Projects face redesign to meet green regulations

zoom

Sustainability standards: new green rules for building, including using solar power where possible, will come into force in January.

Some projects may face a redesign in order to fall in line with new green building standards set to be enforced in January.

Under the instruction of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE vice president and ruler of Dubai, all buildings in the emirate will have to be constructed according to international green building principles.

According to Mohammed Ali, design department, Dubai Municipality, the main focus will be on the efficient use of energy and the type of materials used in construction.

"All designs won't have to go back to the drawing board, but some may. We have been working on these regulations for a while now," he said.

"The use of solar power will be a big point, while the type of materials used in buildings will be specified, such as using recycled plastic when possible. The use of wood is also going to be discouraged."

The regulations will be implemented in phases, with separate laws for buildings that have already been built, those that are under construction or those that are in the design stage.

"The phases will look at private developments, new and existing developments, government buildings and the urban fabric," said a committee member working on the legislation, who wished to remain unnamed.

"The legislation will provide for buildings that have already been designed, and will depend on how much of an impact it will have in terms of redesign."

But with only two months left for the industry to align itself with the new standards, it could fall short of time, as well as have difficulty implementing the laws.

"It is unlikely that all buildings will be green by 1 January 2008, however those that have not started construction may be subject to some changes," said Colin Hill, technical director of engineering and design consultancy firm, Otak.

"The extent of those changes will depend on a number of issues, including how much of the building has been sold, how long it would take to implement changes and the effect on the construction schedule. Each case will need to be reviewed on its own merit."

But some in the industry don't think the changes would affect them too much as the shift towards green building has been in the pipeline for a while.

"I think most contractors are already aware of the imminent changes and know what they have to do and how to do it," said Philippe Dessoy, general manager, Besix.

Print | Email | Discuss this article

| Share |

READERS' COMMENTS

The Buildings are always Greener on the Other side of the fence!
Posted by Hussain Motabagani, Khobar, Saudi Arabia on Monday 5 November 2007 at 17:00 UAE time


This IS the step in the right direction, 
I can only begin to pay tribute to HH Shaikh Maktoom for his efforts to make dubai an environmentally freindlier place on earth (despite the vast number of projects). 
 
I wish our authoroties and ministries could follow suite. its a shame that you cant find any solar panels around to utilize natural light and heat when have the most sun exposure on earth. 
 
but still i beleive locla markets need to develop more "GReen materials" that use less energy to make and can eassily be re-integrated back into the environment when their effective life cycle ends.

Click here to post a comment

Add your Comment All posts are sent to the administrator for review and are published only after approval. ArabianBusiness.com reserves the right to remove any comment at any time for any reason. Please keep your responses appropriate and on topic. Arabian Business would like to point out that only comments relevant to the story will be published. Any containing personal insults or inappropriate language will not be approved.
Name *
Remember me on this computer
Email *	(Your email address will not be published)
City
Country
Subject *
Comment *
Notify me of further comments
Enter the words above *
Please click post only once - your comment will not be published immediately.

MORE FROM ARABIANBUSINESS.COM