A LETTER FROM EGBC FAMILY

EmiratesGBC Podcast Series: Five Episodes Now Available — Watch, Follow, and Join the Conversation

As part of its ongoing commitment to advancing sustainability awareness and engagement, Emirates Green Building Council has launched its new podcast series, “20 Years of Impact on People and the Planet.”

With four episodes already released, the series explores key topics shaping the future of the built environment through conversations with industry leaders, experts, and community voices. The first season reflects on EmiratesGBC’s two-decade journey and highlights how green buildings contribute to healthier communities, improved well-being, affordability, resilience, and sustainable urban development.

Each episode offers insights, experiences, and inspiring perspectives from sustainability leaders, extending the conversation beyond events and into everyday life.

Watch the episodes now on YouTube and follow the EmiratesGBC channel to stay updated on upcoming conversations and new releases:
https://www.youtube.com/c/EmiratesGreenBuildingCouncil

MENA Green Building Awards 2026: Applications Complete and Judging Underway

The MENA Green Building Awards 2026 has reached a significant milestone, with a record of 76 applications received from across five MENA countries: the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Qatar, and Iraq. The strong participation reflects the growing momentum for sustainable development and the increasing commitment of organisations across the region to advancing green building practices.

Following the successful completion of the application phase, the Awards are going to enter the judging period, where a panel of industry experts will carefully evaluate submissions based on innovation, impact, sustainability performance, and contribution to the advancement of the built environment.

The shortlisted finalists will be announced at the end of September 2026, leading up to the highly anticipated MENA Green Building Awards Gala Dinner on 28 October 2026 at Dusit Thani Dubai, where the winners will be revealed and celebrated. The event will bring together sustainability leaders, industry professionals, and key stakeholders to recognise the achievements and inspiring contributions shaping a greener future for the region.

EmiratesGBC Annual Congress 2026: Beyond the Sandbox — From Benchmark to Breakthrough

Emirates Green Building Council is pleased to announce the 15th edition of the EmiratesGBC Annual Congress 2026, taking place on 27–28 October 2026 at Dusit Thani Dubai. Under the theme “20 Years, Beyond the Sandbox: From Benchmark to Breakthrough,” the Congress will mark two decades of the UAE’s green building journey while exploring the next phase of sustainable transformation across the built environment.

Bringing together 200+ professionals and 60+ speakers and contributors from government, finance, real estate, industry, academia, and research institutions, the two-day event will focus on moving from ambition to measurable action. Through a series of thought-provoking discussions, case studies, and interactive sessions, the Congress will explore five key themes: Performance, Data & Disclosure; Materials and Supply Chain Readiness; Finance, Policy & Delivery; Resilience, Resource Security & Nature-Based Solutions; and Collective Action, Accountability & What’s Next.

As the UAE advances its climate commitments and accelerates the transition toward a low-carbon future, EmiratesGBC Annual Congress 2026 will serve as a platform for collaboration, knowledge exchange, and accountability—bringing the sector together to identify practical pathways for scaling sustainable solutions and driving lasting impact.

EmiratesGBC Participates in HKTDC Business Seminar

Emirates Green Building Council participated as a Supporting Organisation in the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) Dubai Office’s business seminar, “Bridging Markets Through Technology, Sustainability and Business Opportunities,” held on 27 August 2026 at the Grand Hyatt Dubai.

Representing EmiratesGBC, Dr. Michael Schmidt, Founding and Board Member – Board Secretary, delivered a Special Address highlighting the UAE’s green transition and the growing business opportunities emerging from the country’s sustainability ambitions. His presentation explored the UAE’s Green Agenda 2030 and Net Zero 2050, the role of the built environment in achieving these goals, and the opportunities for businesses in areas including energy efficiency, smart buildings, sustainable materials, water technologies and building retrofit.

The presentation also highlighted the role of EmiratesGBC in connecting international businesses with the UAE’s sustainable built-environment ecosystem and supporting collaboration, knowledge exchange and innovation.

The seminar brought together stakeholders from the UAE and Hong Kong to explore opportunities for collaboration across technology, sustainability, trade and business development, reinforcing the importance of international partnerships in accelerating the transition towards a more sustainable built environment.

UPCOMING EMIRATESGBC EVENTS

ASSA ABLOY – Dubai Facility Tour

As part of World Green Building Week 2026, EmiratesGBC is organising an exclusive members-only factory tour of ASSA ABLOY on Monday, 7 September 2026. The visit will provide participants with an opportunity to learn about ASSA ABLOY’s sustainability goals and initiatives, explore its locally produced solutions and global products, and take part in a guided tour of the Metal Doors Factory and Product Experience Centre. The program will also include networking and lunch, offering members an opportunity to connect and exchange insights.

Women in Sustainability Building It Ready

As part of World Green Building Week 2026, the EmiratesGBC Women’s Network, in collaboration with Mapei Construction Chemicals, will host Women in Sustainability: Building It Ready on 7 September 2026.

The event will bring together women from across the built-environment value chain for a morning of technical learning, industry dialogue and meaningful networking. The program will highlight the contributions of women in sustainable project delivery across materials, design, consultancy and construction, while providing opportunities to exchange knowledge, share experiences and build cross-sector professional connections.

Participants can look forward to practical sustainability insights, inspiring industry perspectives, networking opportunities and engagement with the EmiratesGBC Women’s Network.

📅 7 September 2026
🕣 8:30 AM – 12:00 PM
📍 EmiratesGBC Sustainability Lounge

👉 Explore the full program and register: https://emiratesgbc.org/world-green-building-week/

Design for Practice: A Student Design Challenge

As part of World Green Building Week 2026, themed #BuildItReady, Emirates Green Building Council, in collaboration with the American University in Dubai (AUD), will host an interactive and hands-on Sustainable Design Challenge on 9 September 2026.

The event will bring together architecture students and built-environment professionals to collaborate on real-world sustainability and green building challenges. Participants will work in teams to develop innovative design solutions, exchange knowledge and ideas with industry experts, and present their concepts to a professional panel for feedback.

The challenge aims to bridge the gap between academic learning and real-world sustainable design practice, while encouraging collaboration and knowledge exchange between the next generation of designers and experienced industry professionals.

Event Details:
📅 9 September 2026
🕘 9:00 AM – 12:30 PM
📍 American University in Dubai (AUD) Campus

Architecture students and built-environment professionals are invited to take part in this collaborative experience and turn ideas into practical solutions for a more sustainable built environment.

👉 Explore the full program and register: https://emiratesgbc.org/world-green-building-week/

Launch of EmiratesGBC Energy and Water Benchmark

As part of World Green Building Week 2026, Emirates Green Building Council will launch its latest Energy & Water Benchmarking Report, marking the third edition following the reports published in 2016 and 2019.

The new report also marks the beginning of a new annual benchmarking cycle, developed with Meyaar as the independent technical partner. Drawing on operational data from 2022–2024, and 2022–2025 for schools, the report provides indicative energy and water performance reference ranges across four key building categories in the UAE: hotels, malls, office buildings and schools.

The launch event will provide an opportunity to explore the report’s key findings and discuss how benchmarking and data-driven insights can support more informed decision-making, improve building performance and accelerate the UAE’s transition towards a more resource-efficient built environment.

Event Details:
📅 10 September 2026
🕘 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
📍 Dubai | Venue to be confirmed

👉 Explore the full program and register: https://emiratesgbc.org/world-green-building-week/

Build with Less Carbon: The UAE Materials Transition

As the UAE’s built environment continues to expand, reducing the carbon impact of construction materials is becoming increasingly important. As part of World Green Building Week 2026, Emirates Green Building Council, joint with Expo City Dubai, will launch a new paper exploring the transformative potential of low-, near- and net-zero-carbon materials in the UAE construction sector.

The event will provide an opportunity to explore the latest developments in lower-carbon materials and introduce a practical embodied carbon baseline for the UAE market. The baseline is designed to support more informed decision-making and help guide the industry towards lower-carbon approaches across materials selection, design, procurement and policy.

Participants will also have the opportunity to engage with industry experts and explore practical pathways and opportunities for accelerating the adoption of lower-carbon materials in the UAE.

Event Details:
📅 11 September 2026
🕘 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
📍 Terra Wonder Lab, Expo City Dubai

👉 Explore the full program and register: https://emiratesgbc.org/world-green-building-week/

Partners and Industry Events

RISE Global 2026: Shaping the Future of Global Real Estate and Investment

Join us in Dubai World Trade Centre, for RISE Global from 13 – 14 October 2026. RISE Global is the inclusive, comprehensive and future-forward real estate and asset investment event connecting global capital to global opportunities. RISE Global is where global capital meets vision and represents the global intersection of investment, intelligence & influence focusing on three main pillars: RISE Invest, RISE Lifestyle and RISE Intelligent Infrastructure. RISE Invest is where global capital meets the world’s most ambitious projects. RISE Lifestyle is the global marketplace for high-growth residential & lifestyle developments. RISE Intelligent Infrastructure is building the backbone of urban intelligent, sustainable cities.

This large-scale event acts as the most powerful and strategic platform for urban visionaries to forge strategic private-public partnerships and path the way for the future of global investment, real estate and intelligent infrastructure. This is where the world’s real estate and infrastructure government leaders, institutional investors, forward-thinking architects and designers, tech innovators and industry giants come together to boost cross-border investments and showcase their latest advancement in smart cities and beyond. With 10,000+ high-profile leaders, 250+ global investors and 100+ world-class speakers from 60+ countries, RISE is the #1 platform for driving global multi-asset investment forward.

Be part of this transformative event and witness the future of real estate and asset investment unfold.

For more information, visit www.riseexpo.com

EmiratesGBC Supports RAK Energy Summit 2026 as a Supporting Partner

Emirates Green Building Council is proud to support the RAK Energy Summit 2026 as a Supporting Partner, contributing to one of the region’s leading platforms for advancing sustainable energy solutions and innovation.

Taking place from 25–27 November 2026 at RAK Expo Centre, Ras Al Khaimah, UAE, the third edition of the Summit will bring together global experts, industry leaders, policymakers, and technology innovators to explore pathways toward a more sustainable and resilient energy future.

Hosted by Ras Al Khaimah Municipality under the patronage of HH Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, and organised in partnership with Etihad Water and Electricity (EtihadWE), the Summit will address key priorities shaping decarbonisation efforts, including energy efficiency, renewable energy, future grids, AI and digitalisation, carbon markets, sustainable mobility, and solutions for hard-to-abate industries.

Through its participation, EmiratesGBC looks forward to engaging in meaningful discussions, fostering collaboration, and supporting the exchange of innovative ideas that accelerate the transition toward a sustainable built environment and a low-carbon future.

EMIRATESGBC TECHNICAL WORKSHOP FOR MEMBERS BY MEMBERS

The EmiratesGBC 9th (2026) Technical Workshop

For members by members will be by Arabian Gulf Steel Industries L.L.Cl (AGSI) on the 18th of September The workshop will be held in online format through Teams, invitation will be sent to all Members, and the link will be updated at the members portal.

GREEN KEY

The Green Key programme is a leading standard of excellence in the field of environmental responsibility and sustainable operation within the tourism industry. It is operated internationally under the management of the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) with Head Offices in Copenhagen, Denmark. FEE has national member organizations in more than 70 countries worldwide where Emirates Green Building Council is the national operator in the United Arab Emirates.

New Green Key Hotel Certified:

• Best Western Plus Pearl Creek Hotel 
• Five Hotel Palm Jumeirah

MEMBERS & PARTNERS

The Hidden Enabler of Circular Concrete: Why Admixtures Matter More Than Ever

Eilya Nadeem

Regional Sustainability Manager

Mapei Middle East and Africa

When discussing low-carbon concrete, the focus is usually on cement replacement. While this is an important step, another key contributor often receives far less attention: chemical admixtures.
As more supplementary cementitious materials and recycled constituents are introduced into concrete, maintaining workability, strength development and long-term durability become increasingly challenging. Admixture technology helps address these challenges by optimizing hydration, improving particle dispersion and enhancing fresh and hardened concrete performance, allowing lower-carbon mix designs to be used with greater confidence.
The value of admixtures goes beyond improving concrete properties. They support material efficiency, help extend the service life of structures and enable more practical implementation of circular construction principles. As our industry continues to evolve, sustainable concrete will depend not only on the materials we use, but also on how effectively those materials work together.
Remember, the future of sustainable concrete will not be defined by a single material, but by how intelligently every component of the mix is engineered to deliver both performance and durability.

MEMBERS OPPORTUNITES

We want to feature your success stories. Please share with us your accomplishments in relation to the green building industry and allow us to feature you in our newsletter.

For more information, please contact [email protected].

EmiratesGBC WOMEN NETWORK SPOTLIGHT!

Seher Ansari
Specifications Manager

Polypipe Middle East 

1. Who You Are:

• Beyond your professional role, tell us a bit about yourself. What drives and inspires you personally? Whether it’s hobbies, interests, or values, we’d love to learn more about the person behind the professional achievements

1. • • I was born and raised in Dubai, so I’ve watched a city rebuild itself several times over in a single lifetime, which is probably why I became an architect. I’ve never lost the habit of reading places closely: how a street works, why one courtyard feels generous and another doesn’t. Travel feeds that curiosity; I plan trips around neighbourhoods more than landmarks. I also tutor, because explaining something clearly is the fastest way to find out whether you actually understand it. What drives me is simple, I want the things I work on to still make sense fifty years from now

  2. Career Journey and Achievements:

• • • Can you share a brief overview of your career journey in the field of sustainability? What achievements or projects are you most proud of in advancing sustainable practices?

1. • • My route into sustainability came through architecture and a Master’s in Construction Project Management, where studying value, risk, and social value in construction reframed how I think about what a project is really for. I now work in design and specifications management across the UAE, KSA, and the wider GCC, embedding water-sensitive and climate-responsive thinking into projects from the earliest stages. I’m proudest of the work that shifts decisions upstream, where sustainability stops being a late addition and becomes part of the design logic and of contributing to regional forums advancing blue-green infrastructure.

1.  3. Challenges and Triumphs: 

• • • As a woman in the sustainability sector, have you faced any specific challenges, and how did you overcome them? On the flip side, what triumphs or successes have been particularly meaningful in your career? 

1. • • For a long time I was the youngest person and the only woman in meetings, and my input landed as a suggestion rather than a position. Rather than push harder, I focused on being genuinely knowledgeable, understanding the standards, the evidence, and the assumptions well enough to explain them simply. That’s what changed things. The triumph I value most is that consultants now come to me for advice, and that my input is sought rather than volunteered. It’s a quieter kind of success than I expected, and a far more satisfying one.

  4. Impact and Advice:

• • • How do you see your role contributing to the broader goals of sustainability? Additionally, what advice would you offer to other women aspiring to make a difference in the field of sustainability?
  • • Sustainability in this region is climate adaptation in practice. Our climate leaves very little margin for error on water, heat, and resource use, so design decisions made early carry consequences that last decades. My role is to keep those considerations in the room while they can still change the outcome, and to make sure intent survives into what actually gets built. To women entering the field, be curious and be thorough. Enthusiasm is everywhere; being the person who genuinely knows the detail is rarer, and it earns you a seat at the table.

REACH US

Members of the Emirates Green Building Council can join in any of our technical programs, to advance their knowledge on the program’s relevant topics, contribute to its growth, and sponsor its events. We are working on several ideas related to our programs: Coalition for Green Schools, Health and Wellbeing, Net Zero Center of Excellence, Energy Efficiency, Green Key and Benchmarking Program.

Kindly send us an email to [email protected] to inquire about any of the mentioned technical programs.

EmiratesGBC Sustainability Lounge is now available for meetings and workshops!

If you are interested in using the EmiratesGBC Sustainability Lounge for a workshop or a meeting, kindly get in touch with us at 04-3468244 or send us an email to [email protected]. The office room is fully equipped with AV and provides a pleasant environment for focused meetings or training workshops.