Dubai: The growing number of registered green buildings in the GCC has helped transform the construction industry in the region and boosted the creation of healthy buildings, said an expert in energy efficient buildings.
The Emirates Green Building Council founder, Dr Sadek Owainati, said the UAE now had 517 such buildings awaiting registration with the US Green Buildings Council, followed by 42 in Qatar, 37 in Saudi Arabia, 13 in Oman, seven in Bahrain and three in Kuwait.
"Sustainability costs less if you know what you are doing from the beginning," Owainati said at the Emirates Environment Group's open lecture on Tuesday.
Owainati said there had been a major push towards environmentally friendly buildings in Dubai, however the creation of a rating system had taken longer than expected due to regulations that had to apply to all buildings.
"It's not easy to create a set of rules that will apply to hotels, hospitals or residential buildings," he said.
"They all have different needs, and it is the same in, for example, Saudi Arabia.
"Levels of humidity or access to water vary depending on where you are in the country," he said.
