENA Green Building Congress 2020 discussed the latest trends across the industry internationally and regionally.

The Congress covered achieving net zero buildings, healthy buildings and sustainable reconstruction. The Congress included insightful presentations from EmiratesGBC members JLL, Majid Al Futtaim, Multiplex, Shaw Contract, Saint Gobain amongst a whole range of other expert speakers internationally and across the region. WorldGBC set the scene for interesting discussions on how the climate agenda continues to be key to development in the region. Building resilient cities was an emerging theme throughout the discussions and how incorporating sustainability and environmental considerations can support with the recovery from COVID-19.

We welcomed Majid Al Futtaim’s announcement that they have partnered with the Royal Danish Consulate and Ramboll on a project to measure embodied carbon in selected projects in the UAE as part of their ongoing commitment toward being a net positive organization by 2040. We look forward to the report findings which will be published in 2 months.

Following the two-day Congress business forum, EmiratesGBC participated in the MENA GBC Network Meeting on June 25^th dedicated to bringing the regional GBCs together to share their activities and initiatives, lessons learned, plans for the future, and to share inspiration for making a positive collective impact in the green building movement.

Support the Council’s education and technical programs by partnering with us and coming on board as a sponsor to one of our knowledge-sharing initiatives. EmiratesGBC has an exciting calendar of events throughout 2020, from webinars and focus days on our priority areas such as Net Zero Carbon Buildings, Energy Efficiency, Health & Wellness and Building Retrofit to our flagship Annual Congress and Annual MENA Green Building Awards. Additionally, we have industry publications that will launch in the second half of 2020, which will provide an opportunity to brand yourself with recent technical studies we’ve been working on.

We have a range of partnership opportunities for members which is a great way to get involved and showcase your organization’s leadership and commitment to sustainability.

We invite you to find out more – please view our sponsorship packages or contact engagement@emiratesgbc.org.

EmiratesGBC hosts multiple events throughout the year in a variety of formats and covering a wide breadth of topics. Drawing on our members’ expertise and knowledge, we curate panel discussions, webinars, presentations and conferences that go beyond the current conversation and discuss the latest innovations and issues in the sector. If you are a member with a story to tell or interested in getting involved through speaking opportunities or would like to share ideas, please contact us at events@emiratesgbc.org with details of the topic and nominated speaker.

EmiratesGBC corporate members can fill out the speakers form and submit to events@emiratesgbc.org.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the global hospitality industry to a near halt. More than ever, hospitality establishments are needing to reassure their guests that they comply with hygiene requirements, and to demonstrate practices to show that they are doing their utmost to ensure a safe stay and work environment. Many of Green Key’s hotel chain partners are doing just that.

Hospitality giant, Radisson Hotel Group, partnered with SGS, a multinational company which provides inspection, verification, testing and certification services, and announced the Radisson Hotels Safety Protocol, a new program for in-depth cleanliness and disinfection procedures. (Read the full press release here). Another group, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, have provided their independently owned and operated franchised hotels and their managed and owned properties worldwide with guidelines and safety information provided by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) detailing how to identify COVID-19 symptoms and mitigate its transmission. (Read the full press release here)

World Green Building Week (21 – 25 September 2020) is World Green Building Council’s annual campaign that empowers us all to deliver greener buildings. This year, the WorldGBC is asking industries to #ActOnClimate.

The building sector, policymakers and governments must take urgent action to deliver net zero buildings. The WorldGBC is also calling on them to provide a showcase for the leaders already taking action to show where, why and how they are achieving it.

It is time to bring these solutions to scale, and the industry is ready to deliver. Click here to learn more.

There are a few spaces still available on this month’s online Building Retrofit Training courses – Register today to secure your place!

Join our July virtual sessions to learn the fundamentals of Building Retrofit, Energy Efficiency, Indoor environmental quality and much more through the introductory course or learn how to undertake a retrofit and become a certified Specialist through the advanced course. Each course has been divided into 4-hour modules and will be led by our expert facilitators through an online platform that can be accessed from anywhere in the region.

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

• 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 certified 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 Building Retrofit Training webpage. EmiratesGBC can also schedule in-house training for groups of 10 or more, please contact training@emiratesgbc.org to request a proposal. EmiratesGBC members and partners will receive a 20% discount off the registration fees.

“In addition to installing efficient fixtures, building owners can take a step further by installing a water management system, which can potentially save significant water as usage is linked directly to its source, which helps target reduction where needed and troubleshoots leakage. Water management system uses metering and submetering.”

The above is one of many useful tips available through the EmiratesGBC Green Building Tooltips. The Tooltips is an 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 Rain Bird and is supported by Taqati.

EmiratesGBC is pleased to be a supporting association for the 10^th edition of the upcoming MEFMA CONFEX which has been rescheduled to take place from November 8 – 11^th , 2020 in Dubai under the theme of ‘Facility Management Transformation towards Sustainable Development’. For further information visit the event website.

EmiratesGBC is pleased to support the 6th Annual Retrofit Tech MENA which will now take place from 7-8 September 2020 in Roda Al Bustan Hotel, Dubai, UAE, to address the latest retrofit innovations to accelerate the growth of the retrofit sector in the UAE and MENA region.

This prestigious annual gathering of high-level decision makers and industry trailblazers presents an ideal platform for energy efficiency management services companies and solution providers to showcase their innovative technologies and solutions, and learn more about the upcoming projects in the UAE and the MENA region as a whole.

EmiratesGBC will be participating in the conference and sharing insights around the energy efficiency and benchmarking in the UAE. EmiratesGBC members are eligible for a discount upon registering for more details contact opportunities@acm-events.com.

For more information, visit: http://bit.ly/2VhOaFS.

We are proud to announce that EmiratesGBC served as a knowledge partner for Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Buildings Task Force and contributed to their recent Retrofitting Building Checklist. The checklist provides low-cost/no-cost measures for sustainable practices in building operations, and organizations can adopt some or all measures based on the feasibility of application.

To read the checklist, click here.

As part of World Green Building Council’s Advancing Net Zero (ANZ) global project, which EmiratesGBC is committed to, they have recently published the ANZ Status Report, which highlights leadership action from GBCs and the building and construction sector towards achieving total sector decarbonisation.

To read the report, click here.

Invitation to Wacker Academy Webinar “Expert Sealant Technology from Wacker”

EmiratesGBC Corporate Member Wacker Chemicals Middle East – Dubai cordially invite you to join a webinar titled “Expert Sealant Technology from Wacker” scheduled on Thursday, July 02, 2020 at 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM (UAE time zone). While Wacker have shifted their classroom training to a digital platform, they are confident in being able to offer you the best expertise using Wacker latest technologies and innovations. The webinar will remain as interactive as an onsite training and what more; it will also include some application demonstration. Therefore, we are sure that the experience of taking part will be enriching. To register please email Kareen.Canas@wacker.com.

Regional governments are stepping up efforts to transition to sustainable building practices

The world’s urban population has grown substantially – from 751 million in 1950 to 4.2 billion in 2018 – with expectations that it will rise further. The United Nations has projected that by 2050, 68 per cent of the world’s population will be living in urban areas. However, this trend toward urbanisation has brought to the
fore the challenge of sustainability, even as nations look to mitigate the threat of climate change. [Read More].

The 2020 edition of the MEP Middle East Conference broke new ground – moving to an all-new digital realm to overcome the obstacles thrown our way by the global coronavirus pandemic.

The event featured three in-depth panel discussions, covering Engineering Net-Zero Carbon Systems; Evaluating the Current Landscape of the MEP Sector; and Transitioning Towards a Digitalised Future. [Read More].