Dubai: Innovative solutions to achieve sustainable, affordable housing will be the focus of a seminar being organised by Emirates Green Building Council (EmiratesGBC) during Innovation Week.
Emirates GBC, an independent forum aimed at conserving the environment by strengthening and promoting green building practices, will be hosting a two-hour seminar at the largest construction event in the Middle East, the Big 5 conference, as part of its ‘Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities’ workshop programme.
With more than 80,000 participants and 2,800 exhibitors, the Big 5 brings all stakeholders from the construction industry together to share best practices, as well as to showcase and explore the latest and best construction solutions available in the sector.
The EmiratesGBC workshop will discuss sustainable housing in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region, how innovation can be used to provide solutions and if implementation of the concept of “sustainable affordable housing” is feasible in the region. It will give the floor to other Green Building Councils in the GCC region, including representation from Lebanon, Qatar and Jordan.
“The Big 5 is a key conference for the construction industry stakeholders and we have been its strong supporter over the years,” Saeed Al Abbar, Chairman of EmiratesGBC, said.
Al Abbar said innovation plays a key role in any industry, particularly when it comes to energy efficiency, where great savings can be made by using the correct technology solutions.
“One of the challenges we have identified when it comes to sustainable, affordable housing is the tendency by project developers to overlook the long term benefits of green building in the face of higher up front cost.”
Al Abbar said the seminar will serve as a platform to remove such misconceptions and guide developers through the best ways to match sustainable building with affordable housing so that developers, owners and end-users can all benefit, while providing sustainable development to the country.
The workshop, which will run from November 23 to 26 at the Dubai World Trade Centre from 2 pm to 4pm, is CPD accredited and attendance is free for anyone registering before November 22.
For more information and registration, residents can visit https://www.thebig5.ae/free-education/certified-workshops/affordable-housing-sustainable-communities/agenda/.
