Construction Week to host conference on sustainability in May

Taking place in Dubai on May 29th, the Building Sustainability in the Middle East conference will cover topics including architecture, energy efficiency, 'green' materials, waste management and interior design.

Jeff Roberts, editor of Middle East Architect was part of planning the program alongside Becca Wilson, the editor of Facilities Management. "We wanted to create a forum that comprehensively examined how the various pieces fit together for making sustainability successful in this region. Hopefully, this conference will highlight some of the links between facilities management and architectural design," says Jeff.

Building Sustainability in the Middle East is endorsed by the Green Building Council and the Dubai Chamber of Commerce. The event has been divided into two main streams where the first is on architectural design and the second focusing on facilities management and being chaired by Mick Dalton, senior director for asset management for EMAAR Properties.

The morning keynote presentation will be held by Hazel Wong, Director of RMJM, and is entitled Aesthetics of Sustainable Design. She commented to Construction Week about the role of an architect in achieving sustainability,

"Commitment towards environmental responsibility is the key driver to catalyst change between all sectors of the building industry where each initiative requires support, produces results and in turn creates demand. The participation of an architect is integral to this chain of events and he or she has been tasked with the challenge of maintaining the same level of professionalism and design integrity in this pursuit."

She went on to emphasize the impact that sustainable ideas are having on the industry as a whole.

"It is evident that sustainable considerations are and will continue to be incorporated into building standards and legislation. Today's practitioners are experiencing a difficult but encouraging phase, where vital decisions can influence and change the course of the building industry. Often sustainable design has been misinterpreted as foremost incorporating mechanical systems. In essence, good design can address sustainability without necessarily jumping into a technological hype."

Other key presentations at the event include Professor Abd El Halim from Carleton University in Canada who will speak on power generation and energy conservation. An update on Masdar will be given by Khaled Awad, the director of property development, and in the afternoon, a special panel discussion will held on selling the concept to the public and gauging the market demand for green developments.

Oscar Wendel, Director of Construction Week Conferences says, "This event is central to our series of events for 2008 and builds up to the Construction Week Award Conference being held in November."

The conference will take place at the Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai on May 29. It is sponsored by Schneider Electric, Hangsgrohe, Roca and Whitby & Bird.