Emirates Green Building Council (EGBC) has announced the launch of a building-retrofit training programme, developed in partnership with the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy and Masdar. The programme targets existing buildings in the UAE and aims to provide building stakeholders with “viable building retrofit methods”.

EGBC said the programme aims to support the objectives of UAE Vision 2021 and Abu Dhabi Vision 2030 for sustainable urban development, as well as Dubai Integrated Energy Strategy 2030 (DIES) for energy efficiency in Dubai and DSCE’s Demand Side Management (DSM) Strategy to reduce energy demand in Dubai.

The training programme will have a Level 1 Beginners Course and a Level 2 Advanced Course. Level one, the organisation said, is a one-day workshop that offers training for beginners and foundational knowledge of sustainability “to primarily non-technical participants and industry professionals who want an overview of viable retrofit methods applicable in the Gulf region”.

Level two, EGBC said, is a three-day workshop that offers more advanced training, tackling more technical topics compared to the beginner’s course. The programme aims to prepare candidates to participate in ongoing retrofit projects in order to streamline their own technical knowledge for more “effective post-retrofit maintenance and preventive care”.

Attendees, said EGBC, will learn about “general building sustainability, viable building retrofit methods applicable in the UAE and MENA region and sustainable methods that can improve indoor environmental quality in the home, office and/or facility”. 

EGBC noted that the programme is primarily for industry professionals, such as architects, consultants, contractors, MEP professionals, manufacturers and suppliers. The body said the programme is ideal for building owners, such as home owners, landlords and developers; building operators, such as facility managers, hospitality professionals and for building end-users, such as tenants, students, and public- and commercial-sector professionals.