EmiratesGBC organises first ‘Developers Forum Roundtable’ to strengthen green buildings in the UAE

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19 Sep 2017

Emirates Green Building Council (EmiratesGBC), an independent forum aimed at conserving the environment by strengthening and promoting green building practices, organised the first ‘Developers Forum’ at Sheraton Mall of Emirates Dubai.

It was the first in a series of bespoke events for the members of the EmiratesGBC Developers Forum which brought together local semi-government and listed developers to increase the engagement of developers in sustainable development and green building best practices.

Organised under the theme, ‘A Business Case for Green Buildings in the UAE,’ the event promoted a shared vision of sustainable development and advancing green building best practices to achieve the goals of the UAE Vision 2021.

Senior representatives of Emaar Properties, Diamond Developers, TECOM, and RAK Properties, among others, attended the roundtable.

Saeed Al Abbar, Chairman of EmiratesGBC, welcomed the audience with an introduction to the UAE green building market and how it links with the global movement, followed by ‘Government Spotlight’ presentations on Regulatory Initiatives by Graeme Lindsay Sims of Regulatory Supervisory Bureau (RSB) Dubai, and Existing Buildings by Mustapha Aanzi, Assistant Director Business Development of Etihad ESCO. Albinas Kontrimas, Associate - Project & Development Services, Middle East & North Africa, Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) presented a business case study, which was followed by an open discussion.

The participants offered different perspectives on green building development in the UAE with practical insights on how to advance sustainable built environments. They outlined the challenges and opportunities in developing green buildings and in undertaking the retrofitting of existing buildings, and underlined their commitment to supporting the green vision of the nation.

Saeed Al Abbar, Chairman of EmiratesGBC, said: “The Developers Forum Roundtable by EmiratesGBC was the first initiative of its kind that aims to bring together one of the most important stakeholders in the construction sector to advance sustainable built environments. With their hands-on experience in project development and management, the developers have strong insights on the practical challenges and concerns in promoting green buildings. They also have a trove of information on industry best practices that will benefit all the stakeholders as well as the community. The recommendations of the Roundtable will serve as guidelines for EmiratesGBC in advancing the UAE’s green agenda for sustainable development.”

In addition to providing insights on market trends, the Roundtable aimed to integrate the developer perspective into the industry dialogue initiated by EmiratesGBC as well as to influence developers to raise their benchmarks in sustainable best practices.

Sheraton Mall of the Emirates Dubai was the Venue Partner. EmiratesGBC regularly hosts and participates in multinational events, conferences and forums. It has also developed a suite of activities, inclusive of networking events, technical workshops, focus days and facilitated training based around specific issues related to the built-environment that meet the needs of its members, of the UAE community, and the wider Middle East.