The Carrier Middle East Team

The Smart4Power team

The Eco-Structures International team

The Emaar Facilities Management team

Dubai, UAE, 13 May 2018: Emirates Green Building Council (EmiratesGBC) honoured the winners of the 2018 MENA Green Building Awards during a gala ceremony on May 9 in Dubai.

During his opening remarks, Saeed Al Abbar, Chairman, EmiratesGBC, underlined the group’s commitment to highlight best practices across the region to inspire stakeholders towards innovation. Al Abbar expressed appreciation at the endorsement of the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) of the event, and acknowledged the support and partnership of regional partners, namely the Jordan Green Building Council and Lebanon Green Building Council, with additional participation from the Palestine Green Building Council, Egypt Green Building Council, Kuwait Green Building Council and Morocco Green Building Council. KPMG were the Official Observing Auditors of the evaluation process.

The winners of the MENA Green Building Awards 2018 in 17 categories are:

Green Building Material/Product:

• Energy Management: Carrier Aquaforce 30KAV & 30XV Chillers, submitted by Carrier Middle East Limited
• Indoor Air Quality: TermoDeck, submitted by Eco-Structures International
• Conventional Construction Materials: Interpon D2525 ECO, submitted by AkzoNobel

Green Building of the Year:

• Green Commercial Building: EQUATE Headquarters, submitted by Dar Gulf Consult for Engineering Consultancy
• Green School: Al Mamoura Academy, submitted by Aldar Properties PJSC
• Green Residential Building: Masdar Neighbourhood One Residences Phase 1, submitted by Multiplex Constructions LLC
• Green Public Building: The Palestinian Museum (TPM), submitted by The Palestinian Museum (TPM)/Taawon-Welfare Association
• Green Healthcare Building: Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, submitted by Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi

Sustainable Building Design of the Year: Yas Bay – Arena, submitted by WSP

Sustainable Urban/Community Development Design of the Year: Reem Downtown, submitted by Arup

Facility Management Organisation of the Year: Burj Khalifa, submitted by Emaar Facilities Management LLC

Contractor of the Year: Multiplex Constructions LLC

Developer of the Year: Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority, submitted for Binghatti Developers

Green Building Research Award: Energy Centered Maintenance/A Green Maintenance System, submitted by Emaar Facilities Management LLC

Retrofit Project of the Year: Innoventures Education, submitted by Smart4Power LLC

Best Operations & Maintenance (Existing Buildings): Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, submitted by Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi

Training Initiative of the Year: CCC’s Sustainability Training Initiative, submitted by Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC)

Hiba Najini, Heriot-Watt University was also presented with the 2018 Dr. Owainati Student Excellence Award, recognising a student for exceptional research in a subject related to green buildings in the Middle East for her work on the ‘Techno-Economic Assessment of Green Building Codes in United Arab Emirates.’

“We are really at a cross roads in our journey at the moment,” Al Abbar said, underlining the role of the built-environment towards ensuring a sustainable future, “and it’s a challenging one. I believe together, we can overcome these challenges to meet the targets for a cleaner, safer and more sustainable environment.” Taking a moment to frame challenges underpinning the need for innovation, Al Abbar pointed to exponential population rise and the migration of people towards cities. At the moment, he said, cities are expanding at an alarming rate, and every week, a city the size of Paris is being built.

According to Emirates GBC, to ensure the carbon neutrality of the Awards, the organisers calculated the emissions from power consumption, heat energy, refrigeration, waste and other sources, such as the journeys of participants to the event, as well as catering and lodging. This, the organisation said, would be offset towards the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority’s (DEWA) Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) Project: Chiller Station L, the first project generating Certified Emission Reduction (CERs) in the region.