Dubai, June 4th, 2007 (WAM) -- Commercial buildings in theMiddle East need to be more 'intelligent' in order to save costs,boost employee productivity and give businesses a competitiveedge, a leading construction industry expert has told visitorsto a trade exhibition taking place in Dubai.

Pantelis Kouzis, of the Cyprus-based construction specialistsEKA Group, said 'Intelligent Buildings' could boost workforceproductivity by up to 5 per cent by enhancing office lightingand ensuring a comfortable internal temperature, while performancecould increase by as much as 7 per cent if workers could controlthe temperature around their individual workstations.

Kouzis, the company's Overseas Business Development Manager,was speaking at FM EXPO, the regional showcase event for thefacilities management industry, which opened at the Dubai InternationalExhibition Centre yesterday. He said that the value of theseemployee productivity increases was roughly equivalent to theentire capital and operational costs of a building over its life-cycle.

"Buildings form our architectural landscape and they, and theenvironment they generate, should uplift the soul and spiritsof people within them as well as those passing by," said Kouzis.

"An 'Intelligent Building' is capable of recognising and respondingto changing circumstances to allow a more efficient use of resourcesand improve the comfort of its occupants. An increase in staffproductivity through less absenteeism, increased output and lessdisruption to workflow is the key to a building's success." Kouzis' presentation was part of the three-day FM EXPO's seminarprogramme, which has attracted an impressive line-up of internationalspeakers generating debates on major issues affecting the FMindustry.

Facilities management advocates an integrated approach to managingthe built environment effectively and, while it is still an emergingconcept in the Middle East, is predicted to eventually outstripthe region's booming construction industry.

Kouzis described how an 'Intelligent Building' could cut operationalcosts by using freely available energy sources. Heating billscan be slashed by using solar cells to collect solar heat while,in hot climates, solar insulation can cut heat gain. Ventilationcan be improved by using the 'chimney effect', which allows hotair in the building to rise and escape through ducts, and lightingbills can be dramatically reduced by installing light shelvesto reflect daylight deep into the building.

Technological advances such as underfloor air conditioning allowemployees to control the temperature in their immediate workarea, unlike the traditional ceiling-based AC systems. 'IntelligentBuildings' also cut maintenance costs by using sophisticatedmonitoring technology to alert occupiers to imminent faults,while their design allows them to be adapted easily and cost-effectivelyover the course of their life cycle to suit tenants' differingneeds as businesses and management styles change.

"Modern commercial buildings must be designed from the beginningto economically and gracefully accommodate whatever the futuremight bring," said Kouzis. "If a building has the flexibilityand the capacity to accommodate its future economically, thenit will be able to forestall obsolescence and retain its marketvalue throughout its life cycle."