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 summarised our objectives and actions in the EmiratesGBC Snapshot.

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. Through our partnership with Bionova Ltd, the One Click LCA Planetary is available for all UAE companies for free!

Buildings account for nearly 40% of energy related carbon emissions globally and it is vital to start decarbonisation to limit global warming to below 2°C. By using the International Living Future Institute’s Zero Carbon and Zero Energy Certifications, projects can show their commitment to decarbonisation by limiting both operational and embodied carbon emissions.

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’s Commitment now has 95 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 July 7^th, EmiratesGBC Corporate Member, Trane, facilitated a technical webinar on the Trane Design Assist, and gave a real-time demo of the tool and its capabilities. The design tool is free of cost and openly available to assist in designing Building Automation Control easily and effectively. You can watch the webinar here.

On June 21^st, EmiratesGBC Corporate Member, Saint Gobain, facilitated a technical webinar on how acoustics can support the reduction of embodied carbon. The webinar also highlighted how helping governments, clients and specifiers define the right level of acoustic comfort and the technologies required can maximize the building life without additional material or work. You can watch the webinar here.

On August 11^th, we will have a technical webinar facilitated by EmiratesGBC Corporate Member, Siemens, on “How to improve delta T and save more energy with Intelligent Valves”. More information will be given in the upcoming invitations so be sure to keep an eye out. You can check our upcoming webinars and events here.

We are happy to announce that our 2020 calendar is fully booked for workshops/webinars. If you are interested in facilitating a workshop/webinar in Q1 2021 please email us at technicalworkshops@emiratesgbc.org.

The deadline for applications to the 2020 MENA Green Building Awards is fast approaching.

Make sure you submit your application by the 22^nd August for a chance for your organization, project or product to be recognized as an industry leader. With 17 categories, the Awards recognizes and rewards success within the region. This year sees the introduction of new categories for Healthy Spaces, Consultant of the Year and SME of the Year!

We are pleased to announce Majid Al Futtaim as Platinum Partner for the Awards and we thank them for the continued sustainability leadership and support that is invaluable in delivering the program. Organized by EmiratesGBC, the awards are endorsed by World Green Building Council and held in partnership with regional Green Building Councils from Jordan,  Lebanon, Egypt, Kuwait, Morocco and Palestine.

Get inspired and check out the previous winners of the MENA Green Building Awards from across the region. 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 based in UAE who showcase outstanding work in sustainability. The Student Excellence Award is sponsored by Dr. Sadek Owainati, a Co-Founder of EmiratesGBC.

EmiratesGBC has been supporting the UAE hospitality industry to improve the sustainability of their properties through certifying green hotels, education & awareness, improving energy & water efficiency and waste management since 2013. We are the National Operator of the Green Key certification, which is an international ecolabel providing a framework for tourism properties to address environmental management and sustainability issues. We have also published benchmarking studies of water and energy usage of hotels providing practical performance metrics for the UAE.

As part of our ongoing outreach to the hospitality sector, EmiratesGBC will be hosting a webinar on August 17^th that will discuss the impact of COVID-19 on indoor air quality in hotels and provide practical guidance on safe HVAC operation and procedures.

COVID19 can spread through aerosols which are released by an infected person when coughing, talking, and breathing. The small aerosols remain airborne for several hours. For UAE hotel properties, it is important to implement the correct HVAC procedures in addition to sanitizing procedures and guest social distancing to minimize the risk of COVID19 spreading.

This is an invitation only event for EmiratesGBC members, strategic partners and certified Green Key properties. For more information on how to register contact events@emiratesgbc.org.

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.

We would like to congratulate Majlis Grand Mercure Residence Abu Dhabi, for obtaining the Green Key certification! Majlis Mercure is a 5-star long stay apartments property and, as a first-year Green Key property, have shown that their operations and management are committed to sustainable hospitality.

Despite the challenging market situation due to the coronavirus, the hospitality industry has shown its commitment to the green movement in the UAE, with properties still applying for Green Key certifications and recertifications. We applaud these hotels for maintaining their commitment and we look forward to supporting you through this process.

Register for the Building Retrofit Training and improve your skills, knowledge and employability.  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 and provides knowledge of sustainability to industry professionals looking to understand the fundamentals of building retrofit.

Further information about the courses, dates 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.

“Clogged, dirty filters block normal airflow and reduce system’s efficiency significantly. AC filters should be cleaned at least 2 times per year.”

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.

This month, we look at the recently published framework by EmiratesGBC Partner, Bionova, and the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance, in cooperation with Architecture 2030. The framework, City Policy Framework for Dramatically Reducing Embodied Carbon, provides guidance for cities considering policies that can deliver the highest impact within their geopolitical contexts and regulatory systems. Over 50 existing policies from leading cities have been evaluated, categorized, and scored according to their potential, cost efficiency, ease of implementation, and enforceability.

To read the framework, click here.

Invitation to take part in MOID’s survey on the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the country’s infrastructure, construction, and road sector in The United Arab Emirates.

The United Arab Emirates is making strenuous and huge efforts to face the effects of the Corona crisis (COVID-19) at all levels and all productive, operational, and service sectors. To classify the implications of this crisis, the Ministry of Infrastructure Development in cooperation with the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority is carrying out a survey measuring the impact of the Corona crisis (COVID-19) on the infrastructure, construction, and roads sectors in the country. EmiratesGBC members are invited to complete this survey through the survey link here.

EmiratesGBC, an independent forum aimed at conserving the environment by strengthening and promoting green building practices, recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Bionova Ltd., a Finland based specialist in construction carbon and the developer of One Click LCA Planetary, a free embodied carbon tool to help decarbonise the global construction sector. The two entities also organised a webinar on ‘embodied carbon and tackling lifecycle emissions in the MENA region. [Read More]

We’ve brought together a collection of the sharpest minds in the sector to offer sound, independent judgement ahead of this year’s MEP Middle East Awards on 30 September. 

There are 16 categories to pick winners in, meaning the panel has its work cut out, but we’ve no doubt they are up to the challenge. [Read More]