Dubai needs to focus on sustainable design for buildings, says expert

Dubai: Dubai needs to focus on sustainable energy modelling for better performance in high rise buildings with special emphasis on the weather conditions in the Middle East, a renowned international expert on wind engineering said on Tuesday.

Dr Anton Davies, senior vice president of RWDI Canada renowned scientist in the field of wind engineering and environmental sciences was speaking at a seminar on "Wind Tunnel Testing and Sustainable Building Design" organised by Dubai Municipality.

The objective of the seminar was to offer a continuous platform for local architects and consultant engineers.

Dr Davies said that the region is characterised by the availability of abundant sunlight and utilisation of this energy using photovoltaic and solar hot water systems is crucial.

"Presently, wind tunnel studies offer the best estimate of the wind loading on a building for cladding as well as structural frame design. In general, code analytical methods are helpful for preliminary design and for simple situations. Even codes recommend wind tunnel testing for complex or tall buildings," said Dr Davies.

Khalid Mohammad Saleh, Director of the Building Department at Dubai Municipality said that a recent report revealed that the value of real estate projects has increased from $90 billion [about Dh330.5 billion] to $143 billion [about Dh525 billion] in the Middle East for the period of 2005-2006.

"The Dubai Strategic Plan 2007-2015, rolled out by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, places significant emphasis on the utilisation of resources," said Saleh.