Dubai, UAE: Comparing the Middle East region with the rest of the world in terms of Green Building, Marisa Long, PR & Communications Director of the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), says that the bulk of the projects in the Middle East are new construction, whereas, in the other countries, they have more existing building renovation, or operations and maintenance projects.

Long says: “This is probably reflective of the real estate market in the Middle East, where countries such as Qatar, Bahrain and the UAE are creating a vast number of new buildings and infrastructure, but we believe that the momentum for LEED within the new building market will eventually translate into increasing levels of enthusiasm for greening the existing built-environment in these countries.”