Dubai - Plans are underway to place Dubai among the 10 countries which have established the Green Building Council to pave the way to provide healthier working, learning and living environments for better quality building for the users and owner alike in the UAE.
The announcement was made at a Press conference yesterday announcing the first-ever conference on 'Green Buildings Future in the UAE' to be held on May 2 and 3, at the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry auditorium.
Dr Mohsen Aboulnaga, Chairman of the Green Building conference organising committee, said the awareness of Green Building concept is very low in the UAE, but the forthcoming conference will help raise awareness, disseminate valuable information on the importance of 'Green Building' and provide insight to all concerned within the building industry on benefits of achieving sustainable design to protect the environment in the UAE and the region at large.
The two-day conference organised by the College of Design and Applied Arts at Dubai University College (DUC), academic arm of DCCI, will also help in exchanging and sharing new ideas, technologies and networking with experts from various participating countries.
"Moreover it will pave the way to provide healthier working, learning and living environments for better quality building for the users and owner alike in the UAE and above all, work towards the establishment of green rating guidelines of residential and commercial buildings in the UAE in lines with Leader in Energy and Environmental Design (Leed) programme."
In addition, the conference aims at forming sub-committees to pave the way for the establishment of the UAE Green Building Council, he pointed out. Aboulnaga disclosed, a Green Building is simply incorporating an excellent practice that results in environmental protection, water conservation, energy efficiency, usage of recycled products and renewable energy.
'Green Building' has three major added values - increase performance by 6 to 26 per cent, reduce 15 per cent less absenteeism compared to those in other buildings, and improve health condition, he said.
Dr Aboulnaga disclosed that a recent study conducted on 15 selected buildings in Dubai taking use of glass as one of the Green Building element of low shielding efficiency, shows that five buildings had way below the benchmark criteria laid down by Dubai Municipality.
According to him, there are very few buildings in the world following the Green Building concept. Only seven buildings, of which five in the US and two in India are licensed as platinum levels of the Green Building concept.
© Khaleej Times 2005
