Saving the planet through regulations

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Tanzeed Alam.

Taking this into account, it is therefore very timely that green regulations are due to be announced to the construction industry at the Big 5 exhibition later this month. The regulations, which become effective on January 1, will clarify any misinterpretation over what developers can and cannot do in the eyes of the law.

The directive issued by UAE vice-president and prime minister and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum earlier this year that all new buildings must meet green standards left some in a state of confusion. What exactly were these "green standards" that must be met?

"There is a fair element of confusion at present," Al Gurg Leigh's Paints chief manager Sunil Gudur told CW. "Nobody really knows what amounts to being green. I think it means the UAE now needs to start taking steps towards becoming more environmentally friendly."

The government of Dubai will be among the first in the world to impose regulations as opposed to mere guidelines. The new laws will be introduced in four tiers, becoming more stringent at each stage.

The fourth tier is set to be introduced in 2015. With the introduction of tier four, Dubai is expected to become a world leader in sustainability.

WSP was the consultancy charged with advising the Dubai Municipality (DM) with regard to the regulations. "Rating systems are not mandatory, they are voluntary. They are market driven," said Green Building Regulatory project manager Susan Rogers. "Regulations on the other hand are mandatory. They set minimum requirements."

WSP has said that the first tier of regulations will not pose a huge hurdle for developers to clear. It said that many developers will find they are already building to the standards that will be implemented by the first tier.

But over time, by 2015, things should change. And with more stringent guidelines may come a little additional cost - not a subject that developers are fond of talking about in the present financial climate.

The world has grown used to the regional industry operating at full steam ahead, to images of the Palm developments, mammoth man-made islands floating off the coast of Dubai that gave new meaning to the idea of market buoyancy.

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