EmiratesGBC is pleased to invite its members to attend the 2018 Annual General Meeting on 10^th December at the TIME Oak Hotel in Al Barsha Heights, Dubai. The AGM is an important opportunity for Corporate and Individual Members to learn about the recent progress of the Council and to voice opinions and suggestions on the future direction and activities of EmiratesGBC.

The meeting also provides a great opportunity for networking with fellow members. We encourage your participation and look forward to welcoming as many members as possible on the 10^th December.  Registration is open to corporate and individual members only and is free of cost.

Click here to register.

We are pleased to announce that the results and findings from the Building Efficiency Accelerator Benchmarking Report will be published in early 2019! Thank you to all the participating hotels, schools and shopping malls who have contributed to the Building Efficiency Accelerator benchmarking project!

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.

On 28^th November, Emirates Coalition for Green Schools held a Roundtable event on the topic of Indoor Air Quality in UAE Schools. As a national platform for the advocacy of Green Schools in the UAE, the roundtable brought together stakeholders and industry experts to discuss this important topic. The discussion was moderated by Nada Chami from St Gobain Middle East and EmiratesGBC Board Member. The discussion included a presentation by Matthew Bird, Design Engineer at Dyson on a case study they have undertaken in collaboration with Taaleem schools to measure IAQ in classrooms and raise awareness with students.

During the roundtable, the audience, which included representatives from schools, industry, and academia, discussed the impacts of poor IAQ in schools, how schools in the UAE are currently performing and how IAQ can be improved.

The consensus of the discussion was that UAE schools are currently falling short in terms of IAQ with an impact on children’s health and learning environment. It was agreed collaboration is needed to raise awareness amongst stakeholders on the impact of poor IAQ and the need for stricter implementation of green building regulations to improve indoor air quality.

To find out more please contact events@emiratesgbc.org.  Companies can also contribute to the coalition through sponsorship, and those interested should email engagement@emiratesgbc.org.

On November 21^st EmiratesGBC members visited the Solar Decathlon Middle East Competition Site at Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park and received a tour of the student designed and built solar houses.

The Solar Decathlon is an international competition hosted by DEWA in which universities from all over the world meet to design, build and operate sustainable solar houses. The houses use renewable energy as the only energy source and are equipped with innovative technologies that permit maximum energy efficiency.

Members were given tours by the student teams who designed and constructed the houses giving an insight into the innovative solutions and green homes designs of the future. It was very encouraging to see the sustainability leaders of the future demonstrating their ability and we commend the efforts of all the teams and participants.

EmiratesGBC chairman, Saeed Al Abbar was part of the judging panel for the contest, click here to hear from him and the other judges on their perspectives on the competition. Further details of the competition houses and overall winners can be found on the Solar Decathlon Middle East website.

EmiratesGBC is pleased to again partner 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.

Co-located with the exhibition will be the WFES Green Buildings Forum which will bring together speakers from across the industry. Join us on Tuesday 15^th January where representatives from EmiratesGBC will be speaking on the latest trends in Green Building in the UAE and globally.

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

We are pleased to share information from Emirates Environmental Group regarding their Clean Up UAE Campaign for December 2018, a great activity to get involved in wherever you may be in the UAE.

Emirates Environmental Group has hosted the Clean Up UAE campaign every year since 2002, and each year willing participants from all sectors of the society, including corporations, educational institutions, and government bodies and families, come together across various sites across the UAE to clean diverse areas.  If you are interested in partaking in such an important feat, we invite you to register here: https://goo.gl/forms/yWEOoYMrgHa7Skwb2

The 2018 MENA Green Building Awards were held in May 2018 and celebrated achievements, success stories and best practices across the region.  Each month we showcase the winner of one category and this month we look at the Contractor of the Year, which rewards the achievements, professionalism, and passion of a MENA-based contractor organization towards improving the sustainability of the built environment.

Winner: Multiplex Constructions

Multiplex has a long history of success in the Middle East with the construction of many iconic and landmark projects in the region. Multiplex has strong experience with LEED, Estidama and Dubai Green Building Regulations, having successfully delivered over 15 sustainability-rated projects. The company also focuses on social sustainability and responsible construction; and has implemented a pioneering welfare management system to promote best practices and drive innovation.

Congratulations Multiplex! Multiplex is facilitating the EmiratesGBC Contractors Workshop on 4^th December which will look at insights on how a sustainability strategy can yield returns – for further details see below.

Congratulations are also extended to the shortlisted applicants in this category: Adeeb Electrical & Electronics Services Co LLC.

To find out more about the 2018  awards and category winners, take a look at the awards brief and continue to support the MENA Green Building Awards through social media by using the hashtag #MENAGBAwards

We would like to congratulate our corporate member Gerab Energy for applying, an adiabatic pre-cooling system, to more than 20 chillers in Etihad ESCO retrofits.  This new generation of technology is “an intelligent adiabatic pre-cooling device” and offers faster installation, uses less water, requires less maintenance.

Advancing technologies are key contributors to the evolution of the green building industry and we salute Gerab Energy for investing in the future of sustainable development in the UAE through adopting new technologies for enhancing the quality of building performance.

Read the full story here

There is still time to register for the 2018 Building Retrofit Training Courses being held in December. The Building Retrofit Program is in partnership with Dubai Supreme Council of Energy and Masdar (Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company) and offers two levels of training course:

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 website.  We invite you to visit the Building Retrofit Training webpage to register for your place in the upcoming courses. EmiratesGBC can also schedule in-house training for groups of 10 or more, please contact events@emiratesgbc.org to request a proposal.

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

‘I took BRT because I am a non-technical professional entering the retrofit sector in Dubai, working on demand-side management. This course gave me a solid overview and understanding of building/villa/structure from a retrofit perspective and the current legislation and trends in Dubai.’

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 looks at our Schools with a focus on water and its management.  Install a Low or Dual flushing valve with prescribed flush rates of 3/6 L per flush, furthermore considering alternative water sources such as Grey Water Supply, will help reduce the potable water demand.

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.

During the month of November, EmiratesGBC held a technical workshop on smart irrigation, where the focal point of the discussion was how to achieve highly efficient irrigation systems to reduce water loss. In the highly interactive and successful session, the facilitator, Rammi Khalil, Specification Manager at Rain Bird International discussed the basics of irrigation along with how the system varies with the different landscaping typologies and applications.

December’s Contractors workshop will take place on December 4^th and will provide insights on how sustainability strategy can yield returns, as well as highlight key initiatives to align with the United Nation Sustainability Goals 8 and 10, which look at protecting labour rights, promoting safe, secure working environments and reducing inequalities through adoption of policies, especially fiscal, wage and social protection policies. The workshop will also present the benefits of implementing energy and water efficiency within operations and the impact of carbon emission reductions on business and operating margins.

Email us at technicalworkshops@emiratesgbc.org  to register.

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 bring your topic 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.

Following the success of our Developers’ Forum, this month we look at WorldGBC’s Creating an Energy Efficient Mortgage for Europe: Towards a New Market Standard Report, which proposes a new set of standards for property energy performance thresholds that create real reductions in financial and climate risks for mortgage lenders – qualifying borrowers for incentives such as lower mortgage interest rates. The report outlines the powerful business case for energy efficient mortgages, explaining how applying the proposed standards reduces risks for both borrowers and lenders by lowering energy bills.  Therefore, borrowers have more financial freedom to meet mortgage repayments and protection against the future devaluation of inefficient buildings in an increasingly carbon-conscious society.

To read the report, click here.

Focusing on the urgent need for action in improving the indoor air quality of schools in the UAE as part of the Emirates Coalition for Green Schools Roundtable, we also look at Harvard’s School for Health report, which provides robust public health evidence that environmental exposures in school buildings can impact student health, student thinking and student performance. The report shows that the school building itself, where students spend a significant portion of their childhood, represents a prime opportunity to intervene and protect the health of children, our most vulnerable citizens.

 To read the report, click here.

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.

A mandatory indoor air quality testing for UAE schools can help improve the overall health and performance of students and staff, experts said during a green school meeting roundtable on Wednesday.

At the Emirates Coalition for Green Schools Roundtable organised by Emirates Green Building Council (EmiratesGBC), educators and sustainability professionals discussed ways of improving the indoor air quality of schools across the country.

Currently, there is no mandatory indoor air quality testing for UAE schools and there is “very limited” research and data available about their eco-friendly initiatives, experts said.

Read more

Experts call for new legislation and stronger enforcement of existing regulations

Old buildings and inadequately maintained air-conditioning units are leading to poor air quality levels in schools across the UAE.

Experts warned outdated construction techniques combined with a lack of effective insulation was potentially putting children’s health at risk.

Other factors adding to the issue included some schools overusing chemical products to clean classrooms and hallways.

Poor air quality can lead to respiratory problems, with knock on implications for children’s attention spans and attendance rates.

“The old building stock is a problem not only in UAE but all over the GCC,” said Nada Chami, a senior manager at the French sustainable construction firm Saint-Gobain.

“Older buildings were constructed prior to air quality regulations, with 70 to 85 per cent of them not insulated effectively.

“This means their air tightness is poor which can allow pollutants to come through.”

Warnings over the UAE’s need to address air quality in schools came as architects, engineers and school management teams came together in Dubai to discuss ways to improve building design.

Experts from the Emirates Coalition for Green Schools, which advocates for more environmentally friendly classrooms, and the Emirates Green Building Council organised the one-day event.

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Emirates Green Building Council (EmiratesGBC), an independent forum aimed at conserving the environment by strengthening and promoting green building practices, will deliver its Advanced Course, under the Building Retrofit Training Programme, on 12 and 13 December 2018 in Dubai.

Conducted in partnership with the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy (DSCE) and Masdar (Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company), the Advanced Course is a two-day training, instructing industry professionals on the key elements of retrofit for existing buildings and supports the streamlining of their technical capacity for more effective post-retrofit maintenance and preventive care. Upon completion of the course, participants successfully passing the post course examination will become an EmiratesGBC certified “Building Retrofit Specialist”.

A pilot of the Advanced Course was attended by employees from the Civil Projects and Engineering team at the Dubai Energy and Water Authority (DEWA) in September.

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15 teams representing 28 universities from 11 countries around the world spanning 4 continents, are presenting their smart homes

SDME Steering Committee includes DEWA; Dubai Supreme Council of Energy; Ministry of Cabinet Affairs & The Future; Ministry of Energy & Industry; Ministry of Education; Dubai Municipality; Dubai Police; Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA); Expo 2020 Dubai; and Dubai Future Foundation. SDME sponsors include the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy; Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar); Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC); General Electric; and Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power in the Platinum Category; Mai Dubai, Meydan, and BASF in the Gold Category; and Almarai in the Silver Category. Partners include the World Green Economy Summit and Emirates Green Building Council.

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More awareness and guidance is needed to support companies in retrofitting buildings and workplaces, industry experts say

Dubai, UAE:Dubai Chamber Sustainability Network recently hosted an informative seminar at the Chamber’s premises where industry experts highlighted best practices and benefits for businesses and organisations that invest in converting their existing buildings into green buildings.

Participating in the seminar were Marcos Bish, Managing Director, Summertown Interiors; Fatima Al Hebshi, Sustainability Engineer, Ministry of Climate Change & Environment; Khaled Bushnaq, Vice Chairman, Emirates Green Building Council; Faisal Rashid, Director Demand Side Management; Supreme Council of Energy; and Raji Hattar, Chief Sustainability & Compliance Officer, Aramex

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