Green buildings in the Middle East

Timon Singh

Mario Seneviratne, Director of Dubai-based Green Technologies, has said that if Middle Eastern industries embrace 'green building' technologies instead of conventional ones, they could "significantly help in tackling environment problems in addition to long-term financial returns".

Speaking at the Doha Green 2009 Conference, Seneviratne said that green buildings could potentially reduce energy usage by 24 to 50 percent, carbon emission by 33 to 39 percent, water use by 40 percent and solid waste by 70 percent.

Green buildings

With a third of the world's energy being utilised in construction and building operation, the concept of green buildings is becoming more and more popular. General construction work uses an inordinate amount of energy, water and raw materials and more often than not, generate large amounts of waste and potentially harmful atmospheric emissions.

As a result, companies are facing demands to make environmentally friendly and eco-efficient buildings, whilst at the same time minimising their actual impact on the environment. As such, sustainable building design is becoming more and more important, with designers and construction firms finding the most eco-friendly ways to get buildings made.

During his talk, named 'Market Transformation towards Sustainability', Seneviratne said there had been an increasing awareness of green buildings around the world, with the World Green Building Technology Council (WGBC) membership increasing six-fold to 55 member countries since its inception six years ago.

In the Middle East, Qatar is one of the 9 on the list of prospective members which also includes Saudi Arabia among others.

The World Green Building Technology Council

Presently affecting 10,000 companies, WGBC has among its goals advocate the important role of green buildings in mitigating global climate change, facilitate effective communication, share best practice, and promote collaboration between councils, countries, and industry leaders.

The group is keen to make construction companies take a 'synergistic approach' to building design, ensuring that the scheme "supports an increased commitment to environmental stewardship and conservation, and results in an optimal balance of cost, environmental, societal, and human benefits while meeting the mission and function of the intended facility or infrastructure."

"Sustainability awareness is most crucial to the rate of adoption and market transformation," said Seneviratne, adding lack of it and the mistaken notion that green buildings cost more than conventional ones are major obstacles facing green building technology.

"It doesn't take complex processes and costly mechanisms to achieve green building," he said.

Such cheap, affordable green technologies include tankers to store and harvest rainwater to cut water consumption, intelligent lighting systems to cut electricity use, natural ventilation and a ground source heat pump that reduces heating and cooling costs.

It is schemes like this that are the cornerstones of green buildings and sustainable building design. Avoiding using natural resources like water, opting instead to recycle, can cut down building costs by an estimated 10 percent.

Other green trends Seneviratne advocated included carbon neutral communities, public transport and no-car cities, self-sustaining urban planning, on-site water treatment plants, and cultural sensitivity incorporating traditional design elements.

On 18 February 2010, international law firm King & Spalding is hosting a conference on major energy and infrastructure projects in the Middle East at the Hilton Abu Dhabi Hotel in Abu Dhabi, UAE. This full-day conference is suitable for those involved in energy, construction and engineering projects in the region.

For more information on Energy and Infrastructure Projects in the Middle East Conference: Legal and Commercial Issues, please visit www.kslaw.com/globaltransactionsconference or email eventsandtraining@kslaw.com.

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