Energy Efficient Building a Must in the Gulf States

Abu Dhabi: Residential and commercial buildings in the Gulf currently consume 45 per cent of the energy produced in the region, demanding timely guidelines for sustainable buildings to avert a future energy crisis, said an official at the Emirates Green Building Council (Emirates GBC).

Dr Mohsin Aboulnaga, Professor of Architecture and Sustainable design and Chairman of Emirates GBC made this comment at a recent briefing for an international conference on environment-friendly buildings to be held next year.

He said in addition to consuming 45 per cent of total energy, these buildings also generate 50 per cent of the waste in the region. Aboulnaga explained that the buildings consume energy for cooling, heating and lighting, and emit carbon monoxide from heating applications. He added that the Emirates GBC is currently developing guidelines for Sustainable and Green Buildings.

Key aspects

"The construction boom in the Gulf has neglected environmental concerns. More attention needs to be paid towards establishing guidelines for sustainable construction which can lead to considerable cost savings," he said.

The four specialised shows in April 2008 will be dedicated to high-performance buildings. They will focus on key aspects such as modern building construction, climate control and structure. Announcing the decision to bring the internationally known Batimat brand to Abu Dhabi, Frederic Theux, President of Reed Exhibitions Middle East, said the four-day show would be a key event for the dynamic construction market in the Middle East, which is worth $300 billion.

Theux said, "Given the current wave of new real estate developments in the UAE and the Middle East region, we believe that the building industry is ready to look at the benefits of incorporating high-performance features, which result in saving long-term operating costs. High-performance buildings are equally important for the end-user."

Gaetan Siew, President of the International Union of Architects, said that creating buildings that consume the minimum amount of energy is the need of the hour. "Energy management requires an integrated approach that includes efficient design and appropriate material and equipment. This is an ideal time for the Middle East to integrate the concept ... into their construction projects."

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