• Inaugural EmiratesGBC Awards, honouring best practices in sustainable development, to be presented at the event
• Experts to address panel discussions and present case studies

Dubai, UAE; December 7, 2013: The second Annual Congress of the Emirates Green Building Council (EmiratesGBC), an independent forum aimed at conserving the environment by strengthening and promoting green building practices, to be held on December 11 & 12, 2013, at the Grosvenor House Dubai, will put the spotlight on green building regulations, green financing schemes and governmental approaches to promote all-round sustainable development.

Adnan Sharafi, Chairman of EmiratesGBC and Board Member of the World Green Building Council, said: “The second Annual EGBC Congress is bringing an unprecedented line-up of topics relating to promoting all-round sustainability. Several experts will present unique insights that will help achieve the sustainable development goals set by the regional governments.

“The case studies presented at the Congress will serve in sharing best practices with policy makers and stakeholders across the construction sector supply chain. The Congress indeed has been conceptualised to promote knowledge sharing that will enable the region to highlight its leadership in promoting sustainable growth.”

Among the confirmed keynote speakers at the event, include representatives of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council, Dubai Municipality, the Environmental Agency Abu Dhabi, and United Nations Development Programme.

One of the key sessions on the opening day of the Conference focuses on financing schemes for green buildings covering the need for financing, innovative financing mechanisms, incentive strategies and fee structures. The panelists include representatives of DEWA, National Bank of Abu Dhabi, Etisalat, Regulation & Supervision Bureau (RSB) and Dubai Supreme Council of Energy. Majid Al Futtaim Properties, Qatar Green Building Council and Estidama will present case studies highlighting the benefits of sustainable built environments.

HOK will present the design aspects for smarter buildings, while a panel discussion on the use of green building materials will cover their impact on smart cities. To be attended by representatives of Masdar, Siemens and Trane, the session will cover aspects such as the environmental impact of building materials, availability of green materials, key barriers and examples of where green materials have been successfully used. In other sessions, MEFMA will highlight the operation and maintenance of buildings, and Jones Lang LaSalle will highlight occupant engagement with a focus on design meeting performance.

On the opening day, Emirates Environment Group will present local and regional initiatives to promote sustainable development including waste management from source, while EWS-WWF will highlight its ecological footprint initiative.  A representative from the WorldGBC MENA Network will also discuss the Green Building Market in MENA Region.

The winner of the EmiratesGBC Annual Congress technical paper competition on ‘Sustainable Competitive Advantage: An Economic Revolution’ will be announced on the first day, and will be provided the opportunity to present the paper.

At the gala dinner being held later in the evening at the Le Royal Méridien Beach Resort & Spa, EmiratesGBC will announce the winners of the first EmiratesGBC Awards which honour excellence in sustainability initiatives across the Middle East and North Africa region. The Awards will be presented to organisations for their demonstrated commitment to sustainable design, construction, and operation of buildings and structures.

A series of workshops will be held on the second day of the Congress. The Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council will discuss about Estidama, while the Dubai Carbon Centre of Excellence will present a workshop on measuring carbon footprint.

To strengthen awareness on sustainability and to encourage the participation of youth, the Congress will also host a debate competition among top schools on ‘A Vision to the Future.’ The participants were selected at an interschool competition held in November on the topic: ‘Is Sustainability just a Trend?’

Students from Leaders Private School, Central School, Our Own English High School, Greenfield Community School and Delhi Private School, Sharjah, took part in Round 1 of the competition. Central School and Delhi Private School were chosen to participate in the final round of the debate on Day 2 of the Congress. The judging panel comprises experts from DEWA, Rotary Club of Jumeirah, Emirates NBD and EmiratesGBC.

The Congress is open to EmiratesGBC members and non-members. To attend, they have to register at https://emiratesgbc.org/congress/register/. Registration fees are AED 1,500 for members and AED 2,000 for non-members, providing access to the 2-day Congress, including workshops and gala dinner.

The second Annual EGBC Congress is sponsored by Majid Al Futtaim Properties (Principal Sponsor), Siemens and Trane (Platinum Sponsors), Brookfield Multiplex, Al Abbar Group and CES Group (Silver Sponsors), ETAP (Workshop Sponsor) and Emirates NBD (Competition Sponsor).

George Kostas, CEO, Majid Al Futtaim Properties, said: “We are delighted to support the Emirates Green Building Council Annual Congress as its Principal Sponsor, underlining our commitment to promoting sustainable building practices in the region. Majid Al Futtaim Properties has been recently ranked as the leading property business in the MENA region in terms of sustainability and the second best in Asia-Pacific. Our aim is to achieve similar rankings on a global level over the next few years.”

EmiratesGBC regularly hosts and participates in multinational events, conferences and forums. EmiratesGBC has also developed a suite of activities, inclusive of networking events, technical workshops, focus days and facilitated training based around specific issues related to the built-environment that meet the needs of its members, of the UAE community, and the wider Middle East.

For more details of the Congress, contact: events@emiratesgbc.org

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About Emirates Green Building Council:

The Emirates Green Building Council (EmiratesGBC) was founded in June 2006, and became the 8th full member of the World Green Building Council in September 2006. EmiratesGBC is an organization that promotes and educates on green issues in the built environment and is the official body for the UAE endorsed by the World Green Building Council. EmiratesGBC currently has around 260 members in the UAE which represents 1000s of individuals interested and involved in Green Building in the UAE and the region. In addition, EmiratesGBC members receive discounts on a number of programmes such as those related to conferences, seminars, training and green building events.

For further information, please contact:

Kelly Home / Mohammed Al Tawil

ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller

+9714 4507600

kelly.home@bm.com / mohammed.altawil@bm.com