Dubai, UAE, 16 May 2018: United Technologies gathered more than 100  building professionals on May 2 in Dubai to discuss trends in global urbanisation and the advantages of “building green”, from health effects to the preservation of priceless works of art, the company said through a Press communiqué.

The UAE is undergoing rapid urbanisation, with 86% of the population currently living in cities. With such exponential growth happening so quickly, there are environmental and health considerations to be taken into account, the communiqué said.

“The Middle East has a great opportunity for Green Building and sustainable urbanization,” said Giorgio Elia, Vice President, UTC Climate, Controls & Security, Middle East. “There are proven economic, environmental and social trends driving the demand for sustainable urbanization across the world. Today’s event offered local building professionals a new look at those trends to help drive the conversation on the value of Green Buildings.”

The event featured presentations from:

• Michel Grabon, Director of Advanced Systems, UTC Climate, Controls & Security
• Dr. Joseph Allen, Assistant Professor of Exposure Assessment Science, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Director, Healthy Buildings program at the Center for Health and the Global Environment at the Harvard T.H. Chan School

Dr Allen’s lecture focused on his latest research from Harvard, showing how Green Buildings influence human health in two critically important ways – on an individual level through optimised indoor environments and on a population level through reductions in energy use and reductions in air pollutants, the communiqué said. Primary support for Harvard’s research came from United Technologies and its UTC Climate, Controls & Security business. 

Dr Allen said: “These indirect, population-level health co-benefits of the Green Building movement have not been fully accounted for when exploring the benefits of better buildings. We can quantify the savings per square foot in Green Buildings, as compared to conventional buildings. Ultimately, we strive to produce high-quality scientific results that will allow practitioners to make data-driven decisions for buildings.”

Grabon spoke about the practical application of Carrier equipment that helps preserve famous works of art. Carrier’s installation of an innovative HVAC system in the Sistine Chapel demonstrated that energy-efficient, quiet equipment could be retrofitted to meet the Vatican’s demanding requirements and protect some of the world’s most precious art, Michelangelo’s famous frescoes.