Dubai: The second Annual Congress of the Emirates Green Building Council (EGBC), an independent forum aimed at conserving the environment by strengthening and promoting green building practices, discussed the financing of green buildings, the design and operation aspects in the building phase and local and regional sustainable development initiatives on its opening day on Wednesday.
The two-day event was inaugurated by Adnan Sharafi, Chairman of EGBC and Board Member of the World Green Building Council. He said that the Congress is aimed at putting the spotlight on green building regulations, green financing schemes and governmental approaches to promote all-round sustainable development.
He presented an overview of the evolution of the sustainability movement in the UAE, and the role and achievements of EGBC. “Our goal is to work with all stakeholders across the building industry supply chain and to promote knowledge sharing that will enable the region to highlight its leadership in promoting sustainable growth,” he said.
Keynote addresses were given by Faisal Ali Rashid, Senior Project Manager, Demand Management, Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, Yasmeen Al Rashedi, Estidama Programme Implementations & Execution Manager of Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council, Fozeya Ibrahim Al Mahmoud, Environmental Outreach Division Director of Environment Agency Abu Dhabi and Mohammad Asfour, Chairman of World GBC Mena Network.
Key sessions on the opening day included financing schemes for green buildings, covering the need for financing, innovative financing mechanisms, incentive strategies and fee structures, while a panel discussion on the use of green building materials covered their impact on smart cities. The operation and maintenance of buildings, and occupant engagement with a focus on design meeting performance were also discussed.
Local, regional initiatives
Emirates Environment Group presented local and regional initiatives to promote sustainable development, including waste management from source, while EWS-WWF highlighted its ecological footprint initiative. The green building market in the Mena region was also highlighted by a World GBC Mena Consultant.
Sobia Shahid, from Heriot Watt University Dubai, was announced as the winner of the Emirates GBC Annual Congress technical paper competition on ‘Sustainable Competitive Advantage: An Economic Revolution.’
At the gala dinner held later in the evening at Le Royal Meridien Beach Resort and Spa, EGBC announced the winners of the first EGBC Awards which honour excellence in sustainability initiatives across the Middle East and North Africa region.
Workshops
A series of workshops will be held on Thursday with the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council to discuss about Estidama as a platform for behavioural change, while the Dubai Carbon Centre of Excellence will present a workshop on measuring carbon footprint.
The Congress will also host a debate competition among top schools on ‘A Vision to the Future.’ The participants were selected at an inter-school competition held in November on the topic: ‘Is Sustainability just a Trend?’
The final activity during the second day of the congress will be a round table with representatives from Green Building Councils across the Mena network discussing the green building movement in the region.
