Eco-friendly buildings for future generations

Some parts of the Gulf are eco-aware, so why is Qatar lagging behind so far? See article below about eco-friendly buildings in UAE.

Eco-friendly buildings for future generations
[source: http://archive.gulfnews.com/nation/Environment/10121323.html ]

04/28/2007 01:57 PM | By Rania Habib, Staff Reporter

Abu Dhabi: For Dr Mohsin Aboulnaga, preserving the environment is part of his life. The former professor in architecture and sustainable design is now the driving force behind the Emirates Green Building Council (EGBC), a young initiative undertaken to advance green building principles in the UAE.

The vision of the EGBC, a non-profit organisation, falls in line with that of the World Green Building Council (of which it is a member), whereby building contractors, developers, consultants and manufacturers achieve the highest level of sustainable built-environment through the promotion of high performance green buildings and environmentally friendly technologies.

"In a nutshell, a green building minimises energy and water use, and provides a healthier environment for its inhabitants," says Dr Aboulnaga.

Scarce resource

"For example, we look at how water is used, whether it has been recycled or not, or if condensation water has been harvested and re-used. Water is a very strategic commodity nowadays as it is scarce everywhere, which is an added problem in an arid zone like the UAE."

"A green building project would look at how the structure can be adjusted to the surrounding environment," adds Dr Aboulnaga.

"Here we have very high temperatures and humidity, and so we look at how to regulate that through the building fabric, and consequently minimise energy consumption. As for indoor policies, a green building must ensure that at least 70 per cent of each floor is naturally lit, which reduces energy consumption and helps clear the building of germs and bacteria."

According to Dr Aboulnaga, there are currently four certified green buildings in the UAE, and other projects are "in the pipeline." The UAE is developing its own rating system, modelled on the US-rating system, LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.)

"A committee is working on developing the rating system for the UAE, to tailor and customise it to suit the culture and environment of the UAE, otherwise it's not fair to just adopt another country's rating system," says Dr Aboulnaga.

The EGBC is not an approving authority at the moment, leaving the rating process to the WGBC. However, the EGBC takes on an education role. "We want to educate people, spread awareness, develop curriculums, organise seminars and conferences, create partnerships and set standards," says Dr Aboulnaga.

Younger generations

"Education is very important: younger generations have to understand the role of each person in society towards the environment and how to sustain, protect, and understand it."

By establishing the EGBC, Dr Aboulnaga says that they hope to be a modest example for the rest of the region. "There are 37 emerging councils at the moment, and two councils are being formed in the Arab region, one of them in Egypt."

"The idea for establishing the EGBC began in 2004, when I was invited to attend the WGBC held in Hyderabad, India," explains Dr Aboulnaga, founder of the EGBC.

"The board of governors encouraged us to push the initiative forward. First, we organised the first International Conference on Green Buildings in the UAE in 2005, during which we touched on the development in the UAE and how we could sustain the environment."

"We also concluded that we needed to form a core group which would be the leading force in establishing the EGBC," adds Dr Aboulnaga.

"So we developed the vision, the mission statetment, the strategic plan, and we formed committees. By October 2005, we developed all the documents needed to follow the WGBC roadmap, and by July 2006, we were the eighth country to join the WBGC, after the US, Canada, Japan, Australia, India, Taiwan and Mexico." New Zealand and the United Kingdom later joined the WGBC.

Indoors: Increasing productivity

Improved indoor environments can increase employee productivity by up to 16 per cent.
Most people here spend 90 per cent of their time indoors, same as in the US.
Today's buildings consume more energy than any other sector, including transportation and industry - US Department of Energy.
The quality of air inside buildings is sometimes two to five times worse than the outside air.