The third annual Emirates Green Building Council (EmiratesGBC) Congress, held under the patronage of His Excellency Dr. Abdullah Belhaif Al Nuaimi, UAE Minister of Public Works, on its concluding day, organised a sustainable building tour in Dubai of the Dubai Airport Freezone Authority (DAFZA) premises. A sustainable hotel workshop was also held in a Green Key certified hotel for the delegates.

An integral part of the Congress, the tours and workshops were held to engage delegates in dialogue on new perspectives and the practical application of green building features. During the day, the delegates took part in break-out groups to brainstorm on how sustainability considerations are adopted by different business sectors including hospitality and the commercial sector.

DAFZA provided an overview of the various built environment sustainability initiatives at their head office premises, while the hospitality workshop highlighted green features of sustainable hotels.

Saeed Al Abbar, Chairman of EmiratesGBC, said; The third Annual EmiratesGBC Congress achieved its objective of stimulating insightful discussion on the opportunities and challenges in developing sustainable built environments. The detailed presentations, panel discussions and site tours provided the delegates a strong overview of how sustainability considerations can be inbuilt in a practical setting without compromising on the commercial returns.

The success of the Congress is a strong testament to the deep interest among the stakeholders in the construction industry supply chain to contribute to the green economy for sustainable development vision announced by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai. We are thankful to all the subject experts, delegates, partners and sponsors for their support to the event. We will continue to focus on promoting industry-level discussions on green buildings and contribute to building a culture of sustainability.

Ayoub Al Hammadi, Executive Director of Customer Relations and Licensing division at DAFZA, added: DAFZA supports the Dubai leaderships vision of environmentally responsible development. We integrate a number of green elements throughout the free zone such as LED lights and light switch sensors that minimise our carbon footprint while enabling significant savings on energy and avoiding unnecessary waste. DAFZA aims to fully complement Dubais pioneering role in adopting international green standards throughout its infrastructure and fostering a culture of sustainability among its clients and workforce.

The third edition of the Congress was the largest and most extensive to date in terms of participation and the topics discussed. Over two days, international and regional experts delivered keynote speeches, presented case studies and took part in panel discussions to highlight the opportunities and challenges in the green building sector.

Organised as a carbon-neutral event under the theme Sustainable Cities for the Future, the Congress also set industry benchmarks. MyClimate Foundation, one of the worlds leading providers of voluntary carbon offsetting measures, will offset the carbon generated by the Congress through its international project portfolio of gold standard certified projects.

The sponsors of the Congress were: Siemens (Platinum Sponsor), BASF the Chemical Company (Gold) and National Paints (Silver).

EmiratesGBC regularly hosts and participates in multinational events, conferences and forums. EmiratesGBC 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. For more information, contact info@emiratesgbc.org or events@emiratesgbc.org, or call +9714 3468244.