Sustainability conference showcases green business opportunities in GCC construction market

Two-day conference at The Big 5 to drive innovation and best practice for creating sustainable cities across Middle East and North Africa

Dubai, United Arab Emirates - 17 November 2014 - The rise in green building practices across the GCC is creating new business opportunities for the construction industry.

Updates on sustainable development and regulatory framework in the region will be presented at the two-day Sustainable Design & Construction Conference, which begins tomorrow at The Big 5.

GCC governments are committed to sustainability, so developers and contractors must meet new standards.

Abdulla Rafia, Assistant Director General, Planning & Engineering at Dubai Municipality will reveal the timeline for implementation of the new sustainability requirements in Dubai.

“We’re seeing a lot of interest in the conference, highlighting the importance the construction industry places on sustainability now,” said Andy White, Group Event Director of The Big 5. “With the packed line-up of presentations and speakers at this year’s event, we are setting the sustainability agenda for the Middle East and North Africa.”

Eight iconic project showcases will be featured at the conference, with lead architects, engineers and project managers involved in the projects sharing their insight and best practice.

One of them will be the new Abu Dhabi International Airport Midfield Terminal Complex, one of the largest single-building projects in the world, The man who designed it, Mustafa Chehabeddine, Principal at Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, will be talking about his experience on Day one (18 Nov) of the conference.

He said: “Even in 2005 sustainability was at the centre of the design from the very first drawing.

“Legislation to meet sustainability criteria has become tougher over the years since this project was started, but the terminal was always designed to be as sustainable and energy efficient as possible.”

Other topics that will be discussed at the conference include refurbishment and retrofit market updates and opportunities, achieving sustainability targets, energy efficient cooling and more.

The Sustainable Design and Construction Conference is set to take place 18 - 19 November. For the full agenda please visit http://www.thebig5.ae/Content/Agenda.