Building for a green future

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Proud projects: Hyder has been involved in a number of developments in the UAE, including Ski Dubai at the Mall of the Emirates, and Abu Dhabi’s landscape redevelopment project.

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Water saving world: Nakheel has also followed the green path, implementing a water recycling system at its Palm projects.

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Dubai is known for one thing above anything else - its construction. So far building some of the planet's most impressive structures, from the world's tallest building to its largest mall, has ensured that all eyes are on the city whose construction sites never sleep. But now those eyes will be looking at Dubai for a very different reason - its desire to lead the construction industry in going green.

Last month His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai demonstrated his commitment to building a greener city by taking pioneering steps to put Dubai on the world map for its sustainable developments.

As from January next year all buildings will have to be constructed as per environment-friendly ‘green building' standards. Dubai was the first city in the Middle East and one of the first in the world to implement this eco-friendly method. The announcement is in line with the Dubai Strategic Plan 2015, a government initiative set to push the emirate to the next level of growth, which will also help achieve an 11% annual rise in GDP per capita, and help create new jobs.

The decision should please the international conservationist group, the World Wildlife Fund, which last year released a report stating that UAE residents put the most stress per capita on the planet ahead of residents in the US, Finland and Canada.

But with the ball rolling for changes in January how is the news affecting local property developers? Hyder Consulting, a planning, engineering, environmental and management consultancy which has been established in the region for more than 40 years, spoke to Arabian Business about establishing its own green initiatives, and how the region is becoming increasingly aware of its impact on the environment.

The master planner is responsible for some of the world's landmark designs, including Sydney Harbour Bridge and Emirates Towers, as well as the Cairo Wastewater Project and the iconic Melbourne City Link.

"The awareness of going green has certainly grown in the region. It has become more important to the general public but legislation is leading the way and is giving it more of an impetus which can take it to the next level," Nigel Hayward, area director for Dubai, Hyder Consulting tells Arabian Business. "The structure plan for Dubai was issued in February and HH Sheikh Mohammed has really put it on a scale which will take green building to the next stage. Market pressure will also force the issue."

In the same month that HH Sheikh Mohammed announced his commitment to Dubai going green, Hyder Consulting published details of its own green initiative, the launch of its Regional Sustainable Design Group in the Middle East. Comprised of a collaboration of staff from all disciplines across the company, including value management, economic analysis, LEED services and other green build rating systems, the group regularly meets to facilitate sustainable solutions and feed its ideas back to the rest of the company.

"A lot of what we were already doing was green, and being sustainable is considered an integral part of what we do, so the design group is our way of integrating the skills we already have and putting them together. Some companies have formed stand-alone groups but we felt that could result in the group being sidelined. The team looks at the latest technology because today's latest sustainable technology is tomorrow's normal practice. That is how, as a company, we see it going," explains Hayward.

HH Sheikh Mohammed's statement may have bought the issue to the forefront of the agenda but sustainable design is still in its nascent stages in this region. Northern Europe has long been associated with its commitment to green buildings but with the drive firmly in place here, Hayward doesn't think the UAE will be far behind. "The environments in America, Australia and Europe have really taken decades to gain traction but here it is happening in just two to three years.

"The UAE is using the very best technology and information to ensure that it doesn't have to go through decades of long development processes. Historically it hasn't been high on the agenda but with HH Sheikh Mohammed's impetus behind it, it won't be long," says Hayward.

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