Green buildings increase property asset value, developers are told at industry conference

Jim Whittaker, President of the US-based Facility Engineering Associates, told the 'Property and FM' conference that green building principles can significantly increase a property's asset value and produce a much healthier employee environment.

Delivering the keynote address at the conference, Whittaker explained the impact of sustainable FM practices in reducing the carbon footprint of facilities and outlined the approach to green buildings and sustainable FM operations in the US.

Existing buildings in the UAE use an average of 30,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per month and 70% of the electricity is used on traditional air conditioning. However, green buildings minimise water and electricity usage, bringing huge cost savings for property developers over the long term.

The Property and FM conference is taking place at the Dusit Hotel Dubai as part of FM Expo, the region's only dedicated exhibition to facilities management, featuring over 60 leading FM companies and suppliers representing a comprehensive range of FM products and services.

The second day of the conference, chaired by Stan Mitchell, Chairmen, Global FM, provided an opportunity for many of the region's leading property developers to gain an in-depth insight in the latest green building innovations and customised programmes to reduce energy and water consumption.

The conference commenced with a presentation by Markus Oberlin, General Manager of Farnek Avireal on best practice energy management, how to analyse energy savings potential and what tools and techniques can be utilised to minimise energy costs.

Khaled Bushnaq, Director of UAE-based Energy Management Services ran through some of the persistent challenges related to the preservation of water and energy, and gave advice on how to create customised programmes to deliver major energy savings

Dr Sadek Owainati, Chairman of the Emirates Green Building Council delivered a special address on the importance of creating and maintaining a sustainable built environment and protecting the UAE's ecosystem. He also outlined how smart planning can help property developers to reduce electricity consumption by 50 per cent.

Mario Seneviratne, Director of Green Technologies FZCO and Board Member of the World Green Building Council explained the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system for existing buildings.

A Q&A panel session on green buildings compliance allowed high-level delegates to delve deeper into the subject with some of the most knowledgeable leaders in the field of energy management.

Agata Pawlik, Project Manager, Streamline Marketing Group said: 'The recent introduction of green building laws and regulations across the Emirates will help property developers to keep the environment top of mind when planning for all new projects.

Today's conference demonstrates that developers can also achieve huge energy savings increased asset value over a building's life cycle, by following green building principles.'