Article:
ISSUE No. 12 September - October 2008

Green Building
New Rules for Ecological Construction in the UAE

The building industry in the entire Gulf Region has been booming for many years, but until now very little consideration was given to the environment. This is changing now. In the beginning of 2008, Dubai enacted laws for environmentally friendly construction. Conservation of water and energy is now the builder’s responsibility. The Emirate of Abu Dhabi will follow suit. Beginning next year, they too will have laws for ecological construction. To date there have been two conferences in Dubai dealing with the issue of “green building”. The great success and the enormous response to these seminars prompted the organizers to offer another conference on this issue on October 29th in Abu Dhabi. Ilka Emig, environmental protection officer of Sesam Business Consultants, spoke with DiscoverME about the backgrounds of the “Green Building” conference.

How and when did the idea of the “Green Building” conference originate?
The idea has been existing among the Sesam Business Consultants for a while. When HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum announced the new “Green Building” regulations earlier this year and Asst. Prof. Dr. Linda Nubani of the American University in Dubai supported the idea of a joint educational event, our idea soon became reality.

What is the purpose of this conference?
The purpose of the conference is to educate the participants. Interest in the construction industry is huge; builders want clarification about the current and future guidelines in the UAE. At the moment they are unsure of which standard to follow. We tried to provide answers and solutions which fit the requirements. We tried to show that the technology for “green” construction is available and the costs are not as prohibitive as they are widely presumed to be. Actual examples from other countries, with Germany among them, show practical solutions.

Why should green concepts be implemented in the UAE?
The willingness comes from the highest level. It has been proven in the past that Abu Dhabi and Dubai can achieve rapid success when the rulers follow their vision. Besides that, the construction industry is one of the most important sectors in the Emirates. We all have seen in recent years how quickly buildings and whole cities emerged and the amount of investment that flowes into that sector is huge. Because of the rapid growth in the Emirates and the GCC countries, resources like water will diminish quickly. The UAE has the largest water usage per capita in the whole world. Add to that the difficult desert climate which demands the use of great amounts of energy to cool the buildings. The continuously growing population in the area adds to this energy consumption. Dubai is preparing a concrete, LEED based regulation for the building sector by fall of 2008.

What is the LEED concept?
LEED means Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. It is a rating system which applies to all areas of the construction process, beginning with planning, to the regard for biotope, to water and energy saving measures, all the way to healthy and environmentally compatible interiors. There are points for every area. Certification is achieved by accumulating a certain number of points. The advantage of this system is that it is clearly laid out, easily understood, and as previously mentioned, covers all areas.

Where has this concept been implemented?
Currently the concept is successfully used in 47 countries, in North and South America as well as Australia, Great Britain, India and South Africa. Germany is also a member of the World Green Building Council. The UAE has its first LEED certified buildings, for example the “Wafi District Cooling Complex” and the “Pacific Controls Dubai Office”. The driving force is the ecological and economical thinking of builders and building residents.

What expenses are involved when implementing the green concept?
Contrary to common belief, the costs are not high when compared to traditional building methods. The new technologies are so impressive and the savings so great that amortization only takes a few years. The combination of different technologies is vital here. For instance using alternative energy alone would be very expensive. But in combination with propper isolation, energy-saving equipment and good control systems, green building becomes economical.

More information: www.greenbuilding-dubai.com