Dubai, UAE: Presence of mould in any building is of serious concern in the Middle East region as not only can it affect the quality of a building, such as corrode metals, lead to leakages and weaken the structure, but is also a health hazard for its occupants.

Abdullah Gallioun, MEP Project Engineer of IFA Hotels & Resorts, says that to stop the growth of mould in any given area of a building, one needs to identify the reasons behind its growth. He says: “Simply removing it [the mould] from the building will not solve the problem. No, we need to find the cause of the mould, and only then can we control it. If we found mould and addressed it without solving the main reason, the building will get mould again and again.”

He added that there is a need to identify a benchmark and include the issue in engineering guides and standards, so that building contractors adhere to the minimum requirements.