The countdown to when all new buildings in Dubai must meet environmentally friendly standards has begun and developers are scrambling to meet the January deadline.

In October, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, VicePresident and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai issued a resolution mandating the green building principles.

Since then, property developers and contracting companies have gone back to the boardroom to make the necessary modifications to their projects under development.

Efforts are also on to find additional space in the budget to make the green updates to each project.

Yahya Lootah, Vice-Chairman of SS Lootah Group, a contracting company, said: "We welcome the strategic decision of Sheikh Mohammed to adopt green building standards in all projects after January 2008. Climate change and environmental pollution are global issues that need to be addressed, not just by the government, but by the private sector and the general public as well. This ruling, being the first in the Middle East, is definitely a first step towards involving the private sector in fulfilling this vision.

Given the volume of construction in Dubai, green buildings will tremendously improve the quality of our environment and further establish Dubai's leadership in the emerging green business sector." Lootah said the financial advantages in the long run cannot be ignored - from lower construction costs and overheads to reduced utility bills for Dubai residents.

Thus, he says, companies that are committed towards the larger national interest will not mind incurring the initial investment in adopting the new standard though the return on this investment is not immediate.

SS Lootah Group included sustainability features in LPG distribution projects it conducted in co-operation with Nakheel. Recently the group has forged alliances with 22 experts specialised in Leed (Leadership in Energy and Environment Designs).

The Leed standards that will be applied to all new constructions, aim to improve the impact buildings have on the environment as well as the residents who live in them.

An official at the Emirates Green Building Project said the standards mandate energy efficiency, water conservation, the usage of renewable energy and recycled products.

Buildings that meet Leed standards reduce buildingrelated illness and will increase the environmental sustainability of construction throughout the emirate, the official said.

To meet the new standards, some projects in the works for years are having to go back to the drawing board. A senior architect at Dar Al Handsah, the main architect of Dubai Airport Expansion plan, said even that high-profile project has had to make changes.

"We are reviewing our project designs now because we have to follow the new green standards. Every contractor and architect will have to follow the new rule," he said.

By VM Sathish

© Emirates Today 2007

 

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